World War II bomber pilot John “Lucky” Luckadoo, who turned 100 today, had one wish in mind as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake – to have May 9 observed throughout the nation as Home Front Heroes Day.
Luckadoo, who was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot and is the last living original pilot of the World War II Eighth Air Force 100th Bomb Group, has never forgotten how much the support of the civilians back home meant during his service. In 2019, at the age of 97, the celebrated veteran first announced his vision for Home Front Heroes Day.
“We have Memorial Day. We have Veterans Day. We have Fourth of July. But we don’t have any day devoted to recognizing and thanking those millions of people who made it possible for us to prevail. There is no day for acknowledging the people on the home front who do their duty, too, and I hope to change that,” said Luckadoo.
The inaugural Home Front Heroes Day celebration held on May 9, 2019, was created for residents of Luckadoo’s retirement community, Presbyterian Village North (PVN), a Forefront Living community located in Dallas. The ceremonies included the presentation of a proclamation by Dallas City Council Member Adam McGough from the Office of the Mayor/City of Dallas and the Dallas City Council.
“It was our honor to host the first Home Front Heroes Day observance at our community in 2019 and we want to see hundreds like it happening across the country,” said Tim Mallad, CEO of Forefront Living. “We consider Lucky Luckadoo to be a national treasure, and we hope to be the spark that helps make his vision for a national Home Front Heroes Day a reality.”
Plans include the formation of a national committee to build awareness of the day’s mission “to acknowledge and honor the contributions of Home Front Heroes, 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 Home Front Heroes Day Committee is encouraging cities and towns, businesses, organizations, churches and synagogues, senior living communities and centers, and neighborhoods and families to celebrate Home Front Heroes on May 9 with declarations, ceremonies of honor and recognition, family picnics, and other acts of acknowledgment and appreciation.
A Home Front Heroes Day website has been established to promote and document the growth of Home Front Heroes Day. For further information, visit www.HomeFrontHeroesDay.com.
Luckadoo celebrated this milestone birthday with the “Party of the Century” put together by his family and held in the Auditorium of PVN. Approximately 180 residents, family and friends, including Governor Rick Perry, Councilmember Adam McGough, District 10, City of Dallas, James “Trey” Morriss, Director of Staff, Eighth Air Force and members of the 100th Bomb Group attended this afternoon’s event celebrating Lucky.
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