Home Front Heroes Day is observed on May 9 to acknowledge and honor the contributions of individuals on the home front, past and present, for their support, work and sacrifices at home during the service of their family members, loved ones, and fellow Americans in the
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
.
History
In 2019,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran John "Lucky" Luckadoo announced at the age of 97 his goal of establishing a national day of recognition, on May 9, for
home front
Home front is an English language term with analogues in other languages. It is commonly used to describe the full participation of the British public in World War I who suffered Zeppelin#During World War I, Zeppelin raids and endured Rationin ...
heroes.
Luckadoo was a
B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
pilot and is the last living original pilot of the World War II
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
100th Bomb Group
The 100th Air Refueling Wing (100th ARW), nicknamed ''the Bloody Hundredth'', is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk ...
, also known as The Bloody 100th. He is the subject of ''Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History'' by Kevin Mauer.
The first official recognition of the date of May 9 as Home Front Heroes Day was on May 9, 2019, in
Dallas, Texas. The inaugural event was created for residents of Luckadoo's retirement community, Presbyterian Village North. Ceremonies included the presentation by
Dallas City Council member Adam McGough of a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor/City of Dallas and the Dallas City Council.
On May 6, 2022, Congressman
Colin Allred
Colin Zachary Allred (born April 15, 1983) is an American politician, lawyer, and former professional football player. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the U.S. representative from . The district includes the northeastern corner of Dallas, ...
(D-TX-32) and Congressman
Jake Ellzey
John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a me ...
(R-TX-06) introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the effort to designate May 9 as Home Front Heroes Day.
References
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External links
100th Bomb Group
Annual events in Texas