Collection of aircraft paintings donated to The War Memorial
GROSSE POINTE FARMS Oct. 25, 2023 – Rather than be kept in storage, several art pieces now have a home at The War Memorial.
Oct. 24, Jim Thompson and Nancy Bozzer stopped by the nonprofit organization, dropping off seven framed paintings of Air Force planes. They represent aircraft flown by Bozzer throughout her over 25-year military career.
Bozzer, of Grosse Pointe, is a retired Air Force colonel. She is the former director of Gratiot County’s Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving that job earlier this year to become a rating service veterans representative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Detroit. She retired in 2016, having logged over 2,800 flying hours in the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-9 Aeromedical aircraft, accumulating more than 500 combat and combat-support hours.
The paintings depict aircraft like the T-37B, KC-135R, T-3A, T-1, and the C-9A.
“This is the first T-3 when they determine whether or not you can fly,” Bozzer said. “Then you graduate to the T-37. You go from seeing if you are able to fly at a slow speed, to the T-37 which is your trainer airplane. The T-1 is more a jet executive airplane.”
Three of the paintings are hung on the second floor of the Alger House, three more are displayed near the Veterans Room in the lower level, and one piece is showcased in the Veterans Room.
Bozzer collected the paintings throughout the career. Many of them came from her parents' home. She and her father began flying together when Bozzer was in high school.
“He loved airplanes, so every time I flew an airplane, I got a picture of it so they could hang it on their walls,” she said.
Upon moving to Grosse Pointe earlier this year, the couple didn’t have room in their home to display the paintings. Bozzer indicated she is glad the paintings will be put to good use at The War Memorial and hopes that folks will appreciate them like her father did.
“You’ll see an old bomber and the KC-135, so the old and present, flying over the base in England,” Bozzer said, speaking about ‘The Mighty 100th-Pride of East Anglia’ painting by Nicolas Trudgian. “Part of being the 135 was the Bloody Hundredth out in England.”
The 100th Air Refueling Wing, nicknamed the Bloody Hundredth, is an Air Force unit in Europe. The group inherited its nickname from other bomb groups due to the number of losses it took from summer to fall of 1943.
As a Senior Command Pilot, Bozzer instructed and evaluated aviators in the KC-135 and the C-9. She commanded multiple missions in Southwest Asia in support of the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
About The War Memorial
The War Memorial, located on the shores of Lake Saint Clair in Grosse Pointe Farms is an experiential space open to everyone. For nearly 75 years, the nonprofit has served as a patriotic, cultural, and community center. Its unique environment attracts more than 3,000 events and 250,000 visitors annually while offering premier hospitality services for community and private gatherings. Its diverse lineup of innovative programming includes live and virtual engagement experiences for adults and children. At its core, The War Memorial celebrates the ideas of American democracy while honoring those who have defended those ideas with tireless effort and personal sacrifice. Numerous patriotic and veterans’ events are held as well as history and civics offerings on the origin, traditions, and challenges facing American democracy. The War Memorial remains committed to serving the community as a unique, dynamic, and forward-thinking hub for southeast Michigan.
CONTACT:
Alex Szwarc, The War Memorial
Manager of Communications
313.881.7514, aszwarc@warmemorial.org