Area veterans will be honored Saturday at the Cullman County Veterans Celebration, that will focus on the War on Terror.

The free event will be held at the Cullman Regional Airport from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking and a shuttle service will provided by the Cullman Area Rural Transportation System (C.A.R.T.S.).

Veterans will be honored in the morning of the event with a parade into the airport and an opening ceremony featuring remarks from Rep. Robert Aderholt. 

Veterans and spouses will receive a free lunch, coffee and donuts provided by the USO in the airport terminal lounge.

Military vehicles provided by Cullman National Guardsmen from Company C of the 167th Infantry Division, the Cullman Police Department and Hanceville Police Department will be on display.

Charlie Company will also be doing an infantry weapons display during the event, said retired Air Force Col. Ken Brown.

This year’s Veterans Day Celebration will also feature two naval planes new to the event.

The first plane, a Vought F4U Corsair fighter plane from World War II and the Korean War, will be displayed on the airport’s flight line, and the other plane, a Douglas SBD Dauntless navy dive bomber that also was also used in World War II, will be flying for most of the day and will be available for rides by visitors.

This year’s event will also see the return of a Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” helicopter and a Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter that will be available for rides by visitors. Huey rides are $85 per person and tickets for the Cobra ride are $325 per person.

Tickets for the helicopter and plane rides can be bought at cullmanveteransday.com.

Brown said some of the area’s younger residents are also getting involved with the celebration, as students from the Wallace State Community College history department will be be on hand as reenactors who will share the history of the person they are portraying.

“I think that makes it more interesting and lets young people get involved in honoring the veterans,” he said. “And the veterans also appreciate it when young people are involved.”

Other Wallace State students will be involved in the event, with the school’s singers performing a service medley during the opening ceremony and the WWCC Jazz Band performing World War II-era music in the afternoon.

Other events and exhibits include a concert by the Air National Guard Band of the South, two jumps by the U.S. Army’s Silver Wings parachute team, a Civil War-era living history camp by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and artillery firings that will take place each hour. 

All planes present at the event will take off in the afternoon and perform aerial demonstrations before they leave, Brown said.

“There’ll be a lot of activity out there all day long,” he said.

Brown said the last two Veterans Day Celebration’s have seen crowds of around 10,000 people, and event organizers hope that the event can keep growing as the people of the community continue to come out to honor the 7,000 military veterans who live in Cullman County.

9 a.m.: Show opens with aircraft and military exhibits on flight line

free coffee/donuts to vets at USO canteen in the airport terminal lounge

movies begin playing each hour – “Black Sheep Squadron” in the Corsair Tent, and Battle of Midway in the terminal lounge

9:40 a.m.: Parade to salute veterans

10 a.m.: Opening ceremony with prayer, national anthem, remarks by Rep. Robert Aderholt and local VIPs and service medley by Wallace State Community College singers

10:30 a.m.: Huey, Cobra and dive bomber rides begin

Veteran introductions on the flight line stage

11 a.m.: parachute jump by the U.S. Army Silver Wings

11:30 a.m.: Air National Guard Band of the South Concert

12:15 p.m.: Elks serve free lunch to vets/spouses, public served by vendors

1:30 p.m.: Parachute jump by the U.S. Army Silver Wings

2 p.m.: WWII concert by the Wallace State Jazz Band

3-4:30 p.m.: Aerial demos by Russian Cold War aircraft, WWII Navy/Marine Corsair fighter, WWII Navy Dauntless dive bomber and Army Aviation Combat helicopters

3 p.m.: movies in the corsair tent and terminal lounge

4 p.m.: Huey/Cobra rides continue until dark

5 p.m.: Venue closes