Army  Air  Forces  Historical  Association

Our Mission.........

Remember,  
         Respect,
​               and Honor!
Picture
We've reached new heights! Our friend Justin Lewis, FLS Micro Jet and A-10 pilot, carries our colors aloft in an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt!

AAFHA Tribute to Rob Holland

It is with great sadness that AAFHA, and the rest of the airshow world and aviation enthusiasts, learned of the tragic death of Airshow veteran Rob Holland at Langley Air Force Bae on April 24, 2025. We had the immense pleasure of sharing some quality time with Rob during numerous airshows around the northeast, in particular our "Hometown" Greenwood Lake Airshow.  Please watch this tribute video from 2009 created by our own Chris Hartz!  Gods Speed and Blue Skies Always, Bob. You will be deeply missed. 
In keeping with our mission to "Remember, Respect, and Honor", AAFHA is proud to support American Legion Post 103's 5th Bomb Squadron Memorial Project in Bellerose Queens, to build a Memorial to ELEVEN valiant and forgotten airmen who sacrificed their lives above the streets of Queens in 1940, so that others might live!" Read their heroic story here! 
See pictures and watch videos of the Memorial's Dedication Here.
Lt. Robert "Bob" Grenz
Viktor Traczenko
It is with a heavy heart we report Bob Grenz passed away on the 7th of May, 2024. Bob was a WWII and Korean War veteran, and mainstay of the Army Air Forces Historical Association since its inception thirty years ago. (AAFHA) Bob was 99, ( though if you knew Bob, he might even argue his age with you on any given day).

His son Tim Grenz made contact with several members earlier today to inform AAFHA of his Dad's passing. As Tim explained to Al Parisi, Bob was a private person and asked that there be no formal funeral, and no obit published. Bob was buried in Paramus at George Washington Cemetery with full Military Honors, provided by Joint Base McGuire, in his uniform wearing, his medals. Bob is once again next the love of his life Lorraine.

​Blue Skies Bob
C.T.Hartney
AAFHA Staff Officer
​It is with a heavy heart we report that Viktor Traczenko, passed away on the 20th of October, 2024.
​
Viktor was born in Tagenrog, Ukraine where he and his family were forced to work in a German field hospital and munitions plant. After living and scaveningi for food in bombed out buildings at the end of the war, they spent 4 years in a displaced persons camp before migrating to the United States on a Liberty ship in 1949. 

Viktor enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War to serve his new country and earn early citizenship.  His fluency in five languages assigned him to the Berlin Military Intelligence Compound. Following his honorable discharge he was sworn in as a United States Citizen in1955. This gentile WWII European child survivor, Korean War veteran, and devoted family man became a mainstay of the Army Air Forces Historical Association since its inception thirty years ago. (AAFHA) Viktor was 93. 

Blue Skies Bob
C.T.Hartney
AAFHA Staff Officer
Thank you. Please watch the  videos put together by AAFHA members C. T.  Hartney and Paul Martin with a special song renditions sung by AAFHA songstress, Alyssa Martin as Dawn O'Day.

Upcoming MISSIONS: 2025 


Caldwell Parsonage January 26, 2025: Caldwell Parsonage in Union NJ,
​      Norden Bombsight and Uniform Display
March 23, 2025: Annual Dinner, Puzo's Family Restaurant, 16 w. Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, New Jersey, 07450.
May 16, 17, 18, 2025 Power in the Pines Airshow, Joint McGuire AFB (Tentative)
May 24, 25, 2025: FDR Library and Museum WWII Weekend, Hyde Park, NY,
                               small squadron participation
June 6, 7, 8, 2025: Mid Atlantic Air Museum WWII Weekend, Reading, PA. Tentative
                               small squadron participation​
June 13, 14, 15, 2025: Greenwood Lake Airshow, West Milford, NJ. Full Display
July 4, 2025: River Edge July 4 Parade, River Edge, NJ
August 16: 2025 Victory Day at the Battleship USS New Jersey, Camden, (Tentative) 
September 21, 2025: John Basilone Memorial Parade, Raritan, NJ, 1 PM (Tentative)
​

MORE Exciting News: AAFHA's Christopher Hartney served as technical advisor for author Kristins McMoriss' new historical novel,
​"THE WAYS WE HIDE".

EXCITING NEWS! AAFHA and InfoAge Museum Collaboration:
Newly acquired, B-25J Curtiss Wright Dehmel Flight Trainer Simulator.

NEW: The Buchanan Project: A Tribute to Major Thomas B. McGuire

Missions 2023
​"Thank you so much for bringing the AAFHA to the Museum today!  I can't thank you enough for putting together such a great program that truly kicked off an exciting and remarkably busy fall season of Living History for us!  I sincerely hope you'll consider returning. The AAFHA made such a strong showing in comparison to some of our other outside Living History organizations. I really did not expect to meet a veteran of WWII that day! However pre-occupied by office work that day I was, know that you all made a lasting impression on me and--I'm sure--our visitors. It was a wonderful way to close our Four Freedoms exhibition and you were all superb educators. Thank you for also sharing your amazing collection with our visitors! Please pass along my gratitude to everyone who came out and say hello for me if you see them. It is such a pleasure and delight to work with you and the entire Association!   Thank you again! "

Sincerely,       J.M. WASKO        COORDINATOR OF LIVING HISTORY PROGRAMS      DIMENNA CHILDREN'S HISTORY MUSEUM         
THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY       170 CENTRAL PARK WEST                 NEW YORK, NY 10024
They were the darkest days of the Second World War:  American air crews fought their way to and from heavily defended targets deep inside Fortress Europe and the far reaches of the Pacific.  These young men and women fought valiantly and many did not return, but they changed the direction of a terrible war, insuring victory and securing the freedom which we enjoy today. The Army Air Forces Historical Association is dedicated to "Remember, Respect and Honor"  their service.
Picture
The Army Air Forces Historical Association® consists of volunteers from all walks of life who share a common interest - a desire to help preserve this part of our aviation heritage.  For some the interest comes from relatives who served.  For veteran members who flew, manned or maintained the famous bomber, fighter and transport aircraft, it is a chance to share their memories with younger generations.
AAFHA members were consulted by author
Lauren Hillenbrand during the writing of her 
NYT Bestselling book,  "Unbroken".

FAQ:    Was it the Air Corps or Air Forces?
Association members wearing original flight gear and uniforms of the time, are not just re-enactors, but living historians who movingly explain and re-tell the tales of the harrowing experiences of the World War II veterans.  We bring to life the war years of the 1940's, that take on a special meaning often lost in history books or films.
See and learn to operate the ONLY FULLY FUNCTIONAL Norden Bombsight on the
East Coast!
 VIDEO:
US Army Air Force Bomber Flight Suit

Major Al Parisi describes and explains the high altitude US Army Air Forces Bomber Flight Suit of World War 2  at the Greenwood Lake Airshow, 2013. One of the highlights of our AAF display.

A small sampling of pictures from our various events!

 See  AAFHA ARCHIVES  for more event photos!

Picture
Picture

Site Map
.
A.A.F.H.A. meetings are scheduled for the second Saturday of each month,
except where noted, and begin at 10:00 a.m. at........
Oradell Borough Hall,   355 Kinderkamack Road,   Oradell, NJ,  07649

​The meeting schedule is listed here: 
Meeting attendance is NOT required to be a member!

Participating members are welcome to join us at any of our regional 
​dinners/historical events/airshows.

Contact us at:  Email  [email protected]    or text 914-980-5267

Remember the 5th Bomb Squadron: Read their story and donate here!
Remember Pearl Harbor: 75th Anniversary!

 Background photo by Peter Zuidema. © Copyright 2016- Army Air Forces Historical Association ®
Copyright 2022: Army Air Forces Historical Association 501C3

© Copyright 2022- Army Air Forces Historical Association ®  501C3
All rights reserved - No material may be reused without permission.
If you have any questions about this site or general questions about AAFHA, please contact the Webmaster  [email protected]
On occasion, the AAFHA web site links to articles and documents not served from the AAFHA.ORG domain. The information on these linked web pages is provided by a third party unrelated to AAFHA. AAFHA does not control or update this information and is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the information on any link. AAFHA  has not completely reviewed and does not endorse any of the third party sites linked to these pages.