Speakers include U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Jordan, celebrated by British for Afghanistan rescue operation
SEATTLE – On May 17 the Museum celebrates Armed Forces Day with a flag ceremony, feature-length documentary movies and a presentation by U. S. Marine Capt. Brian Jordan, one of only two U.S. Marines since World War II to receive the British Distinguished Flying Cross. Jordan received the honor for his June 21, 2012 actions as a helicopter pilot during a rescue operation in Afghanistan. His presentation begins the new “Stories of Courage” lecture series at the Museum. The events at 1, 2 and 4 p.m. are free with admission to the Museum. The 6 p.m. screening is free (reservations recommended). Active military personnel and their families (up to five people total) will be admitted to the Museum for free. This military discount will continue through Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1.
Schedule
1 p.m.
Armed Forces Flag Ceremony
2 p.m.
Stories of Courage lecture with U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Jordan.
While deployed in Afghanistan, Jordan rescued two injured British soldiers while piloting a UH-Y Venom helicopter. His helicopter was low on fuel, and the severely wounded soldiers needed immediate medical attention. Jordan’s crew successfully evacuated the soldiers while in the crossfire of British and enemy fighters. The soldiers survived. Jordan was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross on Feb. 22, 2014. For more information, please see online.
4 p.m.
Screening of “4-4-43 – Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess and The Greatest Story of the War in the Pacific,” followed by audience Q and A with the film’s writer, John D. Lukacs.
The film is based upon John D. Lukacs’s book, “Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War.” On April 4, 1943, 10 American prisoners-of-war and two Filipino convicts broke out of the Davao Penal Colony, an escape-proof Imperial Japanese Army prison plantation in the Philippines. This astonishing, yet true action adventure tale is told through the eyes of Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess, one of World War II’s most extraordinary, yet little-known heroes. For more information, please see online.
6 p.m.
Screening of “Honor Flight.”
“Honor Flight” is a heartwarming documentary about four living World War II veterans and a Midwest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime. Volunteers race against the clock to fly thousands of WWII veterans to Washington, DC to see the memorial constructed for them in 2004, nearly 60 years after their epic struggle. The trips are called “Honor Flights” and for the veterans, who are in their late 80s and early 90s, it’s often the first time they’ve been thanked and the last trip of their lives. Providence Hospice of Seattle presents the screening. Admission is free, seating is limited, so please RSVP at [email protected] or (206) 320-4000. For more information, please see online.
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $19 for adults, $16 for seniors 65 and older, $16 for active military, $11 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. McCormick & Schmick’s Wings Café is on site. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org