Lest We Forget of Southwest Michigan offers a weekend filled with activities and events for the 2022 Summer Reenactment, June 17th through 19th. This year’s theme is ‘Women: We, Too, Gave Our All’, a tribute to women on the homefront and in the military. Guest speakers, pancake breakfasts, car shows, a hangar dance, and so much more, will be on display at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport Saturday and Sunday, with a special guest speaker kicking off the festivities Friday, June 17th.
POW Shoshana Johnson will share her story of courage, capture, and freedom as the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17th, at the Hanson Theater of Lake Michigan College, Shoshana will recount the twenty-two days of imprisonment she and five members of her unit endured, their rescue by the US Marine Corps, and will be autographing copies of her book ‘I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen – My Journey Home’. Johnson was a Specialist of the U.S. Army 507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 ADA BN, 11th ADA Brigade, and received the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, and the Prisoner of War Medal. This event is sponsored by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and is free to attend.
Saturday, June 18th offers over twelve hours of history and family fun at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport, beginning at 8 a.m. with the pancake breakfast by the Baroda Lions Club. Throughout the day, enjoy face painting, helicopter rides, 20th Century War displays, fly-overs, flamethrower demonstrations by Charlie Hobson, and a Rosie The Riveter costume contest fundraiser: pay to cast your vote, and support Lest We Forget at the same time.
“Being at the airport this year allows us to include a fly-in and The 99’s, a group of 99 female pilots that was formed in 1931 with Amelia Earhart as their first president,” says Larry Wozniak, Board President of Lest We Forget. “The 99’s are now a national organization and we have invited members from the seven states in the Midwest Region to attend. They are giving a presentation Saturday afternoon.”
Twin City Players will present “Women and War” at 3 p.m on Saturday, and the costume contest winners will be announced at 4:45 p.m. Blue Shoes Jazz, a fourteen-piece Big Band specializing in latin, rock, blues, and jazz music, will perform beginning at 7:00 p.m. for the always fantastic Hangar Dance. There is no cover charge to enjoy the sounds of the 40s and today, while you be-bop and boogie.
The Classic Car Show takes place on Sunday, June 19th, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m, after another 8 a.m. pancake breakfast. Marvel at WarBirds, learn about ‘She-roes Together in a Field of Heroes’, and stick around for guest speakers and fire power demonstrations. Sunday’s festivities conclude at 3 p.m.
Lest We Forget is a nonprofit organization out of Benton Harbor that began in 2001 as a group of four veterans sought to create an educational video series of local veterans’ stories and experiences about the sacrifices made serving their country during wartime. Since 2006, their goal has been to promote patriotism within our communities, operating through the mission: “To brighten the future, we must illuminate the past.”
“In recent years, crowd estimates have been 3000 – 4000 attendees for this event,” Larry tells us. “We have expenses reaching $40,000.00 this year, but we have received grants, support from area businesses, and additional funds from our membership fees. We accept donations on site as well.” For a detailed schedule of the reenactment weekend events, please visit lestweforgetusa.org.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
