I'm a member - and I know the importance of the mission! Excellent way to support the drive to remember and establish legacy of The Greatest Generation and some of the great things they accomplished!
The B-26 Marauder Historical Society is an amazing organization connecting historians, family members, and WWII enthusiasts with actual pilots and crew members. First hand accounts, generally unknown information, and Annual Reunions are just a part of what Membership offers.
What a great organization. I am a 76 year old son of a B-26 Marauder pilot from WWII! The B-26 Marauder Historic Society has helped me build a history of my dad’s WWII experience.
Attending reunions and meeting some of the 1st generation crew members has given me insight into what my dad experienced. I lost my dad in 2008 and each year we lose more of the Greatest Generation heroes. There memory is carried on by the B-26 Marauder Historical Society.
My father who passed in 2013 was a Marauder pilot in The Battle of Midway, the turning point of our war against Japan in WWII. After his passing, the President at that time of The Marauder Historical Society reached out to me to join them at the 75th Commemoration of the Midway Battle being held at WWII Memorial in DC. My father, despite his health issues at the time, had attended the opening of that Memorial.
After a year as a member of the B-26 Marauder Historical Society, I was asked to become the editor of their quarterly paper. It has necessitated my doing much research and learning more about the European Theater of the war and the amazing contributions of our wonderfully designed "hot" bomber. It had the lowest loss ratio of any WWII bomber, despite a sketchy beginning. It was Doolittle's favorite plane!
MHS, as we fondly refer to our organization, was begun by a large group of 1st generation Marauders who loved getting together annually and sharing stories and memories, many of which have been captured for posterity. Sadly, we have only a few 1st generation members still alive, and they are cherished. We must work harder than ever to raise funds to help fulfill their intended purposes : keeping the history of the B-26 and its devoted crewmen alive for generations to come; building a digital record of the stories, photos and artifacts for easy access to those who want to know more; helping to rebuild a B-26 of our own to share near our headquarters in Tucson; and reaching out to others via public events and air shows around the country to help inform others of our colorful history.
Ours is the type of history that unites the most diverse groups of people who seek positive role models in which to invest their attention and dedication. Having a positive part of history in which our country played such a huge and necessary role is very much needed in todays world--no lies, no deceit, no misconstruing of events, just pure, honorable facts built upon the sacrifices of our very best. I have added a photo of my father from shortly after he returned to Hickam Field in Hawaii right after Midway. He was at that time 1st Lt. James P. Muri. He flew one of the first B-26's built and given to the 22nd Bombardment Group to take to war. They left Langley Field headed west the day after Japan bombed/attacked our men, planes and ships in Hawaii.
B-26 MHS provides a great service to the lasting memory of WWII and Korea crews and the amazing aircraft they operated. We must not let their service be lost to history, and the MHS is dedicated to telling their story and keeping the Marauder Men legacy alive and fresh. Thanks for what you do!
I joined this organization 10 years ago due to a neighbor who was a B-26 crewman in WWII.
They hold annual reunions every year to honor these veterans, learn history of the Marauder and celebrate their history. We try to attend all the reunions which shift their locations every year.
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I had a Marauder friend who lived about a block from me and was very active in the local Marauder association called WAMM ( Washington Area Marauder Men). His name was Nevin Price and he got me interested in the B-26 medium bomber and WWII history as well. When you have a person who can relate living history to you like Nevin could, then the study of World War II became fascinating. Unfortunately very few of the WAMM members due to age and job obligations were able to attend the later reunions. But I attended the 2014 and 2015 ones created by MHS in Ohio and Arizona...and they did not disappoint. I was able to see and get special tours of Flak Bait due to my association with the Marauder association and even help with their photography. You can not place a value on that experience!
The B-26 Marauder Historical Society is a great group of men and women who have a common bond and respect for this great old bomber. This organization has helped my family get in touch with other service men who flew in the same Bomber Group as my Uncle who gave his life in WW2. I have made lasting friendships and gain alot of knowledge, we are hoping to continue to share the knowledge with all who search for information.
This organization is doing wonderful things to preserve the legacy of this important aircraft and its brave flight crews, tireless maintenance crews, and careful designers and manufacturing workers. The B-26 made significant contributions to the Allied successes in all theaters, and its legacy must be preserved for future generations. Please consider donating to help the Marauder Historical Society achieve its vision. Thank you to those who've donated!
It is with great pleasure and pride as the Director of the Marauder Historical Society that I share with the GreatNonprofits Organization the story of an admirer and member of the Marauder Historical Society for over fifty years. His name is William Yeager and along with his wife, Helen, they purchased two retirement lots in Sunsite Arizona.
Their dream was to build their retirement home on the lots, but circumstances prevented it from happening. We are sure Bill and Helen talked about their lots and future home every year, especially as they paid their tax bill.
Circumstance put a stop to their dream and a decision was made by them to give their 50-year dream to the organization they both loved, The Marauder Historical Society, to be sold and the money to be used for a worthy cause. After Bill’s death Helen called their lawyer and had the deed drawn up and delivered.
Bill and Helen will never know that we have shared their dream and gift with GreatNonprofits, but I guarantee they would take pride in knowing that we have. Now I, as a real estate agent and director of the National Marauder Society, have those lots up for sale and hope to have them sold in 2016
As a life member, I am thrilled to associate with fellow board members , read our organization publication, The Thunder, and every year attend our reunion to meet with friends, 1st, 2nd, and 3 rd generations. As a former B-26 pilot, it means a lot to me to be in this great club.
Lt Col, USAF, retired, Larry J. Thorp
This site gives anyone information about the B-26 Martin Marauder and ongoing activities, such as its annual reunion, membership drives, and how to donate (because it really needs some $$ to continue operations).
This is a wonderful organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the B-26 Marauder and all of the men and women associated with it. Some of the ways they carry out their mission include: gathering information and stories which they then use to write and circulate newsletters, holding annual reunions for veterans and their families & friends and even members of the general public who are simply interested, and the archiving and record keeping of thousands of donated items and written materials. The B-26 MHS is truly committed to honoring "The Greatest Generation".
This organization is preserving the history of a very famous Maruder B-26 airplane. We cannot let this greatest generation be forgotten! Thank you to all the hard work and dedication of the volunteers that keep this group providing education to future generations. We are so lucky to have many first generation members.
Highly professional with 1st generation flyers of the B-26 makes this a premier organization to preserve the memory and stories of crews and missions. The B-26 is an aircraft overshadowed by others in WWII, and should be recognized as much as the others. The B-26 Marauder Historical Society is well suited to help elevate the B-26 and its historical significance as well as their dedicated crews both ground and air.
This is an organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Martin B-26 medium bomber in terms of the people who were involved with this aircraft, both the builders at the Glenn L. Martin Company, and those associated with its operations, both in combat and within the United States. Over 225,000 people were directly involved with these 5,700 airplanes from Alaska, Australia, North Africa, and Europe, from the United States Air Forces, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Royal Air Force including Commonwealth countires of Australia and Canada, the Free French Air Force and the South African Air Force.
In Tucson, there is the International Archives of the Martin Marauder and a Martin B-26 being restored at the Pima Air & Space Museum and the headquarters for this organization at 3710 E. Timrod St., Tucson, 85711, ph 520-322-6226 or http://www.B-26MHS.org. There also is another B-26 Marauder Archive at the University of Akron, Akron Ohio.
Our next annual reunion will be held in Tucson early in the fall of 2015 with visits to the Pima Air & Space Museum to visit the restoration project, the Archives, the "boneyard" and the largest non-government air museum in the world, presentations on various historical events involving this aircraft, and a grand banquet. Tucson is also the location of the USAF 12th Air Force, initially led by General Jimmy Doolittle and four Bomb Groups of B-26 Marauders. We expect the 12th AF historian to participate as these airplanes were the first American bombers involved in the North African and European theaters in World War II.
Please call our society for more information.