The Greatest Generations Foundation to facilitate intergenerational program for closure and education

Denver, CO – When Wilson Colwell was 15 years old in 1943, he decided that he had had enough school and that he wanted to join the army. So, one afternoon, he left school in the middle of class, and rode his bike down to the recruiter’s office. Realizing that he could not become a pilot without having graduated high school, he decided that if he couldn’t fly planes he would jump out of them and joined the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. One year later he would make his first combat jump into Normandy at age 16.

Now 68 years later, Colwell will be returning to those battlefields in an educational program sponsored by Denver-based non-profit The Greatest Generations Foundation. With him will be 11 other veterans who fought in the European Theater, as well as 12 personnel from the US Air Force Academy. From May 31-June 10 this group will be revisiting the bomb bases, beaches and battlegrounds of East Anglia and Normandy.

Joining this group is Colorado Springs resident, Christopher Nelson, a cadet at the Air Force Academy.  Through this experience she will accompany veterans as they visit historic places of WWII while learning about and preserving the veterans’ stories and legacies.

This educational program, dubbed “Connecting Generations” is a short term study abroad program that provides the cadets with a comprehensive understanding of the Allied invasion of Europe through the stories of the veterans in the places where they happened. The cadets also have the opportunity to see the real price of freedom, and to interact with part of the heritage that they are joining in the US Military.

Program participant Cadet Third Class Ross Lovett said that “[the program] in all likely hood will be one of the most meaningful and life changing events of my life. The trip will connect me with some of our nation’s greatest heroes who I can only hope will pass on to me some of their stories and experiences from their phenomenal lives. […] I am most excited not only to see the sights of London, Normandy, and Paris for myself, but to see it through the eyes of the men whose actions define what we call freedom today. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and cannot wait until it is finally here.”

Joining Colwell will be a number of veterans representing each area of the action that surrounded D-Day, from B-17 crewmembers and landing craft pilots to paratroopers and combat engineers. For some it is their first time back, while others like Colwell will be there as an emotional support for those veterans, and as an educator for the cadets.

“I feel we as veterans are obliged to pass on to them as accurate a picture as long as we can, as best as we can,” said John Luckadoo, one of the participating veterans from Dallas, Texas. “The cadets accompanying us is a definite plus for them as well as for us. The realization that we as veterans have, is that we have a period in history that their generation has not experienced on a personal basis. […] They weren’t even born for the period of history that took place and to give them a first-hand account is something textbooks can’t offer. If we can reflect what went through our minds in calling to defend freedom, they would have a better perspective if and when they were ever called.”    

Follow Colwell, Luckadoo, Lovett and the others on this journey at www.ourfinalreturn.blog.com. 

The Greatest Generations Foundation is an IRS 501(C)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization whose mission is to promote recognition and respect for U.S. and Allied war veterans, while enhancing historical education for today’s youth. TGGF works to ensure that the dedication and bravery of each veteran is never forgotten, nor the value of their deeds be allowed to disappear.  For more information, please contact Kelly Blanchard at knblanchard@tggf.org.