A P51 airplane in this file photograph is similar to what Cullman residents will see when this year's Veterans Day event unfolds.

As a bomber pilot flying over the battlegrounds of World War II, Cullman VFW member Julian Campbell said he remembered “the great feeling of relief I experienced when Mustangs showed up off my wing to escort us to and from our targets over Italy and southern France.”

For Campbell, that welcome sight of a Mustang fighter plane will be returning at the local Veterans Day Celebration in Cullman on Saturday, November 8.

“I am really looking forward to seeing that Mustang in the skies over Cullman in the fall,” Campbell said.

The P-51 Mustang was one of the premier fighter planes of World War II. It was used primarily as an escort fighter for convoys of heavy fighter bombers. Its long range gave the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) the ability to escort  bombers all the way to Berlin, Germany.

Retired Air Force Col. Ken Brown is the event director for the Veterans Day celebration. He said that the historical Mustang, which will be flown to Cullman from Peachtree City, Georgia, will be on display throughout the day at the Cullman airport. It will be flown in an aerial demonstration over Folsom Field and the Veterans’ park at Sportsman Lake during the afternoon, Brown said.

The plane will be part of the “Mustang/Mustang show,” Brown said, “which will include the P-51 and a number of Ford Mustang cars from all year groups.”

Combat film of the P-51 on missions during the war will be shown in the airport terminal lounge near the plane, Brown said.

The P-51 will carry several local citizens on pre-sold rides over Cullman throughout the day. Randy Johnson, a U.S. Navy veteran, is one of those who will be able to experience aviation history.

Johnson was drafted into and served in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1971. “I served 3 years, 10 months, 10 days, 7 hours, and 15 minutes,” he said. Johnson was aboard the John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier and was a member of a Phantom flight squadron.

“The P-51 in World War II added a whole new dimension, because it was faster, more accurate and a versatile plane,” Johnson said. “It helped win the war.”

Johnson said that he looked forward to seeing the T-28 trainer airplane as well. “I served in a [training] squadron down in Pensacola, and they trained the pilots with T-28s,” he said.

Serving in the military was “the best thing that ever happened to me,” Johnson said. “Because…you kind of had to make it on your own. You were out there by yourself. You’re 18 years old, and you’re gone.”

“I can’t wait to show my grandkids,” Johnson said of the planes and displays at the Veterans’ Day event. “I’ve got a [4-year-old] granddaughter, Talulah, and a [3-year-old] grandson, Davis, and I can wait to show them or tell them about some of the things I went through in the service.”

Brown also said that there will be no cost for admission, “except the cost already paid by our military veterans, living and dead.” Brown said he hoped that the people of Cullman and Cullman County would “come out to enjoy these activities,” but also remember to “honor and thank our veterans for their service.”