Lest We Forget - Cold War
Event published by Lest We Forget
THE COLD WAR
Lest We Forget has chosen The Cold War as the theme for 2023. On June 17 – 18 activities will return to the St. Joseph River site at 275 Upton Drive. In anticipation of the June weekend, the public is invited to attend five sessions on Cold War topics at Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor campus, Fettig Hall Room D-105. There is no registration fee. On Tuesday evenings, March 28, April 11 & 25, and May 9 & 23 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm different presenters will discuss the state of political hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990.
Activities continue Saturday and Sunday, June 17 - 18, 2023 at the St. Joseph River with military vehicles and weapons displays and battles by the 2nd Marine Reenactors from Chicago.
They will be joined by Charlie Hobson with his flamethrower. Mr. Hobson is the author of “The Illustrated Manual of US WWII Flamethrowers”. He is currently the only accepted source for training, testing, and certifying WWII Flamethrowers. Charlie has trained over 900 operators for over 4000 firings. Returning this year are three World War II landing craft that has been restored and are available for the public to ride.
One is an LTV “Water Buffalo; which is a dual-track amphibious vehicle. The 2nd is a 2-1/2-ton amphibious wheeled truck called a Dukw or “Duck” and the 3rd is a Higgins boat, most often associated with the D-Day landings at Normandy in World War II.
Take a free ride in these treasures of the past in the St. Joseph River.
Also giving rides is a Robinson helicopter. The fee to ride is $50 per person.
A 32’ Climbing Wall and a Zipline will be on site giving attendees the opportunity to climb the Berlin Wall and Zip from East Berlin to freedom in West Berlin.
Jerry Sawatzki, a retired teacher from the Eau Claire school system with a Master’s Degree in history from Notre Dame will provide an interesting overview of the Cold War. Saturday evening The Spaniels Forever, an R&B and doo-wop group consisting of band members Patrick Pitre, Phil Ratliff, Daniel Porter, and Billy Shelton, 89, who is the only original member of the band, will perform a free concert at 7:00 pm. The concert will include a lineup of classic ‘50s and ‘60s covers. Concert-goers will hear songs by the bands The Temptations, Four Seasons, the Beatles, and the Bee Gees. The Spaniels Forever will perform their 1953 hit, “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight.”
For a full schedule of events visits www.LestWeForgetUSA.org.
Pancake Breakfast from 8 am-11 am on Saturday and Sunday!
Please refer to images for details and times on both days!
Attendees are encouraged to join Lest We Forget on-site. One-year membership dues are $10. Lifetime membership is $50 and over 80 years old is free. You do not have to be a veteran to become a member of LWF. Membership meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport starting at 10:00 a.m. with coffee and donuts at 9:30.
Admission: Free/ $50.