Salute

May 22, 2024

a tribute to those who have served

Table of con T en T s

a lucky Man columbus air Force veteran recalls catastrophic b-52 explosion that he and plane’s crew survived

PAGE 3

a High-flying salute airport location for annual concert a change that recognizes traditions

PAGE 6 not the Retiring Type Major Gen. Mark pillar has continued a life of service long after duty ended

PAGE 8

soaring Through History atterbury bakalar air Museum traces columbus area’s rich aviation legacy

PAGE 15

first salute cip music director isaac selya makes Memorial day concert debut

PAGE 21

Reminiscing about the P-47 Thunderbolt concert program to include salute to the p-47, writer brian blair’s dad’s plane

PAGE 22

a bou T TH e

»the annual salute! concert performance by the columbus indiana philharmonic takes wing this year as its stirring annual tribute to the men and women who served and sacrificed for our freedoms swings to columbus Municipal airport.

the familiar patriotic music that will fill the air is a beloved tradition of the columbus indiana philharmonic, and we at the republic are proud to be among the many institutions joining in support of the salute! program.

the spirit of service is alive and well in our community, and we honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died to achieve and safeguard liberties for us and for countless people around the world.

the annual Memorial day weekend salute! concert is one small way we can say “thank you” to the men and women who served and sacrificed, as well as to to those who continue to answer the call of service to our country.

this publication includes a wealth of information about Friday’s concert as well as your tributes to those who served our country, including many who made the ultimate sacrifice.

also in these pages, we are humbled to share stories of veterans from our community. it’s a privilege to honor and preserve the memory of those who served, and in some cases gave their lives, to keep us free.

— Dave Stafford, assistant managing editor

Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Music Director Isaac Selya will lead his first Salute! concert Friday at Columbus Municipal Airport.

Dan McCarrick, a former B-52 Stratofortress crew member in the U.S. Air Force, poses for a photo with his helmet and flight suit at his home in Columbus on April 19. McCarrick was one of six crew members who survived when their B-52 exploded during a touch-and-go exercise at Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan in 1988.

columbus air Force veteran recalls catastrophic b-52 explosion that he and plane’s crew survived

A B-52 Stratofortress — one of the fleet of long-range, jet-powered bombers built to deter the Soviet Union during the Cold War — had been flying a series of 10-hour training missions between North Dakota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

About 1:30 a.m. on December 6, 1988, the massive aircraft — with eight jet engines and a wingspan of 185 feet — descended toward a runway at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base southeast of Marquette, Michigan, in what is called a “touch-andgo” training maneuver.

LIVING LARGE at

“Touch-and-go” is a routine maneuver repeated frequently to practice takeoffs and landings. The aircraft was supposed to just touch its tires to the pavement and then pull up and take off again.

Among the crew was 25-year-old 2nd Lt. Dan McCarrick, the electronic warfare officer, seated facing backward behind the co-pilot on the upper portion of the split-level cockpit.

McCarrick had been thumbing through a magazine and had turned to hand it to the gunner, who was seated to his right.

That would be his last memory of the flight.

McCarrick briefly regained consciousness later that cold morning as he lay shivering on the runway, covered with the foam chemical used to put out the fire on the burning pieces of what once was the bomber.

He only recalls the pains in his right thigh and in his face and head, along

STORY BY bud herron

PHOTOS BY Mike wolanin

(SEE Mccarrick PAGE 4)

Dan McCarrick stands in front of a B-52-H in May 1990 at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during a community

event. Photo provided.

Right: Debris from a B-52 Stratofortress explosion in 1988 is strewn across a mile-long area at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Then-2nd Lt. Dan McCarrick, now an engineer at Cummins Inc. in Columbus, was among the six crew members and two pilots who survived the explosion during a touch-and-go training flight, in which there were no fatalities. Photo provided.

“The one thing I would tell any veteran who struggles with the after effects of wounds and other illnesses from days in the military is ‘Reach out to the Va for help.’ ... Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

US Air Force Capt. Dan McCarrick (retired), who was injured in an airplane explosion

with the chill of the cold, wet pavement.

Seeing the navigator — wrapped in a blanket — lying near him, he recalls shouting “I need a blanket,” before he blacked out again. He later regained consciousness for a minute in an ambulance, and many hours later, he discovered he was in a bed at Marquette General Hospital.

Eventually McCarrick would would learn that he and the rest of the sixmember crew, as well as two additional pilots onboard, had survived a cataclysmic explosion that totally destroyed the bomber and scattered burning debris for a mile down the runway.

After touching the runway, the aircraft had only reached an altitude of about 50 feet when a spark from a defective fuel pump ignited vapors in the nearly empty fuel tank, blowing the plane apart.

McCarrick’s instrument panel collapsed onto his face and legs, pinning him unconscious to his seat. He suffered a broken femur, a broken jaw and a broken nose — along with other head trauma. Other crewmen sustained

similar injuries plus burns. Three pilots had back injuries that ended their careers.

Rescue crews first suspected everyone on the airplane had perished, then discovered what some might call a miracle. The badly damaged cockpit area had been blown free from the totally destroyed fuselage, making rescue possible, though difficult. Eventually, the crew was cut out of the twisted cockpit wreckage and transported to area hospitals. The entire crew would survive, but most with lifelong injuries.

McCarrick spent two weeks in the hospital and then began months of rehabilitation. In time, he recovered sufficiently to return to flying, once again on B-52 bombers. He retired from military service with the rank of Captain in 1991.

Asked how he coped with returning to flying after his physical rehabilitation, he replied, “I won’t say it was easy going back. I was a bit shaky that first day, but you do what you have to do.”

He said when he thinks of the men and women who have given their lives in military service, he feels his experience is put in perspective.

(SEE Mccarrick PAGE 5)

Mccarrick

ContinuEd from PAGE 3

Lt.

open house

Mccarrick

ContinuEd from PAGE 4

“I am a lucky man,” he said.

From the time he began taking part in Air Force ROTC, through various schooling and opportunities in full-time service, McCarrick said he benefitted greatly from his service.

Today, McCarrick lives in Columbus and is a mechanical engineer at Cummins, Inc. He and his wife, Maria, have two children. The couple was engaged at the time of the plane crash, and Maria flew to Michigan to care for Dan through the early part of his rehabilitation. “It took several months of recovery and rehab for Dan to return to something resembling ‘normal’,” Maria said.

Dan and Maria were married in April 1989. Determined as ever to not let his disabilities change to course of his life, McCarrick wore a leg brace under his dress uniform as he limped down the aisle. His right shoe — a size larger than usual to accommodate the brace — was borrowed from a fellow officer.

“He had an excellent excuse to get out of dancing at the reception,” Maria joked.

Dan and Maria lived on base until he finished his tour of duty. From there, McCarrick attended Michigan State University and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering to add to his undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He then completed a masters of business administration from the University of Michigan.

Now 36 years after the crash, McCarrick still suffers from pain related to his wounds as well as the remnants of emotional scars left by his near-death experience, leaving him 80% disabled as determined by the evaluations of the Veteran’s Administration. He praises the VA for working with him closely through the years to keep him healthy.

“The one thing I would tell any veteran who struggles with the after effects of wounds and other illnesses from days in the military is ‘Reach out to the VA for help.’” He stresses that whether the disabilities are from combat, training or some other related factor, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

Asked what he thinks about most often when that cold morning on the runway at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base and the months and years of struggle and rehabilitation come to mind, McCarrick quickly responded “I am alive.”

But he refuses to call his survival and that of the crew a miracle. With the analytical precision of an engineer, he points out that if the aircraft had been a few feet higher or a few feet lower when it exploded, the plane would not have spun in a way that could throw the cockpit area away from the worst of the explosion, and the entire crew would have been dead.

With that nod to the realities of mathematics and physics, McCarrick repeated, “I am a lucky man.”

Dan McCarrick poses for a photo with his helmet at his home. McCarrick was one of six crew members who survived when their B-52 exploded during a touch-and-go exercise at Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan in 1988.

Left: Maria and US Air Force Lt. Dan McCarrick dance at their wedding reception on April 1, 1989, at McClellan Air Force Base Officer’s Club in Sacramento, California, four months after Dan was injured in a catastrophic B-52 crash during a training mission in Michigan.

Photo provided.

Right: Dan McCarrick, a former B-52 Stratofortress crew member in the U.S. Air Force, and his wife, Maria, pose for a photo at their home in Columbus on April 19.

“The historical aspect, the air base aspect, the veterans aspect, that’s what salute! is all about. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

Brian

Payne, columbus Municipal airport Manager (below)

a HI g H -fly I ng

airport location for annual concert a change that recognizes traditions

The Charlie 119 “flying boxcar” aircraft is shown during its dedication ceremony at the Columbus Municipal Airport on Sept. 9, 2022. The refurbished permanent exhibit serves as the backdrop for many events at the airport and will feature prominently in the Salute! concert.

When the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic hits soaring crescendos during its annual Salute! concert this year, it will do so in new but appropriate surroundings.

Due to construction on and around the Bartholomew County Courthouse this year, planners early on decided on a change of venue from the traditional downtown concert site, and Columbus Municipal Airport was a natural choice.

STORY BY dave staFFord

PHOTOS BY Mike wolanin and republic File

And with the change of venue, the Salute! concert planners fittingly selected a theme of flight for this year’s celebration of patriotic standards and contemporary favorites. So against a backdrop that will include the restored C-119 “Flying Boxcar” of the Atterbury Bakalar Museum, the audience will hear selections such as the “Top Gun” theme, said CIP Executive Director Donnie Robinette.

Other selections of contemporary music will align with the idea of heroism, he said.

“We enjoy having Salute! at the Courthouse,” Robinette said, noting there are no plans to move the event to the airport on a permanent basis.

The airport grounds will give the event a bit more space to spread out, though, and there will be fewer concerns about traffic restrictions on State Road 46/Second Street while construction makes the downtown event impractical this year.

The airport venue, Robinette said, “Will be fun and festive and also maintain that reverence of why we’re doing it.”

That’s especially true because a central traditional feature of Salute! concerts has been a part of the program that pays respect to those from Bartholomew County who gave their lives in service to their country. That portion of the program is especially poignant because it takes place near the Bartholomew County Veterans Memorial on the courthouse lawn.

Those elements will continue to be part of the program this year at the airport, planners said.

Airport manager Brian Payne noted that Columbus Municipal Airport — the site of the former Atterbury Bakalar Air Base — is a fitting venue for the annual Memorial Day weekend concert. “The historical aspect, the air base aspect, the veterans aspect, that’s what Salute! is all about. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

For the airport, events such as Salute! that take on a festival feel are becoming more of an attraction beyond annual events such as July 4 fireworks displays.

Robinette pointed to the “great” Renaissance festival the airport hosted during the April solar eclipse. “They’re capable of being able to handle these crowds,” he said.

Payne said event planners are expecting a Salute! crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people, though he said the number could vary from the traditional crowd size

(SEE Salute PAGE 7)

“My concern is maintaining the reverence of the day. … on the same token, we also want to have fun with the day.”

Donnie robinette, columbus indiana philharmonic executive director

Salute

ContinuEd from PAGE 6

due to the novelty of a new venue.

“We love to give back to the public and make it free and open to the public,” Payne said. “It’s definitely a great partnership between us,” he said of the airport’s working relationship with the CIP, while noting the Philharmonic has taken the lead on event planning.

Robinette said concertgoers might notice additional food trucks and vendors this year. The extra space that

will be available at the airport has made this possible, and he noted that Salute! planners have heard from concertgoers request more such options in years past.

Payne said the Salute! event joins an expanding slate of large public familyfriendly programs that the airport has offered in recent years, in addition to the recent Renaissance fair. Some of those, for instance, have included outdoor “Boxcar Cinema” nights with free movie screenings with the C-119 as a backdrop, as well as back-to-school events.

While the airport will offer

concertgoers more room to stretch out than the courthouse grounds does, Payne said parking at the airport has been a consideration. He said planners are mindful of prioritizing close hardsurface parking for concertgoers with disabilities.

So while construction has forced Salute! to change plans for this year’s edition, the tradition will continue with a few new features.

“My concern is maintaining the reverence of the day,” Robinette said. “On the same token, we also want to have fun with the day.”

About S A lute!

WhAT: columbus indiana philharmonic’s annual patriotic Memorial day weekend tribute concert. the event is free and open to the public.

WhEn: 7 p.m. Friday, May 24.

WhErE: columbus Muncipal airport, 4770 ray boll blvd., columbus. this site was selected due to construction at and around the bartholomew county courthouse, the traditional venue.

MorE inForMATion: thecip.org/events/salute/

Donnie Robinette, executive director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, is pictured at Helen Haddad Hall in Columbus.

o T TH e R e TIRI ng

Major Gen. Mark pillar has continued a life of service long after duty ended

STORY BY bud herron PHOTOS

Mike wolanin and republic File

US Air Force Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mark Pillar welcomes guests to the annual Salute! concert at Columbus North High School on May 27, 2022. Pillar’s service to the community has long included tributes at the concerts to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum Columbus, Indiana Municipal Airport

The museum preserves the history of the former Bakalar Air Force Base. Displays include an air base barracks section, operating WWII era rotating beacon, home-front WWII locally manufactured military items, large scale model military aircraft, other air base historical displays, plus a C-119 “Flying Boxcar” and F-4 Phantom static display outside the museum.

The museum is open 10am-4pm, Thursday-Saturday. To schedule a tour for 6 or more people, please call 812-372-4356 or send an email to 434abmuseum@gmail.com. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted to help with ongoing costs of operation.

Air Museum, Inc. 4742 Ray Boll Boulevard Columbus, IN 47203

Mark Pillar of Columbus has spent most of his adult life in a United States Air Force uniform.

Still fit and trim 57 years after he put on his Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) uniform as a freshman cadet at the University of Evansville, Pillar’s uniform now has two stars on its shoulders, signifying he holds the rank of Major General (retired).

Although he left 37 years of military service in 2008, Pillar (SEE Pillar PAGE 9)

“The reading of (veterans’ letters home) is an emotional high point of what has become a beautiful acknowledgement of the gift they gave all of us. … I have been honored to take part on this special time for so many years.”

Mark Pillar, us air Force reserve Major Gen. (retired)

is not retired from “service.” He has been an active part of the Columbus community much of the time since he and his wife, Linda, and their two children chose to locate their home here in 1991.

At that time, Pillar was active in the Air Force Reserve and was working as a pilot for Delta Airlines, so community involvement mostly was limited to church and activities related to the couple’s children.

Then in 2004, as organizers prepared for the fourth annual Salute! concert on the courthouse lawn, Alice Curry, then executive director of The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, asked him to take part.

“We went to church together and she had

heard me read at services,” Pillar said. “She thought my reading had a dramatic flair that would be good as the letters from men and women killed in battle were read at the concert. I have been taking part ever since.”

Since 2008, Pillar has held the official position of military coordinator for the concert.

Today, Pillar’s community involvements include being president of the Columbus Board of Aviation Commissioners and a member of the philharmonic’s Board of Directors.

He also has expanded his work among fellow veterans. He works with the “We Honor Our Veterans” program through Hospice of South Central Indiana, and he is

Retired Air Force Major Gen. Mark Pillar poses for a portrait in front on an exhibit dedicated to his service at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus on May 7,

ContinuEd from PAGE 9

a mentor for veterans taking part in the Bartholomew County Veterans Court. He also tours area nursing homes each Veterans Day with a group honoring the service of men and women in assisted living.

“My father was a pipefitter in Gary for a company that did work for the steel mills,” Pillar said. “He served in World War II and loved this county. He was my inspiration for pursuing a military career.”

He said this father’s lessons were about responsibility, accountability and the need to “give back” to your country and your community. “Those lessons have directed the course of my life.”

Pillar graduated from high school in Gary and decided to go to the University of Evansville after a visit to campus, where he noticed “all the beautiful girls” — one of whom would one day be his wife.

Although he is a Major General, the “blue collar” roots from which he came enable him to relate to veterans of all ranks. He feels honored to have risen to be a general officer, but he is not arrogant about the stars on his shoulders.

Since the Veterans Court was created in 2016, Pillar has attended graduation ceremonies for the veterans who have undergone 18 months of vigorous classes and procedures to turn their lives around after committing crimes. He has personally been a mentor for four of the 41 men who have graduated through 2023.

“When I was offered a chance to be a mentor, I said ‘No veteran wants to sit around talking to some general. Generals are people to avoid,’” he said.

But Pillar is not one of those stereotypical generals with an iron rod up his spine, so to speak. The veterans embraced his help and Pillar found accomplishment in helping. Many of the men in the program have been in combat, something Pillar understands after his own combat service in Vietnam, Dessert Storm and Kosovo.

“I know from my own experience that military service is often hours and hours of boredom followed by a few hours of sheer terror — terror that can leave scars,” he said. His work with hospice takes him and about a dozen other veterans to the homes of fellow vets facing their final days of life. They present a “pinning ceremony” to honor each veteran’s service.

When Memorial Day approaches each year, Pillar’s thoughts are consumed by memories of the words in letters enshrined on the pillars of the Veterans Memorial on the lawn of the Bartholomew County Courthouse. Written home by local men and women who were killed in our nation’s wars, the letters put a personal face on the ultimate meaning of service.

“The reading of those letters is an emotional high point of what has become a beautiful acknowledgement of the gift they gave all of us,” he said. “I have been honored to take part on this special time for so many years.”

t he Pill A r File

in addition to service to his community, Maj. Gen. Mark a pillar rose through the officer ranks with a distinguished military career.

pillar began his air Force service in 1971 through the reserve officers’ training corps program. his first operational assignment was at da nang air base, republic of south vietnam, where he served as an ec-47 pilot and flew more than 90 combat missions logging more than 600 combat hours.

Following a tour of duty at nakhon phanom royal thai air Force base, thailand, he returned to the united states and began flying kc-135 refueling aircraft at Grissom air Force base in peru, indiana. in 1978, he transferred to the air Force reserve and held numerous positions within the 434th air refueling wing, to include being the first commander of the 74th air refueling squadron, and commander of the 434th air refueling Group.

his subsequent positions include vice commander of the 507th air refueling wing and vice commander of 4th air Force. he has served as mobilization assistant to the commander, 21st air Force, and commander in chief, u s strategic command. General pillar flew missions in support of operations in desert shield, desert storm and in the bosnia no-fly zone. during operation Joint Forge, he was vice commander of the 60th air expeditionary wing, rhein-Main ab, Germany. he is a command pilot with more than 5,300 hours in the c/ec-47, kc-135a/e/r, ec135 and the e-8 aircraft.

source: united states air Force official biography

MArk PiLLAr

US Air Force Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mark Pillar talks about US Air Force Master Sgt. (Ret.) James Peters during a ceremony to induct Peters into the Our Gallant Men wall at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus on May 16, 2022.

IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR TOMORROWS FOR OUR TODAYS BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

GENERAL MARK PILLAR

General Mark Pillar retired after 37 years of service to his country. His last assignment was at the Pentagon in the Ofce of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. His other assignments included Da Nang Air Base, Republic of South Vietnam, where he served as an EC-47 pilot and flew over 90 combat missions. Upon his return to the United States, he began flying KC-135 refueling aircraft at Grissom Air Force Base, Bunker Hill, IN. In 1978, he transferred to the Air Force Reserve and held numerous positions within the 434th Air Refueling Group. General Pillar flew missions in support of Desert Shield (1990), Desert Storm (1991) and the Bosnia no-fly zone (1999). During Operation Joint Force he was the vice commander of the 60th Air Expeditionary Wing, Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany.

Mark and his wife, Linda, live in Columbus and have two grown children, Matt and Lacey and and three granddaughters Linda, Anna and Susie Gobert. Mark serves on the Columbus Airport Board of Commissioners and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Board of Directors.

MAESTRO

ISAAC SELYA

A musician of remarkable versatility, Isaac Selya has extensive experience as a conductor, pianist, cellist and entrepreneur. He is the Music Director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and founder and Artistic Director of Queen City Opera.

Committed to ensuring that music education is accessible to everyone, Isaac serves as a Cello Teaching Artist and conductor at the MYCincinnati Youth Orchestra.

Isaac has also conducted performances with the Xiamen Philharmonic, the Dayton Philharmonic, the National Symphony of Guatemala, the Chelsea Symphony, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Isaac’s conducting can also be heard on the soundtrack to the award-winning video game, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. He started his professional music career at the age of 18 singing in the chorus of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. He holds a BA from Yale College, where he was principal cellist of the Yale Symphony. He completed an MM in conducting at Mannes College. And he holds a doctorate from the University of CincinnatiCollege Conservatory of Music, where his research focused on Mozart. He has three cats: Tosca, Aida, and Tamino.

DARREN LI, VIOLIN

A freshman at Duke University studying computer science, Darren Li first began playing violin at the age of four. Since then, he has won positions as concertmaster of the Indiana All-State Orchestra and as a contracted student apprentice in the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Darren is a student of Laura Andrews and has also served as concertmaster of the Andrews String Orchestra. Outside of violin, Darren was also a member of the IMEA All-State Band and a US National Chemistry Olympiad National Exam nominee. Currently, Darren enjoys competing in hackathons and building personal coding projects, which you can read more about at his website www.darrenli.org.

SALUTE! 2024

PHILHARMONIC

Major

National Emblem March Bagley Present the Colors

Star Spangled Banner Smith

The Pledge of Allegiance

The Posting of the Colors

Armed Forces

Violin Concerto No. 7 De Bériot Darren

Legend of Zelda Suite Kondo arr. Delfino

Salute arr. Lowden

2023 BETTY F. BROWN AWARD WINNER FOR INSTRUMENTAL EXCELLENCE

SALUTE! TRIBUTES

Willis & Cathy Bahnsen

In Honor of SGT Matt Bahnsen, USA

Beverly Baker

In Memory of James K. Baker

Roger & Jan Brinkman

In Memory of Sherm Franz M.D., US Army Air Corps. & Nolan Bingham, Purple Heart Veteran

Doneda Brown

In Memory of Doris Brown & Dale Carmichael, PFC

Donna Browne

In Honor of Edmond W. Browne, US Marine Corps & Derrik R. Browne, US Army (Ret)

Cathy & Tom Bryant

In Memory of Virgil Lee Philips, Co. K of 8th Calvary Regiment, WWII, Korea MIA (Recovered)

Colleen Coleman

In Memory of Carl “Carty” Coleman & Richard Roseberry

Lindsay Lane Cooley

In Honor of R. Richard (Dick) Cooley, USAF

Carolina & Richard Crossman

In Honor of Richard Crossman & Daniel Galdo

Tom & Kathy Dell

In Memory of Col. Darvin Appel

Deborah Divan

In Memory of Walter Divan

Jean Donica

In Memory of Max Harms

Jacquelyn Douglas

In Honor of Gary Huffer

In Memory of Robert Huffer

Cindy Dunlevy

In Memory of Richard L. Dunlevy

Larry & Karen Durnil

In Memory of Mildred Betty

Jaynes & Lester Dale Durnil

Edward & Vivian Eckerly

In Memory of George Eckerly, US Army WWII

Greg & Vanessa Edwards

In Memory of Glen Robert Harden & Harry Edwards

Nancy Edwards

In Honor of 2LT. Elijah W. Edwards, USAF

Zack & Glinda Ellison

In Honor of Ensign Nick Ellison Bostock, USNA 2024

Sandy Etnyre

In Memory of Tony L. Etnyre

Jan Forbes

In Memory of George Forbes

The Garwood Family

In Memory of Paul L. Garwood, US Navy (Ret)

James & Suellen Gillespie

In Memory of Harry McCawley

Mary Ann, Heidi, Heather

In Memory of 1st LT. Tim Grogg, US Army Vietnam

Gary & Kristy Gron

In Honor of Bob Taylor, USAF

Tracy Haddad

In Honor of Robert W. Haddad Sr, USAF

Dave & LaDonna Hall

In Memory of Mike Hall, USMC

Don & Patsy (Burke) Harris

In Honor of Roger Dale Burke, USAF (Ret)

Kim & Helen Henderson

In Memory of Eric Henderson

Art Hopkins & Glory Kulczycki

In Honor of 1st LT Anton Hopkins, USANG

Matt & Theresa Hotek

In Honor and Memory of all the Hotek and Halfacre family members who have served our country

Jonas & Laura Howell

In Honor of Jack Howell

Judy Jackson

In Memory of Larry Jackson

Samantha Johnson-Helms & Sally Johnson

In Memory of Uncle Arthur Martin who flew medical evacuation helicopters during Vietnam

Gwen & Ray Keller

In Memory of George Keller, US Army & Paul Keller, US Navy WWII

Nancy Kistler

In Memory of Harold Geyer & Harold Kistler

Tom & Pam Lego

In Honor of Charles Wells Jr.

In Memory of Charles Wells Sr & Bill Lego

Joe & Lisa Lohmeyer

In Honor of Steve & Chris Lohmeyer

In Memory of Fred & Henry Lohmeyer

Brooke Chowning-Loy

In Memory of James William Angel, US Army

Tally & Lisa Lykins

In Honor of Captain Kaman

Lykins, US Army

Terry & Pat Maloney

In Memory of Kenneth Stratton, US Army

Judy McCormick

In Memory of Mike McCormick

Joseph Mickel

In Memory of Robert & William Mickel, Army Air Corps WWII

Myron Miller

In Honor of SGT. Noah Miller

Dan & Sara Merz

In Memory of Clarence V Sebold

Mary Moftt

In Memory of Robert Moffitt

The Children of Charles & Frances Nulph

In Memory of Charles R. Nulph

James L. Ogilvie

In Memory of James R. Hunt

Tom Pickett

In Memory of Keith Pickett

Mark & Linda Pillar

In Memory of PVT Roy Hunterman, USA; LTC

George A. Pillar, USA; CPL Paul Hunteman, USA; CDR Samuel A. Pillar, USN; E-7 Michael M. Pillar, USA; SFC Terry P. Pillar, USA; E-5 Harry McCawley, USA

Beth Booth Poor

In Honor of William E. Poor, Vietnam 1968-1971

In Memory of Robert W. Booth, US Air Force WWII 1941-1945

Christopher Price

In Memory of Larry Riss

Dirk Rader

In Memory of Kim Lee Rader

A.C. & Donna Reeves

In Honor of A.C. Reeves, Army of Occupation (Berlin); David A. Fields CSM, Army Reserves (Ret.); Col. James B. Boynton Air Force (Ret)

In Memory of Alton C. Reeves, Army WWI & Donald E. Boynton, Army Air Corps WWII

Judith Richardson

In Memory of Lt. Col. Charles S. Richardson

Paul & Linda Ryan

In Honor of Alan Love, USMC

Richard & Vernett Safford

In Memory of P.G. Safford

John & Donna Sasse

In Memory of Martin H Schulz, US Army WWI

Colin Scheidt

In Honor of Mark A. Pillar, Maj. Gen. USAF (Ret)

Sherry Stark & David Tiede

In Memory of Robert Tiede

Arthur Turner

In Honor of Roy Turner

Voelz Body Shop, Inc

In Memory of Daniel Louis Cardinal

Don & Peggy Wampler

In Honor of Mark Wampler, USAF (Ret)

Mr. & Mrs. Al White

In Honor of Maj. Candace White, ESQ, USMC & Maj.

Danny Martinez, USMC (Ret)

Bill & Garlene Weisner

In Memory of Gregory Weisner & Robert Llyod Smith

Laurie & David Wright

In Memory of Maj. Harold F. Mason, USAF

Zeller Insurance

In Memory of Bill Zeller Sr.

IN HONOR OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR TOMORROWS FOR OUR TODAYS:

Larry & Judy Alexander

Anonymous

Ron Dehnke

David & Wilma Doup

Richard & Alice Gold

William & Celestia Haas

Mark & Melanie Henderson

Toots & Jim Henderson

Virginia F. Johnson

Gordon & Barbara Lake

Carole Marshall

Kay & Larry Michael

Myers-Reed Chapel & Hathaway-

Myers Chapel

Peter King Law, PSC

Bob & Mary Orben

Jack Schmeckebier

Sam & Fran Simmermaker

Meredith & Sally Thompson

Jim & Bev Tibbetts

SALUTE! COMMITTEE

COLUMBUS INDIANA

PHILHARMONIC STAFF

Donnie Robinette

Executive Director

Isaac Selya

Music Director & Conductor

Lexi Schneider

Patron Development Director

Astraea Smith

CIP Front Office Coordinator

Vanessa Edwards Production

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Major General Mark Pillar USAF (Ret.)

Wayne Baker

Cummins

Brian Payne

Columbus Municipal Airport

Katelyn Ice

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American Legion Post-24 AMVETS Post-509

Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum

Boy Scout Troop 588 Ceraland

Coca-Cola Bottling Company

Columbus City Hall Staff

Columbus City Sanitation Department

Columbus Indiana Huey Helicopter

Columbus Municipal Airport Staff

Divine Family BBQ

Ellis Tents and Events

Joint Force Headquarters Indiana Loveless Electric

Mexican Grill Food Truck

Milestone Contractors

Miss Rachel’s Neat Treats The Notables

Packing Corporation of America

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atterbury bakalar air Museum traces columbus area’s rich aviation legacy

Nick Firestone, president of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum, poses for a photo inside the museum in Columbus on April 25.

STORY BY barney Quick

PHOTOS BY Mike wolanin

Many people pass through Columbus Municipal Airport daily. Some are coming in on flights from elsewhere. Some are getting on departing flights. Some are grabbing a meal at the Hangar 5 restaurant.

How many understand the rich and dramatic history of the land they’re standing on? There was its transformation from farm fields to an air base in a matter of months. There were all the functions it served as an air base. And then there was the mission to preserve that history as it became a civilian airport and evolved into Columbus Air Park.

America got the wake-up call that marked its entry into World War II with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. It imbued the nation with a sense of urgency.

In September 1942, the Army began the process of acquiring approximately 2,000 acres of farmland north of Columbus from 16 families.

The following February, personnel from Wheeler-Sack Field and Pine Camp, New York, started moving onto a base consisting of three runways, taxi strips, barracks, mess halls, a post exchange, repair shop, a hangar and recreation and administration buildings.

Over the course of the war, the base provided glider training, training for the Tuskegee Airmen, and transporting wounded soldiers to

Wakeman Army Hospital at Camp Atterbury.

For most of its remaining existence as a base, it was home to reservists, but during the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War, air crews stationed there were called to active duty.

The name was changed from Atterbury Air Base to Bakalar in 1954.

The base closed in 1970, and the deed was transferred to the city. Conversion to a civilian airport commenced, the former administration building became the core of what is now the Indiana University-Columbus campus, and other buildings were repurposed for various community needs.

In the 1990s, as 50th anniversaries of various World War II milestones were being observed, a number of Columbus civic leaders began the conversation about a museum focused on the air field’s history and the city’s role in the war effort. Donations of artifacts mostly came from local sources.

There were World War II veterans among the original group of volunteers who brought to life the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum.

John Walter flew 35 combat missions over Germany in 1945 as a B-17 Fortress pilot. Among the medals with which he was honored was a

(SEE Mu S euM PAGE 18)

The Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus records the history of the former Army air base that predated the current Columbus Municipal Airport.

A display welcomes guests to the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.

About the m u S eum

WhAT: atterbury-bakalar air Museum, free and open to the public. donations accepted.

WhErE: 4742 ray boll blvd., columbus.

hoUrS: thursday-saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

LEArn MorE: atterburybakalarairmuseum.org

ContinuEd from PAGE 16

Distinguished Flying Cross. He wrote a book, “My War,” about his experience in the U.S. Army Air Force, which is on sale in the museum’s lobby.

Subsequent to his service, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California and then worked at Cummins in Columbus in a variety of positions while raising a family. He volunteered at the museum well into his 90s. One of his notable contributions was bringing the nose of a vintage glider to the museum.

Bruce Dalton, who had flown gliders in World War II and later owned a men’s clothing store in downtown Columbus, donated significant sums of money.

Contributions from Columbus industry to the 1940s war effort are prominently featured at the museum. A generator set from a Navy vessel powered by a Model A Cummins engine is displayed, as is a radio receiver made by Noblitt-Sparks Industries under its Arvin brand name. A nearby display features a 100-pound practice bomb casing also made by Noblitt-Sparks.

“Most of our donations still come from local sources,” said museum president Nick Firestone.

Along with the museum itself, the volunteers have maintained the Jean Lewellyn Norbeck Memorial Chapel, also on airport property. It is named for a World War II Women’s Air Force Service pilot killed in a plane crash in 1944. Built as a barracks in 1942, it was later converted into a chapel and fell into disuse for a period, being rededicated in 1998. It now sports a full, modern kitchen and is often rented for weddings and other events.

In subsequent years, a media center, an additional display gallery and an annex building were added to the

(SEE Mu S euM PAGE 20)

Above: Military footwear is lined up underneath a bunk in a mock barracks room exhibit at the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus. // Below: A mock barracks room exhibit is seen inside the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.

Above: Model planes hang over displays inside the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus on April 25 // Below: Displays dedicated to the Tuskeegee Airmen who trained at Atterbury Army Air Base are among those shown at the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.

Exhibits are on view inside the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.

MuSeuM

ContinuEd from PAGE 18

museum.

A look at the museum’s Gallant Wall makes clear that Bartholomew County supplied or hosted some real heroes from 1943 to 1970.

Major Gen. John Hoff was base commander at Bakalar from 1960 to 1968. In World War II, he’d been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and went on to serve as chief control officer for the Caribbean Air Command. After retirement, he was active in preserving military history.

Crawfordsville native Bruce Warren was 24 years old when he parachuted into the East China Sea after successfully terminating the flight of a Japanese suicide bomber. He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He eventually served as president of Dunlap Construction Company and was appointed by Mayor Max Address to the Columbus Board of Aviation.

Columbus High School graduate Bob Hilycord fractured his leg, arm, knee and back bailing out of his B-26C Marauder in 1951 and was a North Korean prisoner of war until April 1953. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

Thomas Thayer trained as a B-17 navigator and bailed out over North Africa during World War II. Tribesmen who lived near where he landed helped him find his way back to base. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as the Air Medal with 9 Oak Leaf Clusters and the African Mid-Eastern Theater Medal with 4 Bronze Stars. Upon retiring from the US Air Force Reserve in 1950, he had a decades-long career teaching in area

Old military Jeeps are on display inside the Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.

middle schools.

Tom Pickett, founder of the music store that bears his name — and where he can still be seen on the sales floor — attributes Bakalar Air Base to his settling in Columbus.

“I took part in an Air Force training program for college students while I was at Butler,” he says. “At first, I trained to be a fighter pilot, but in peacetime, the Air Force didn’t need so many, so I trained be an air traffic controller.”

His mother was terminally ill back in Indiana, so he expressed a desire to be stationed there. His two choices were Elkhart and Columbus. He arrived at Bakalar in September 1956.

“I had two divisions in my unit,” he recalls. “One took care of the aircraft and one took care of conditions on the ground.”

He vividly remembers the funeral on base for two trainees killed during an exercise in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“I was looking down from the tower,” he says. “The weather was miserable that day — clammy and misty. But when the two caskets were unloaded, a beam of sunlight broke through and shone right on them.”

When his service time ended, he decided to stay in the city.

“Not knowing any better, I just started knocking on doors selling guitar lessons.”

The terminal, museum and entire Air Park are possible because a nation with a purpose transformed some 2,000 acres of farmland into a fully operational air base in a matter of months in the early 1940s.

As museum board member David Day puts it, “Human beings can do remarkable things if they’re motivated.”

Isaac Selya easily remembers his immediate reaction of attending his first Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Salute! concert last year.

“I was simply blown away,” he said, “at how many people showed up. That’s how I immediately knew that I had landed a position that’s very special.”

The Cincinnati-based Selya was on hand before an estimated few thousand people to be introduced as the local professional orchestra’s new music director, replacing longtime artistic director David Bowden, who retired from his post. FridayMay 24 will mark Selya’s first time leading the free, outdoor patriotic-themed concert saluting military veterans for their service and sacrifice.

Because of work being done on the Bartholomew County Courthouse downtown, the concert has been moved to Columbus Municipal Airport and will feature a fittingly aerial theme. The protective shell that covers the orchestra from the elements will be located next to the C-119 Flying Boxcar that will be open for visitors.

STORY BY brian blair

considering how this kind of music really makes a person feel and makes you ask ‘What is about these music pieces that gives you that big feeling of patriotism in your chest?’

“I think part of it is all the brass, and the fact that these marches (that we’ll do) have these solemn-yetheroic melodies.”

Selya said he loves “the symbiotic relationship” of the orchestra and the local community, especially when it comes to literally saluting sacrifice.

“Music has a really, really important role to play in rallying the troops, figuratively and literally,” Selya said. “Bringing these two elements together is about shared values and to honor all the sacrifices that people have so unselfishly made. To me, this is simply part of what of what an orchestra ideally should be doing.

“That will be a pretty cool visual,” said Donnie Robinette, the orchestra’s executive director.

Another interesting visual will be Selya’s trademark red shoes that he has worn before, such as when a segment of the philharmonic performed at the local Henry Breeding Farm for the total solar eclipse celebration. He said recently that he is somewhat uncertain what the blue and white portions of his concert costuming might be for a stars-and-stripes motif.

There also has been discussion of outfitting orchestra members, normally clad in their traditional black, in some sort of patriotic apparel. But Selya is far more excited about having a little extra instrumentation for the concert in the form of gleaming black Army National Guard howitzers, making a return after missing from last year’s concert.

In the past, there usually have been four such cannons placed on the concert grounds to offer the proper booming exclamation point to the orchestra’s traditional performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” as the nearly last work. The weapons definitely earn the attention of youngsters who crowd around them.

“I think that’s going to be awesome,” Selya said, adding that he’s never had such available at a concert. “That kind of sound definitely elicits an emotional response. Once you get clued in to that really loud blast, I think it opens the door to

Like Bowden, Selya’s background includes a number of military connections, both in the United Sates and in Israel, where much of his family was born. His grandfather served in the U.S. Army in World War II in northern Europe, though he is uncertain of details.

“It could have been something classified,” Selya said.

Yet, he recalled that, after his family member’s passing, relatives found an authentic German machine gun in his belongings.

Concertgoers who enjoyed Selya’s season-opening program with music from the video game Zelda will appreciate the fact that the passionate gamer has included a piece from the space flight-oriented video game “Star Fox.” Also on the program is a piece from “Top Gun.”

“That’ll definitely be topical for our location,” he said.

“Music has a really, really important role to play in rallying the troops, figuratively and literally. bringing these two elements together is about shared values and to honor all the sacrifices that people have so unselfishly made. To me, this is simply part of what of what an orchestra ideally should be doing.”

isaac Selya, columbus indiana philharmonic music director

Isaac Selya, music director of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, is shown in concert. Selya will be conducting his first Salute! concert on Friday.

iSAAC SELYA

abou T TH e P -47

T H un D e R bol T

concert program to include salute to the p-47, my dad’s plane

STORY BY brian blair PHOTOS provided

The P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft was a key American fighter-bomber in World War II, manufactured by Republic Aviation in Evansville. The plane, which holds special meaning for Republic staff writer Brian Blair, also will have a special place in Friday’s Salute! concert.

BriAn BLAir

About the writer

republic staff writer brian blair can be reached at 812-379-5672 or bblair@therepublic.com. besides his father’s service, his brother served in the u.s. navy off the coast of vietnam during that conflict, his brother-in-law served for years in the u s navy, and his stepson served in iraq and afghanistan wars in the u.s. army.

Charles Ray Blair, like so many World War II veterans, rarely spoke of his time in Europe as a bomber pilot.

My father, who died in 1984, let a couple of video reels from his missions do the talking. And as kids naturally never understanding the seriousness and the scars of war, we couldn’t get enough as proud youngsters of seeing our Dad blowing up stuff. It seemed all the more awesome at the time that his targets sometimes were Nazi military train supply depots.

I saw the clips maybe a total of three times through the years on a relic of a family projector in our cramped living room. Only years later did I even begin to fathom why it must have been tough for Dad, who was intensely private for years about a traumatic upbringing in an alcoholic home, to dig out visual footage of moments in which he could have horrifically died in his early 20s. That could happened a number of times while he served as a pilot of a P-47 Thunderbolt, one of the war’s all-star aircraft built in Evansville. His was decorated with a figure of a darkhaired young woman not unlike my mother and nicknamed “Miss Lou” for Lucille Blair, his wife and my Mom.

The Thunderbolt will have an added moment in the sun Friday, May 24 when the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic performs Bohuslav Martinu’s “Thunderbolt P-47” as part of its annual Salute! free concert at Columbus Municipal Airport. A rendition I caught online sounds at turns both patriotically soaring and understandably bombastic, given that the airplane was huge and sometimes weighed eight tons with its explosive cargo.

My Dad would have liked hearing those musical parts.

Even when he began growing ill with cancer in the last year or so of his life in Bardstown, Kentucky, living next to a sport parachute center airfield, he could identify most planes passing over by the sheer sound from the sky. The former crop duster and private plane instructor would hustle outside and look skyward and sometimes call out the probable make and model of whatever was overhead.

Later in life, changing vision and limited income kept him on the ground. But in the 1960s, when we were youngsters, we would walk over to the airfield where he would take us up in his plane — maybe the one he briefly

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got when he impulsively traded in the only family car. And, much to the terror of our mother, he would complete actual airshow-style wingovers with three of hilariously howling in the plane’s back seat.

It was as if it were a free theme park thrill ride.

Years later, I hoped those grand moments served as a salve for him against nightmarish memories, such as an August 12, 1944 incident, just days before his 24th birthday. He survived a scare in which he led his squadron on a bombing and strafing mission near Alencon, France. His aircraft sustained severe damage from enemy fire.

But he remained in flight and completed his assignment.

“The old ‘Jug’ could handle flack better than anything I saw and keep on flying,” he told a researcher for a P-47 coffee table book. “She saved my neck.”

So, as you might expect, I can exult a bit during that piece in the concert. Without that sturdy stalwart of a plane, my Dad never would have come home. And I never would have been.

2

2

2 Nights: Randles or Dromhall Hotel, Killarney

TRIP

Trinity

Guinness Storehouse

1 Night: Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel or Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin

Ring of Kerry

Bunratty

Jaunting Car Ride in Killarney

Limerick Tour

Galway, Adare, and Kilkenny