SEBRING, Florida — Sebring Regional Airport (KSEF) is honoring the legacy of Major Thomas B. McGuire with a new mural in the airport terminal.
To recognize Major McGuire’s contributions during World War II, Mike Willingham, Sebring airport manager, spearheaded the creation of a new museum-quality mural to ensure that all visitors to the airport would have the opportunity to learn about the local hero.
With the support of the Sebring Historical Society, which contributed historical images, the wall dedicated to Major McGuire stands as a piece of living history in the airport, officials note.
The mural, measuring 10 feet wide by five feet tall, serves as a tribute to Major McGuire’s legacy and resides in a dedicated room alongside another wall mural paying homage to another local World War II hero, First Lieutenant Laird Woodruff Hendricks.
“We are elated to honor Major McGuire in the airport terminal in perpetuity,” said Willingham.
Major McGuire’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of those who serve their country, according to Elaine Haines of the Sebring Historical Society.
“Major McGuire is a true Sebring hero,” she said. “Tommy lived in Sebring beginning at the age of four. After attending Georgia Tech for three years, he joined the Army Air Corps and, over the next four years, flew a P-38, becoming the number two American ace pilot by destroying 38 enemy planes.”
Major McGuire died in combat while attempting to save a fellow aviator and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and numerous other medals. These medals are displayed at the Sebring Historical Society’s Weigle House Museum.
The Sebring Historical Society also offers a biography of Major McGuire, “The Last Great Ace” by Charles Martin.
For more information: Sebring-Airport.com, SebringHistoricalSociety.info