D-Day Squadron Announces Collaboration with KOTA Longboards®
Oxford, Conn. – September 5th, 2018 – The D-Day Squadron, a full squadron of WW2 C-47s (known as the “Gooney Bird” or “Dakota”) that will be returning to Normandy, France for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, announced a new collaboration with Kota Longboards®. Kota, a custom longboard manufacturer, has developed a unique, limited-addition board exclusively for the D-Day Squadron. The manufacturer will donate $50 of each board sold to the squadron in support of their efforts to return to the skies over Normandy to commemorate one of the most seismic historical events of the 20th century.
“Honor, integrity, service and courage form the core of our daily mantra,” explained Mike Maloney, Founder of Kota Longboards. “When we heard about the D-Day Squadron’s attempt to bring living history to the beaches of Normandy to honor those who served, we wanted to do our part to help in any way we could.”
The D-Day Squadron plans to fly 21 restored C-47 and DC-3 (the civilian version of the C-47) aircraft across the North Atlantic to join with its European counterpart, Daks over Normandy. Together, these groups will fill the skies over Normandy on June 5th 2019, and will participate in multiple events on June 2nd-5th at Duxford Airfield in the United Kingdom and from June 5th-9th at Caen-Carpiquet Airport in Normandy, France. These events serve as a testament to the sacrifice of so many 75 years ago and honor the citizen soldiers that fought against tyranny.
“The Greatest Generation is quickly leaving us, and we need to honor them in every way we can,” declared Moreno Aguiari, Executive Director of the D-Day Squadron. “The 75th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion is one of our last, best opportunities to recognize what these airman, soldiers and sailors did while a few of them still remain. But to accomplish this feat requires dedicated logistics, such as fuel, maintenance, insurance, survival equipment and support services to name a few. Kota Longboards generous contribution puts us one step closer to putting C-47s once again in the skies over Normandy.”
About the D-Day Squadron The D-Day Squadron is the part of the Tunison Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In June 2019, the D-Day Squadron will lead an American fleet of historic, restored C-47 World War II military aircraft in Daks Over Normandy, a flyover of more than 30 international aircraft to drop 250 paratroopers over the original 1944 drop zones in Normandy commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The event will honor the citizen soldiers of the War, whose bravery led the Allies to the liberation of France, and then to an end of the devastating War in Europe. The Squadron’s education program takes the compelling story of the citizen soldier to audiences at airshows and events off the flight line to honor these brave Americans and ensure their memory and significance is appreciated for generations to come. The group’s efforts are funded through the generous tax-deductible contribution of their supporters. Learn more at DDaySquadron.org.
