Estrella Warbirds Museum hosts WWII talk with David Blakely 

Former San Luis Obispo County Supervisor David Blakely is the guest speaker at the Estrella Warbirds Museum's next monthly dinner program, slated for Wednesday, March 6. David's father was Lt. Col. Everett Blakely, a B-17 pilot with the 100th Bomb Group during World War II.

The speaker will discuss some of his father's missions while explaining the early American bomber strategy and the ways in which it changed and evolved during the war in order to defeat Nazi Germany.

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• Photo Courtesy Of The Estrella Warbirds Museum

For his service, Lt. Col. Blakely received 11 medals, including the Silver Star for "gallantry in action," the Distinguished Flying Cross for "heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight," and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters for flying missions over Germany. On one of these missions, the airman and the crew of his plane were credited with shooting down nine Nazi fighters.

In Apple TV's Masters of the Air, a nine-episode mini-series produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, actor David Shields portrays Lt. Col. Blakely, as the show follows the 100th Bomb Group during WWII.

Attendees to the upcoming WWII talk and dinner will have access to a no host bar at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. Reservations are required in advance. Admission is $25 per person. Call (805) 296-1935 or visit ewarbirds.org for more info. The Estrella Warbirds Museum is located at 4251 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles. Δ