The Morgan County Fair received a boisterous and thunderous salute to the American soldier last night.
The evening had a moving tribute and sights and sounds from vintage military equipment that had never been attempted before. WW2 Armor provided the spectacle while guest speaker, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello provided the crowd with the thoughts and ideas that go with being both a current and former member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Costello says that Morgan County is a fitting place to pay tribute to the troops: “As I said in my speech, a disproportionate amount of kids from small towns, small counties serve in the military. So, per capita you have more veterans in smaller towns, counties. It was terrific to be at this event tonight. It’s the first, but I believe it’s become a tradition. It was a super turnout. I want to thank Gary Hadden and the entire fair board for putting this event on.”
Rabbi Rob Thomas who supplied the firepower of last night’s salute says that WW2 Armor put on a little longer show than normal because of the enthusiastic, jam-packed crowd in the grandstand. Thomas says while the show was here to salute to our troops, it was a little personal to him: “We normally do 20-30 minutes, but you know what? The crowd was there. They were into it. That gets us into it. We decided, ‘Yeah, let’s make this last.’ Obviously, we were here to salute the troops to honor those serving and those who have served. I’ll tell you on a personal note, the number one reason we were here was so my dad [WLDS’s own Bob Thomas] could see the tanks. It was the first time he’s seen them in person. He’s obviously seen video and such, but I wanted him to see and experience it. When Gary Hadden said, ‘Hey, how about bringing a couple of tanks up here for the Morgan County Fair?’ I’m like perfect.”
Thomas says that the response to the night was more than they expected: “The event has been great. The town, the county, the event staff couldn’t be more supportive and helpful. Obviously, there was a lot of logistics here. We expected a good crowd. It was way bigger than we expected. The [crowd] was way more engaged than we expected. They were firing off questions and sharing stories. I will tell you that this is the most engaged crowd we have ever had.”
Thomas says that WW2 Armor does about 4 to 6 shows a year and that the logistical feat it takes to move them around is fully appreciated by the crew. Thomas says it really brings home the reality of the war effort’s logistical side because of the amount of machinery and manpower to keep the tanks moving.
For more videos and information, search out WW2 Armor on Facebook or visit their website ww2armor.org.
In all, proceeds from donations at the event will go directly to the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.