'Dreamed of this day' | WWII veterans in Louisville honored with B-25 flights on D-Day anniversary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Commemorations marking 80 years since the invasion of Normandy that turned the tide for World War II have put a group of aging veterans in the global spotlight.

Honor Flight Bluegrass gathered 18 WWII vets at Bowman Field in Louisville for a special flight on a vintage aircraft the vets remember from their time in Normandy.

A shiny silver B-25 Bomber named "Miss Mitchell" shuttled groups of veterans on quick flights as a way to revisit their time serving the country.

One by one, the veterans between the ages of 97 and 101 came back from their nostalgic flights saying it was a dream come true.

"I always wanted to ride in one of these," said WWII vet Damon Hawkins.

He was on the same B-25 flight with Lee Smith, who said he was checking it off his bucket list.

"I think I lived long enough, so I could fly in one of 'em," Smith said. "If Jimmy Doolittle can do it, I can do it."

Since serving as a radar operator, Smith hoped to step inside a B-25 someday, "but I never got to ride in one of them! I got rides in B-17s," he said blowing a raspberry. "Who cares," he joked.

Now, at 99-years-old, Smith's dream turned into reality thanks to Honor Flight Bluegrass. To celebrate the flight and mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, he wore his best outfit -- a colorful shirt decorated with snapshots of planes.

"I wore this shirt specially today cause the B-25 on it," he said. "I even have my original dog tags.”

Upon seeing the silver plane with the big propellers, he was taken back. "My gosh, that thing is noisy out there!"

Built in 1944, the B-25 Bomber that was in Louisville Thursday is one of less than 50 that can still fly.

Smith said the planes weren't built for comfort. "Inside that aircraft, is the opposite of luxury."

But that flying piece of history brought the past for these veterans into the present and honored the sacrifices each of the men made.

"I will get emotional if I talk about why I’m here, but it’s a day I will never forget. I’ve dreamed of this day for years," Smith said.

The KILROY Chapter of the MVPA has offered to honor our WWII veterans by giving them rides in jeeps and other historic military vehicles throughout the day.

The B-25 Bomber, owned by Commemorative Air Force Wing out of Minnesota, served in the 310th Bomb Group, 57th Bomb Wing of the 12th Air Force in North Africa and Italy, completing over 130 missions.

Honor Flight Bluegrass did the one-time event for the WWII veterans to commemorate D-Day. To find out more about the organization, click here. The B-25 flights were sponsored by the Kentucky Veterans Trust Program.

More coverage of D-Day commemorations: 

• 83 veterans return to Louisville from Honor Flight Bluegrass to Washington, DC
• Kentucky Air Guard plane flys over France to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
• Centenarian veterans are sharing their memories of D-Day, 80 years later
• Louisville milliner jumping out of plane in Normandy to commemorate 80th anniversary of D-Day

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