The second annual Remembrance Ceremony for U.S. Army Air Force personnel who served during WWII was held at Saturday at the Champaign Aviation Museum, 1652 N. Main St., Urbana.
A large crowd of veterans and their children attended the event, which was part of the USAAF group’s annual reunion.
Participants included the Urbana High School Band members, who will play the national anthem. Other participants will include the Marine Corps League, Springfield; bagpiper Ed Rae; the Connect III Trio; and Marine veteran bugler Mike Hamilton.
Piqua High School students performed the 13-step flag-folding ceremony with a donated burial flag, a ceremony typically performed at a burial site, with the flag folded into a triangle and presented to a survivor.
All were invited to the museum and ceremony free of charge. Following the ceremony, visitors spoke with to veterans and veterans’ relatives about WWII experiences. Veterans and veterans’ relatives were invited to take mementos, pictures, shadow boxes, medals and books to the museum to share with others.
Those attending could view aircraft and memorabilia on display at the museum, as well as the ongoing restoration of a WWII B-17 bomber.
For more information about the Champaign Aviation Museum, visit champaignaviationmuseum.org or call 937-652-4710. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.