The 2008 honorees of the Mercer Memorial Day 500 are:

John Blank

Army Air Force 1st Lieutenant, retired

From early childhood, Blank dreamed of flying.

On his 18th birthday in 1942 he joined the Air Force. Wanting to be a fighter pilot, he was rejected because he was too tall to fit safely into the cockpit. He was then assigned to be a pilot in the troop carrier command in Europe transporting paratroopers and airborne infantry to the fighting fronts.

One of his missions was to drop soldiers behind enemy lines, distracting the German army from the impending invasion of the beaches at Normandy.

June 5, 1944, found him flying paratroopers over the Nazi-held coastline. Flying low at 300 feet, his plane was riddled with more than 1,500 bullet holes, one missing his foot by a mere inch.

Yet, he fulfilled his mission and many others, delivering soldiers safely to their assignments, dropping paratroopers in southern France, Germany and Italy. He remembers the Italian people waving instead of shooting at him.

Richard Craig

Army Company B, 3rd Infantry Regiment, Old Guard, retired

Craig was one of 55 highly trained men in the Presidential Honor Guard, often referred to as the president’s own troops.

Stationed at Fort Myer, Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery, Craig served his country from 1951 to 1953.

The Guard was charged with forming a cordon around the perimeter of the president when arriving or departing National Airport, ready to fire if necessary. During those maneuvers, the Secret Service escorts the president, while the Honor Guard protects the Secret Service and the president.

High points of his military career were delivering orders from the president to Gen. Taylor, his appointment to command the military forces in Korea, and marching in front of President Eisenhower during his inauguration parade.