Log In

Reset Password
Welcome, User
LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER
Bethlehem Catasauqua East Penn Northampton Northwestern Parkland Salisbury Whitehall-Coplay

WWII vet takes biplane ride to commemorate end of the war

Published November 10. 2021 02:39PM

BY JIM MARSH

Special to The Press

World War II combat veteran Bert Winzer was recently taken for a ride.

Winzer, 98, was one of 277 World War II vets nationwide who have been flown over their hometowns by Dream Flights, a nonprofit corporation operating out of Carson City, Nev.

At that time, Dream Flights launched “Operation September Freedom” to celebrate World War II veterans and give them the plane ride of their lives.

The airplane fleet used by Dream Flights includes six restored 1940s-era Stearman biplanes used to train Army pilots for the war.

Dream Flight’s goal was to visit 300-plus cities across America and host more than 1,000 veterans during 61 days of Operation September Freedom.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, only an estimated 100,000 are still alive in 2021. The youngest would be 95.

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which effectively ended World War II, was signed on Sept. 2, 1945.

Since the launch of Dream Flights in 2011, free flights of a lifetime have been given to more than 4,200 veterans and seniors living in long-term care communities. Fewer and fewer of the Dream Flyers are World War II veterans.

In 2021, Dream Flights determined to dedicate its entire Dream Flight Tour to World War II veterans. Dream Flight’s mission is to honor as many as possible, thanking them for fighting for freedom.

Winzer was nominated by his son, Kim, of Northampton, for the 20-minute flight over the Lehigh Valley. The flight included a pass over his Macungie neighborhood.

Although macular degeneration prevented Winzer from seeing the balloons his family put out to help identify his home, Winzer said his peripheral vision helped him recognize the cul-de-sac where he resides.

Some two-dozen friends and family were at the Queen City Airport to help Winzer celebrate the occasion.

Winzer served in North Africa and the European Theater of the war. He was a commando in the renowned Black Devils unit of the 1st Special Services Force in World War II. That force was a precursor to today’s elite special operations military units.

The Black Devils were featured in a 1968 movie, “The Devil’s Brigade,” which celebrated their operations.

Winzer gave a big “thumbs up” at the end of his flight.

He was given a flight cap signed by his pilot Marcus Smith. Winzer added his name to the Black Devils’ logo on the biplane and he signed the tail rudder that displays the names of others who have been on a Dream Flight in that airplane.

Smith said he enjoyed Winzer’s flight as much as Winzer himself.

“The feeling you get from giving a Dream flight is unmatched,” Smith said. “It’s amazing how positive an airplane ride can be in someone’s life.”

Dream Flights pilot Marcus Smith, based out of Durham, N.C., chats with 98-year-old World War II veteran Bert Winzer, in the reception area of Queen City Airport, Allentown, before taking Winzer on a 1940s-era biplane ride over the Lehigh Valley.
Ninety-eight-year-old World War II veteran Bert WInzer, 98, seated, poses for a photo with nearly two dozen friends and family members who traveled to Queen City Airport to see Winzer off on a 20-minute biplane flight over the Lehigh Valley. The nonprofit Dream Flights organization, out of Carson City, Nev., is hosting World War II vets across the country in “Operation September Freedom” to commemorate the end of World War II in September 1945.
Dream Flights pilot Marcus Smith assists World War II veteran Bert Ginzer into a restored World War II-era Stearman biplane at Queen City Airport for a 20-minute flight over to Lehigh Valley.
A restored World War II-era Stearman biplane takes off from Queen City Airport Aug. 17 to give World War II veteran Bert Ginzer a 20-minute ride over the Lehigh Valley as part of a nationwide effort to recognize World War II vets in “Operation September Freedom” commemorating the end of World War II in September, 1945.
PRESS PHOTOS BY JIM MARSH World War II veteran Bert Winzer, 98, gives a thumbs-up after his biplane ride over the Lehigh Valley.
World War II combat veteran Bert Winzer adds his signature on the tail rudder of a World War II-era pilot training biplane with the names of other vets who have been given rides over their hometowns.