Local non-profit hosts event honoring Gold Star families, highlights WWII crash boat
CRISFIELD, Md.- “This is a unsung story about heroes nobody really knows about,” Veterans Heritage Foundation President Lewis Palmer said.
Right in Crisfield at Somers Cove Marina lies a rare piece of history; the last p-520 U.S Army Air Force crash boat used during World War II. “To take a floating museum out to visit different ports of call and to educate people on something including myself who was in the Air Force and didn’t even know these units existed,” Air Force Veteran and Veterans Heritage Foundation Board Member Robert Hay said.
To preserve that history, the Veterans Heritage Foundation hosted it’s first-ever Wounded Warrior/Gold Star Family Weekend event to honor those service personnel who either passed away or were killed in the line of duty. “It was pretty emotional. They had to swap around deciding who was going to sign the wall and leave that mark,” Palmer said.
“We want the legacy of their loved one to live with us on our boat by accepting those families and letting them know they have a place to go out and enjoy the water,” Hay said.
There was also the opportunity for boat tours, as guides spoke on the importance of the watercraft.
Its primary function was for combat search and rescue. “These kids were 18 and 19 years old running out in a speedboat into icy waters, unknowns, and everything else,” Palmer said.
“They didn’t care about race, color, or anything. It was this is a pilot and they’re down. They didn’t even care if it was the enemy. Their sole purpose was to rescue them.”
Sergeant Patrick Welsh is a retired Army Veteran and portrays an E-5 medic for p-520.
He says with not much history of World War II found locally, it’s their duty to keep the boats legacy afloat. “We’re the only 85 foot crash boat still in existence and we’re right here in your neck of the woods in the neighborhood and it’s important for people to come out and learn that history,” Sgt. Welsh said.
The boat is owned and operated by the non-profit and fully relies on donations to keep operating.
To find out how you can donate, click here
To find out more about the history of crash boats, click here
