A gathering of military vehicles, reenactors and military veterans sharing their military experiences will occur at the annual Military History Expo to be held in Phillipston on Sept. 11 and 12.
Among the veterans speaking at the event will be 97-year-old World War II Veteran Vincent “Bill” Purple, who served in the Army Air Corp from 1942 to 1946.
Purple enlisted in the Army Air Corp at age 17. After 14 months of training in March of 1944, he graduated from flight school at age 19 as a Second Lieutenant and began flying the B-17 Flying Fortress two weeks later.
He was assigned to the Eighth Air Force, 379th Bomb Group, based in Kimbolton England, several months later after only two months of combat training in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in January 1945 and to Captain in April of 1945 at the age of 20.
Purple flew 35 missions from England to Germany during his service, including the Feb. 3, 1945 bombing of Berlin, the longest, biggest raid to a single target for the Eighth Air Force. The 379th Bomb Group led the Eighth Air Force on this raid and Purple was the lead pilot in the lead group, low squadron.
Among the awards he received were the Distinguished Flying Cross in April of 1945, as his planes sustained severe damage during four missions to Germany. He also was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters.
Purple left military service in October 1946, remaining in the Air Force Reserves and subsequently served with the Air National Guard until 1951.
Purple has continued to be involved in veterans-related projects throughout his life. In the late 1990s, Purple, along with Connie Zani and Alan Bowers, formed the nonprofit Athol Veterans Park Development Corp. They raised over $300,000, had the Athol Veterans Park built in the heart of downtown Athol and then donated it to the Town of Athol.
Purple was the driving force behind “Operation Kimbolton,” which organized the visit of three WWII aircraft belonging to the Collings Foundation, to Orange Airport in 2012 and 2013. On Sept 13, 2013 at the Orange Municipal Airport, Purple was awarded France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor Medal, for his service in WWII in defense of France.
Purple married Helen Brand of Cleveland in 1951 and they raised two children, Phil Purple, who resides in Phillipston with his wife Anne, and Cindy Hartwell, who resides in New Salem with her husband, Chuck. Purple and his wife Helen lived in Athol until moving to Petersham in 1975, where he continues to live today, after Helen’s passing in 2011.
Purple retired in 2018 from L.P. Athol, a business he owned and operated for the 32 years. He continues giving talks to school groups and other organizations about his World War II experiences. “I have been involved with veterans for many, many years and feel it is important to preserve World War II history,” Purple said.
The Military History Expo Inc, was founded by Dan and Missi Eaton in 2016 with a mission to preserve and showcase historical machinery and artifacts, as well as tell the stories of those who used those artifacts.
The Military History Expo, according to Dan Eaton, will also include over 200 historians, plus vehicles and artifacts covering military history from the American Revolution through the Vietnam War. The vehicles planned to be on display include jeeps and armored vehicles, including a World War I field cannon.
The expo will also feature three battle reenactments each day at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., reenacting battles from the Revolutionary War, World War I and World War II. Eaton added that the reenactments will not depict specific battles.
“Military History Expo is our primary fundraiser,” Eaton explained, adding that it is always hosted in the North Quabbin, with Phillipston being chosen this year. “We feel it is important to preserve historical items and tell the stories of the people who lived it.” Eaton said. The funds raised go to patriotic and civic events, including parades and visits of reenactors and military equipment to nursing homes and veteran’s events, Eaton said.
He continued that the History Expo began when he and Missi were working at putting together locations for re-enactments. “We are both history buffs and work at several local museums and we decided to combine event planning and history and it grew from there.” Eaton is a volunteer at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson and a reenactor in the Artillery Company of Newport in Newport, Rhode island.
A portion of the funds raised, he continued, are set aside for future use, which could include a possible area museum to showcase the military and industrial contributions of the North Quabbin area.
History-expo.com is always looking for more veterans to share their stories. Please feel free to email militaryhistoryexpo@gmail.com and a veterans coordinator will be in touch.
The organization is also always looking to showcase more equipment and preserve their story.
The Military Expo will be held at 555 Highland Avenue in Phillipston, with the gates opening at 10 a.m. on both days. Adult tickets are $20 with discounts available for veterans and active-duty military.
Kids under 16 are free with adult. More information about the event and History Expo can be found at historyexpo.com www.history-expo.com
Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on history with a particular interest in the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.