Memorial Day is Monday, May 26. It’s a day for all of us to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation. This weekend at the Aviation Museum of N.H., we welcome those with family members who served, and wish to reflect. Our docents and volunteers are ready to hear your stories. We’re open on Friday & Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
Also, this is the first Memorial Day weekend that we’ve had on display a small piece of the B-17 flown by Capt. Harl Pease (a native of Plymouth, N.H.) when he was shot down over Japanese-held territory in the South Pacific in 1942. Pease survived the crash but was captured, taken prisoner, and later executed. For his sacrifice, Pease was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor, the highest military award for valor in service to the nation—to date the only military aviator from N.H. to receive this distinction.
Pease was remembered when the former Strategic Air Command base in Portsmouth (now Pease International Tradeport) was named after him. But we hope Memorial Day gives us all a reason to recall the story behind the name, and what it means to give all for a cause larger than one’s self.
Below are photos from the ceremony in November 2024, at which the museum took possession of the B-17 fragment, which was donated by Steve and Gisela Heffelfinger of Derry, N.H. The event included a display of the actual Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to Pease, which was on loan from the N.H. Air National Guard.
We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable weekend, and we encourage all to take a moment to reflect on the reason Memorial Day (Monday, May 26) is on the calendar.
