Speakers

Thank you to Matt Treaster for lining up this program.

Greg Zuercher will speak about him,  along with a group of others that have been working to honor Lt. Erwin Bleckley, a Wichita native, who was a WW1 aerial observer who died trying to do the first ever air re-supply in history.  Bleckley and his pilot were trying to provide supplies to the surrounded “Lost Battalion” in the Argonne Forest in October 1918.  The aircraft was shot down, and both the pilot and Bleckley were killed.  Each man received the Medal of Honor for the heroics.  Bleckley is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.  The group hopes to purchase a plane like Bleckley flew in and bring it to Wichita.  Of course it will only take money but it is an interesting story with local ties.