Distinguished Flying Cross Society Symposium Aug. 19

Panel of veterans look at 60 years of American air power

SEATTLE, Aug. 10, 2012--On Sunday, Aug. 18, the Distinguished Flying Cross Society will present a panel of recipients of the DFC from four conflicts in which American air power played a decisive role: World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. The panel will be moderated by Glen Jewett. The 2 p.m. discussion is free with admission to the Museum. Members of the DFC Society will be available afterward to sign the book, "On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Distinguished Flying Cross."

Panelists

Joseph W. Geary

Geary was a navigator in the B-24 Liberator during World War II who accumulated over 300 combat hours, including attacks on the famous Ploesti oil fields. He was awarded the DFC after an attack on Vienna where his aircraft sustained significant battle damage. 

Retired Adm. Thomas B. Hayward

Hayward was a World War II and Korean War aviator, who in April 1953 earned the DFC after leading a series of well-coordinated attacks against heavily defended targets in North Korea. Hayward went on to become Commander of the 7th Fleet, Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS America, the US Cmdr. in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, and eventually Chief of Naval Operations from 1978 through 1982. 

Charles (Chuck) Sweeny

In September 1972 Sweeny earned three DFCs in one week flying a US Navy A-4 Skyhawk over North Vietnam; his first DFC came after he flew cover for the successful mission to rescue his downed wingman. Sweeny is currently the President and CEO of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, and credits one of his former mentors (the famous astronaut Jim Lovell) for his decision to become a naval aviator.

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The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn^® -- the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The Airpark includes outdoor displays with the first jet Air Force One, a Concorde airliner, and the first Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The Museum aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. The Education Office offers weekend family programs, programs for students and educators, and overnight camps for children. McCormick & Schmick's Wings Café is on site.

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