World War II veteran Guy Prestia, 97, enjoys a mock USO show at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport Saturday. Prestia was a member of the 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbird Division. The cane he holds has the names of places the war took him inscribed on its side, including Dachau, the concentration camp in southern Germany. “We liberated Dachau,” Prestia said. “We got 31,000 people out of that camp.” More than 100 people, including 20 WWII veterans, attended the event to celebrate and honor their service.

PENN TWP — An airport hangar party sent World War II veterans back in time for a night of fun Saturday.

To end a week of programs commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, Veterans Breakfast Club threw an old fashioned United Service Organizations (USO) show at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport.

A 20-piece band played classic swing, an old fighter plane gave people rides and those attending feasted on gourmet versions of old military rations.

Todd DePastino, the breakfast club's executive director, said about 20 WWII veterans attended, along with several veterans of other wars and family members.

“We wanted to honor and celebrate the WWII veterans we have,” DePastino said. “The youngest WWII veterans we have are 94 years old. The oldest one here today is 101.”

The WWII veterans present stole the show. Bob Buckler, a 95-year-old from Shaler Township, told stories of his time as a B-17 tail gunner aboard planes with names like Glory Girl.

He recalled attending a real USO show back in the day where Bob Hope performed comedy.“The first part of his show, Bob Hope was being broadcast on radio,” Buckler said. “He was telling nice, wholesome jokes. Then when the radio program was over, he said now we can have some real fun.”Guy Prestia, a 97-year-old from Ellwood City, carried a cane with the names of places he fought emblazoned on the side.The last one on the list was Dachau, a concentration camp in southern Germany, where Prestia was sent during his time with the 45th Infantry Division, or the Thunderbird Division. He carried a 21-pound Browning Automatic Rifle that could burn through 20 bullets in 2.5 seconds.“We liberated Dachau,” Prestia said. “We got 31,000 people out of that camp.”The night's festivities were set to the bombastic tunes of the Swingin' Bopcats Big Band. The group's music director, Andrew Zerance, said such shows are common practice for their group.“We love being the old USO band,” Zerance said.Out back, Greg Barnhard took people up for rides in a 1943 SNJ-4 airplane. He's an operations officer with the Buffalo Heritage Squadron in Akron, N.Y.

“We're trying to keep our plane running,” Barnhard said. “We heard about this and said 'This is cool, we've got to get involved.”More than 100 people attended.DePastino said he was glad they could provide a happy end to a week of important, somber historical remembrance.“D-Day is one of our most important dates on the calendar,” DePastino said. “I'm a historian, so I understand the importance. It's a sad date, 10,000 Allied service men lost their lives that day. But it did begin the final phase of the conquest of Western Europe.“We thought that having a joyous celebration would be an appropriate way to end the week, after having a series of commemorations and memorials.”

The Swingin’ Bopcats Big Band plays at a mock USO show at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport Saturday night.

Above Don Vaughn, 58, dances in his uncle's U.S. Navy uniform in remembrance of fallen soldiers. At right, Greg Barnhard stands with the Buffalo Heritage Squadron's 1943 SNJ-4. Barnhard is a volunteer pilot and operations manager with the Akron, N.Y., organization. It gave people flights in the plane during Saturday's mock USO event.