ROYAL AIR FIELD SPANHOE, England –
English organizers held a two-day event here Sept. 13 and 14 called Operation Market Garden, intended to honor the brave men and women and to remember the men stationed at Royal Air Field Spanhoe, England, during World War II.
The celebration was filled with World War II reenactments, vintage aircraft flybys, memorabilia displays and stories told by four veterans who were stationed at RAF Spanhoe during the war.
During the war, RAF Spanhoe was the home for the 315th Troop Carrier Group, a predecessor of the current 315th Airlift Wing located at Charleston AFB. The men of the 315 TCG flew the Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo plane and, with this plane, the 315 TCG dropped American, British and Polish paratroops during the D-Day Invasion, Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity just to name a few.
"This is overwhelming and humbling and reminds me of some beautiful and troubled times -- seeing the field as it is set up today," said Dick Ford, a retired lieutenant colonel and C-47 pilot who was stationed at RAF Spanhoe during the war. "The friendship expressed by our British friends has been overwhelming and it is a pleasure for us to see the current 315th here carrying on our tradition and upholding our reputation so proudly."
Mr. Ford's aircraft was severely damaged during one mission and his crew was forced to make an emergency landing after being attacked by German anti-aircraft and small-arms fire. The crew chief and radio operator on the C-47 were severely injured, but the entire crew was able to avoid capture.
While walking around the airfield, another of the American veterans in attendance found something truly remarkable. Evelyn "Chappy" Kowalchuk, who received her nickname because she did not like to hear Airmen curse, found a newspaper clipping with her picture in it from 1944 when she was stationed at RAF Spanhoe. Ms. Kowalchuk was one of the world's first female flight nurses and actually spent the night in a foxhole while tending to wounded troops during the Normandy invasion. She is also one of the only women to ever be presented with the French Legion of Honor Medal for her actions during the war.
"I feel like sort of a pioneer," said Ms. Kowalchuk. "Flight nurses were experimental in the second world war and what we did has culminated in what aeromedical evacuation is today."
Bud Pence, one of the younger veterans in attendance at only 84 years old, expressed his gratitude for the warm reception that the British hosts provided.
"I am absolutely amazed at the time that they have spent with us and we are so flattered to have the whole thing here honoring us," said Mr. Pence. "It's just been fabulous, much better than I could have ever imagined."
Amazement and a sense of awe were common feelings for the four veterans in attendance. Time did very little to decay the strong adoration each one of them felt toward their British friends and the airfield.
"I'm so glad to be standing here at this great place after all these years," said Bernie Brown, a 315 TCG crew chief who helped to repatriate a group of British troops who had managed to travel into Belgium after escaping from Dunkirk, Germany. "I am at a loss for words."
The four veterans were joined on their trip to RAF Spanhoe by two current members of the 315 AW, and three children of veterans who served there. The entire group immediately bonded and spent most of the weekend in each other's company.
"My dad wanted to come but could not," said Gail Bernard, whose father was a member of the 315 TCG. "He was happy that I was able to come, and it meant a whole lot to me."
"My first trip here was when I was 11 years old in 1959," said Miles Hamby, whose father was the commander of the 310th Troop Carrier Squadron. "We came to England on a trip and it was my father's first priority to get to Spanhoe. When we got here dad got out of the car, he looked around and I remember the grass was growing up through the runway. He was just silent. He stood there and he took it all in ... all of it ... everything that had happened here. I get a little emotional talking about it."
A memorial service held on Sept. 14 to honor the allied troops who never made it home from the war brought literally hundreds of people in attendance to tears.