"Barney Gaston Day," brought to you in part by the Friends of the Fairhope Museum of History, will honor local fallen WWII hero 2nd Lt. Ernest B. Gaston II, aka. "Barney," on August 24, 2019 from 10 am - 12 pm at the Fairhope Museum of History, free admission.

Ernest B. Gaston II was born on March 21, 1924. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II as a Second Lieutenant in the 9th Air Force, 53rd Fighter Squadron. Gaston was the pilot of the P-47 Thunderbolt serial number 42-28398 6V that took off from the A-16 airfield in Brucheville (Normandy). He hit a tree while machine-gunning a convoy in the vicinity of Sivry-Courtry, France and his plane crashed and exploded. He died on August 26, 1944, was initially buried at Villeneuve-sur-Auvers in France and is now buried at Colony Cemetery, Fairhope, Baldwin County, Alabama, USA. Source: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=6819