D-Day celebration aids Vets to DC cause...

The 70th anniversary of D-Day 1944 was celebrated in Sidney this past Friday at the Senior Center with a gathering of 4 local WWII Vets who served on that day, as well as many other Veterans, their families and a large contingent of Sidney and Shelby County citizens.  The event, proposed by the Ladies Auxiliaries of the VFW and American Legion, and Kris Nuss (former Sidney resident who now works for WXIX-TV in Cincinnati) was hosted by the Shelby County Historical Society and featured a panel discussion by Bill Deam (flew some of his 63 missions in the B-26s on D-Day) and John Phillips (US Navy serving as the chief decoder aboard the USS Texas off the coast of France).

 Although not part of the panel, Tony Barga (US Army) and Don Reid (US Navy) also talked of their time with members of the audience.

Committee member Duane Mullin (also chaplain of the VFW Post 4239, shown as he prepares the microphone on left) gave the invocation for the evening.

The evening's musical
entertain-
ment was
provided
by the Swing Era Band, and food was provided by the Sidney Care Center and the Pavilion.  Several committee members from the Vets to DC committee set up the numerous flags around the Center and assisted in set-up and tear-down of the tables and chairs.

The ladies of the VFW Auxiliary took charge of the 50-50 raffle and the door prize raffles.

Shown here with Sheila Nuss (L) and Tilda Phllipot (R) are the 4 honored guests of the evening.  From left to right are Don Reid, Bill Deam, John Phillips, and Tony Barga.

Just to give you an idea of the crowd, here are some shots of them.

 

While this was a celebration for the living, there was also a moment of remembrance for the missing and killed from the war.  A traditional POW/MIA ceremony was held and an Absent Comrades table was set up.

And then, the musical entertainment of the evening, which was provided by the Swing Era Band.

All in all, it was a great evening, and a wonderful time of tribute to not only those Veterans in attendance, but also to those missing or dead who fought to give us all the freedoms we enjoy today.