Gene as a young WWII Vet

Thursday, June 27, 2013 • LINCOLN NEWS MESSENGER

Annual Fourth of July parade to honor vets

BY BEN HOVIS

The annual city of Lincoln 4th of July parade begins at 9 a.m. July 4 in downtown Lincoln. This year's theme is “An Old-Fashioned 4th." An Honor Guard will be the first to march, followed by Lin-coln city dignitaries, The Foothills Vintage Jeep Group is participating for the eighth year, with 10 restored military vehicles, including eight World War II era jeeps. Each vehicle will carry veterans

of America's military.

This year, the Foothills Vintage Jeep Group will give special recognition to two World War II veterans, one who participated in Europe and one in Asia. In the first jeep, owner Randy Payne will drive Gene Goodin from the 101st Airborne. Goodin volunteered for the 101st Airborne and was assigned to 501st Headquarters Division under Maj. Butler. His division jumped on D-Day, June 1944, at Şt. Mere Eglise, where they were instrumental in establishing a toe-hold in Europe and also at Nijmegen during the Market Garden campaign that was an extreme battle. They were transported by truck to Bastogne on Dec. 20 (the only jump off the back of trucks) where they were surrounded for 26 days at a terrible cost. The successful hold at Bastogne presaged the eventual thrust into Germany and the end of the war. Goodin's final jump was into Germany, east of the Rhine, to hold the bridges there for the Allied forces to cross.

For each jump, the 501st lost 50 percent of their men in battle. Also being driven is George Kresa 14th Air Force Flying Tigers. Kresa became an Air Force Cadet in high school and entered the Air Force following high school graduation where he was trained to fly in Asia. Part of the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers under Gen. Chennault, Kresa flew a B-24 bomber "over the hump:" the Himalayas. On one particularly harrowing mission, Kresa transported 4,800 gallons of aviation fuel in his bomb bay from India to China. One stray bullet would have been disaster. He was also involved in several bombing missions in East China Sea. For all his flights and fights, Kresa's greatest memory was the announcement that the war was over.

Other owner/drivers with passengers include: Ben Hovis, USMC, with Rich Zimmerman, USMC, and Roland Zook, USMC; Bruce Anderson, USA, with Bernie Barquist, USA, and Dick Davis, USA; Dave Porter, USN, with Ed Montoya, USMC, and Bob McCollum, USMC; Pat Walker, with Dan Kimball, USA, and Bob Lazaga, USAF; Tim Buescher, USN, with Mike Bradaric, USCG, and Dick

Shafer, USN; Mark Tombleson, with Rich Cornelius, USN; Chuck Bates with Jerry LaFave, USA, and John Kalmeta, USA; and Tom Gunther, with Merle Cooper, USAF.