VIETNAM
WAR ENEMIES REUNITE ON
ANNIVERSARY OF DOGFIGHT
Duo
to speak at Aviation Heritage Park Dedication in Bowling Green
BOWLING
GREEN, Ky. – The dedication of Aviation Heritage Park
in Bowling Green and the unlikely reunion of two Vietnam War
enemies will take place April 16, 2009 at 10 a.m. The chain
of events leading to this day is a remarkable and inspirational
story of reconciliation.
The concept of Aviation Heritage Park began in 2004 when Dan
Cherry, a Bowling Green native and USAF Brigadier General (Ret.),
with a group of friends discovered an F4-D Phantom II 550 in
Ohio. Cherry flew this exact aircraft on April 16, 1972 when
he shot down a MiG-21 flown by Lieutenant Nguyen Hong My.
The idea began of restoring the plane and creating a tribute
to distinguished aviators from South Central Kentucky. A vision
emerged of a park that would allow future generations to learn
of and be motivated by these aviators’ extraordinary achievements.
“We imagined the unlimited uses such a facility would
offer to our community,” Cherry explains in his new book,
My Enemy… My Friend. “We considered how teachers
could use the displays as educational tools… how such
a community project could motivate and inspire the youth to
reach for their dreams, to work hard, and to believe anything
is possible for those who apply themselves.”
As Aviation Heritage Park became a reality, Cherry continued
to wonder what happened to the fighter pilot he watched cascade
to the ground that day and if he
survived. Through a network of friends, Cherry contacted a reunion
show producer in Vietnam who located Hong My. Cherry apprehensively
accepted an invitation to appear on the show and he met Hong
My in person on April 5, 2008.
Now, on the 37th anniversary of their aerial dogfight, the two
former enemies will shake hands over American soil at the unveiling
of Aviation Heritage Park’s centerpiece. The restored
Phantom II 550 sits prominently, soon to be joined by a Grumman
F9F-5 Panther, similar to one flown by Lieutenant Commander
John J. Magda, Jr. Magda, a Western Kentucky University graduate,
became the Commander of the Navy Blue Angels in 1950.
South Central Kentucky has played a significant role in the
history of aviation. In addition to Cherry and Magda, other
aviators with ties to Bowling Green include one of the first
pilots to fly in combat, a World War I flying ace, a pioneer
instructor pilot, Commander of the famed Air Force Thunderbirds,
a presidential helicopter pilot and the Mission Commander for
the space shuttle Atlantis.
Cherry and Hong My will talk about their experience on the evening
of April 16 at an Olde Stone Country Club private event and
again on April 20 at WKU’s Mass Media and Technology Hall.
The two also will attend the Southern Kentucky Book Fest on
April 18 for a discussion of My Enemy… My Friend. More
information and the book are available at www.aviationheritagepark.com.
Contact the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
for information about other area heritage attractions at 1-800-326-7465
or www.visitbgky.com. Cherry’s book and other aviation
souvenirs are available at the CVB’s Information Center
on Three Springs Road.
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