Beyond The Call

This weekend, we had the absolute honor of interviewing trailblazer and aviation legend Nell “Mickey” Bright, the last living WASP pilot from WW2.

Our team was proud to represent Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and support the mission of preserving Nell’s incredible story. Her legacy is sure to inspire future generations and encourage aspiring aviators to pursue their dreams.

Keep ’em flying!

Nell, you are a true American hero and legend whose courage and perseverance helped pave the way for women and future leaders in aviation. 🇺🇸✈️

Just one year ago, we met Chuck and Aaron Powell from Kansas Honor Flight during one of our volunteer days with WWII Veteran John Gleeson at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

As many of you know, John was a dedicated volunteer right up until two weeks before he passed.

Through the museum, we met John. Through John, we met Chuck and Aaron. Through Chuck and Aaron, we met WWII veteran Eli Hernandez. And through Liberty Jump Team, Eli is back in Normandy this week for the 82nd Anniversary, returning to the place where he served with the 3rd Infantry Division.

Watching Eli enjoy this experience is a reminder of how much good can happen when people come together for a common purpose.

One connection leads to another, and before you know it, you’re witnessing the impact of countless people simply showing up for one another in support of these heroes.

“There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” - Jimmy Doolittle ❤️🇺🇸

Before Peleliu. Before command. Before war changed everything. Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane was simply “Andy.”

This week, our co-director Scott Gibson, who portrayed Haldane in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, traveled to Bowdoin College to stand in the same places Haldane once walked during some of the happiest years of his life.

The first image is a 1941 photograph of Haldane (right) alongside teammate Richmond Edling on the Bowdoin baseball field. The second is the Sigma Nu fraternity house where Haldane was a proud member. While a student there, he served as student council president, captain of the football team, varsity baseball player, fraternity brother, and countless other roles on campus.

Yearbooks described Haldane as the “most popular man in his class,” and it was here many of the leadership qualities that would later define USMC Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane first took shape.

Far from home during the war, Haldane often reflected on his time at Bowdoin. These years clearly stayed close to his heart.

Scott was joined on the visit by our volunteer and USMC combat veteran, PFC Neal Fauver, making the experience even more meaningful as they walked the same grounds where Haldane once lived, studied, and dreamed of the life ahead.

In 1945, following Haldane’s death during the Battle of Peleliu, Bowdoin established the Haldane Cup, a prestigious annual award presented to a graduating senior who displays outstanding qualities of leadership and character.

Sometimes understanding who these men were before war helps us better understand the weight of what was lost. Andy’s legacy so clearly lives on, and we are honored to have spent the day walking in his footsteps.