By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Patriotic red, white and blue shined in Constitution Hall at American Village on Saturday, Aug. 8 as 35 WWII veterans came together for a reunion to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of WWII.

The event was organized by Pam Nichols and Amy McDonald of Honor Flight Birmingham (HFB).

Bob Barefield, chair of the Alabama Support Committee Alabama National Cemetery, also helped planned the reunion that preceded the Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive event held at the Alabama National Cemetery after the dinner.

Constitution Hall was filled with the veterans, all in their 80s and 90s. They came with family members, Honor Flight guardians, volunteers and donors.

Honor Flight Birmingham’s mission was to fly – free of charge – all WWII veterans in the Birmingham area to visit to the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C.

HFB is now inactive having served nearly 1,000 WWII veterans.

The dinner was free, sponsored by Brookdale Senior Living, Frito-Lay and Buffalo Rock, and served by Alabama Daughters of the American Revolution.

Regent Susan Moore, Lily of the Cahaba Chapter, chaired the hostesses who served the buffet.

James Quakenbush, entertained with swing music with his JQ’s One Man Big Band.

Quakenbush later played TAPS along with fellow Bugles Across America volunteers at the Spirit of ’45 ceremony.

HFB was blessed to end with a surplus and used the funds to sponsor HFB WWII Legacy Scholarship.

Winner Kelsey Sanders attended the reunion dinner with veteran Clarence Edward (Shorty) Goodwin, whose life she wrote about.

Goodwin was captured by the Germans and escaped from a POW camp to flee to the Russian border, where he fought with the Russians until his return to the Americans.

Sanders won a $2,500 scholarship for her award winning essay.

“My experiences in the war taught me what a good country we have,” said Goodwin.

After the dinner, the nationwide Spirit of ’45 event was well attended which began with a WWII vintage airplane flyover and reenactment of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

All veterans in attendance stood while the music trio Homeland sang the various military branch songs.

The event ended with TAPS played across the nation at 7 p.m. in every time zone.

The program is part of the annual nationwide tribute to the “Greatest Generation.”