‘Ready 4 Duty’ WWII Allied victory 80th Anniversary tour makes first official stop at Alabama’s Maxwell AFB

Published On: 04.24.25 |

By: Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / Air University Public Affairs

‘Ready 4 Duty’ WWII Allied victory 80th Anniversary tour makes first official stop at Alabama’s Maxwell AFB

U.S. Air Force Maj. Joseph Wright, a chaplain currently attending the Air Command and Staff College, reads an invocation during a ceremony at Alabama's Maxwell Air Force Base. A historic U.S. Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the Commemorative Air Force “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S visited Maxwell to collect gravestone rubbings of 78 Royal Air Force Airmen buried at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery. The rubbings will be presented during events recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II. (Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters / U.S. Air Force)

In recognition of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, the Commemorative Air Force “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S, a historic U.S. Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, visited Maxwell Air Force Base on April 17 as the first official stop of its transatlantic “Navy to Victory Tour.”

During WWII, more than 7,000 Royal Air Force members trained with the Southeast Training Command, the former U.S. Army Air Corps training center headquartered at Maxwell. Two thousand of those airmen trained here, at what was known then as Maxwell and Gunter Army Airfields.

The 80-year-old R4D aircraft arrived to collect gravestone rubbings of the 78 RAF airmen buried at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery, and will continue its 12-week, 12,000-mile journey to Europe to present them during events marking the end of the Second World War.

“It’s important to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who died in service not only to their country, but our allies and partners in the shared fight for freedom against tyranny,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Ziemann, Air Command and Staff College Department of Leadership instructor. “This effort highlights the continuing special relationship we have with the United Kingdom.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Ziemann, Air Command and Staff College Department of Leadership instructor, reaches out to shake the hand of Butch Cole, Commemorative Air Force PT-17 Stearman pilot, at Maxwell Air Force Base. The aircraft accompanied the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S to Maxwell as the R4D’s first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

Royal Air Force Group Capt. Tim Brookes, Air War College, left, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Ziemann, Air Command and Staff College Department of Leadership instructor, right, walk on the flight line at Maxwell Air Force Base. The Commemorative Air Force organized the collection of gravestone rubbings and, along with Ziemann, hosted the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S crew during a visit to Maxwell, providing them with a windshield-tour of the base in tribute to recognizing the service and sacrifice of American and Allied service members in the Second World War. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

Robert Collier, Commemorative Air Force crew chief, checks the oil on the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S at Maxwell Air Force Base. The CAF is the world’s largest flying museum, operating more than 175 aircraft and educating the public on World War II and its aviation history. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

A Commemorative Air Force PT-17 Stearman approaches Maxwell Air Force Base. The aircraft accompanied the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S to Maxwell as the R4D’s first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Senior Airman Tanner Doerr / U.S. Air Force)

U.S. Air Force Maj. Theresa Eckard, left, Air University director of operations, and Lt. Col. Andrea Searor, right, AU chief of international affairs, sit in a Commemorative Air Force “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S at Maxwell Air Force Base. A historic U.S. Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the R4D visited Maxwell to collect gravestone rubbings of 78 Royal Air Force airmen buried at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery at Maxwell Air Force Base. The rubbings will be presented during events recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II. (Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters / U.S. Air Force)

A Commemorative Air Force PT-17 Stearman, left, and a CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S, right, are parked on the flight line at Maxwell Air Force Base. In recognition of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, the aircraft visited Maxwell as the R4D’s first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters / U.S. Air Force)

Todd Anderson and Brent Blackwell, Commemorative Air Force Birmingham Escadrille Wing unit members, package gravestone rubbings of 78 Royal Air Force Airmen buried at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery at Maxwell Air Force Base. Members of the CAF based in Birmingham, Montgomery and northern Florida, along with faculty and family members from the Air Command and Staff College, helped collect the rubbings for transfer to Europe for events recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II. (Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters / U.S. Air Force)

Participants gather on the flight line during a ceremony to transfer gravestone rubbings at Maxwell Air Force Base. Members of the Commemorative Air Force based in Birmingham, Montgomery and northern Florida, along with faculty and family members from the Air Command and Staff College, helped collect the rubbings for transfer to the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S crew during their Navy to Victory Tour. (Senior Airman Tanner Doerr / U.S. Air Force)

Butch Cole, Commemorative Air Force PT-17 Stearman pilot, exits a P-17 after landing at Maxwell Air Force Base. Cole flew up from Alabama’s Gulf Coast to accompany a CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S for the R4D’s first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

The Commemorative Air Force “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S, a historic U.S. Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, taxis on the flight line at Maxwell Air Force Base. In recognition of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, the R4D visited Maxwell as the first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Tech. Sgt. Savannah L. Waters / U.S. Air Force)

Butch Cole, Commemorative Air Force PT-17 Stearman pilot, parks the aircraft on the flight line at Maxwell Air Force Base. The aircraft accompanied the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S to Maxwell as the R4D’s first official stop of its 12-week, 12,000-mile transatlantic Navy to Victory Tour. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

Royal Air Force Group Capt. Tim Brookes, Air War College, speaks during a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base. The Commemorative Air Force organized the collection of gravestone rubbings and, along with Ziemann, hosted the CAF “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S crew during their visit, providing them with a windshield-tour of Maxwell Air Force Base in tribute to recognizing the service and sacrifice of American and Allied service members. (Airman 1st Class Nelvis Sera / U.S. Air Force)

The Commemorative Air Force “Ready 4 Duty” Douglas R4D-6S, a historic U.S. Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, lands at Maxwell Air Force Base. The 80-year-old aircraft arrived this week to collect gravestone rubbings of the 78 Royal Air Force Airmen buried at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery and will continue its 12-week, 12,000-mile journey to Europe to present them during events marking the end of the Second World War. (Senior Airman Tanner Doerr / U.S. Air Force)

As part of the larger “Bringing the Boys Back” initiative, members of the CAF based in Birmingham, Montgomery and northern Florida, along with faculty and family members from the Air Command and Staff College, helped collect the rubbings for transfer to the R4D crew.

The CAF organized the collection of gravestone rubbings and, along with Ziemann, hosted the R4D crew during their visit, providing them with a windshield-tour of Maxwell Air Force Base in tribute to recognizing the service and sacrifice of American and Allied service members.

“I think it’s amazing this group of pilot candidates are receiving the respect and honor that’s been due for a long time,” said Brent Blackwell, Commemorative Air Force Birmingham Escadrille Wing unit member. “It’s like healing over an old wound in some sense, in that the descendants of these individuals will now get some feeling of closure.”

The CAF is the world’s largest flying museum, operating more than 175 aircraft and educating the public on World War II and its aviation history. Its collaborative efforts with the RAF to bring a piece of history home will inspire the next generation of aviators and service members in remembering their shared sacrifice and honor.

“For the families who have never had a chance to come here, this is a way to symbolically bring their family home,” Ziemann said. “We’re doing what we can to ensure airmen who died training in a country not their own are not forgotten. This is about honoring sacrifice and preserving memory.”