The Coronado Historical Association is honored to invite you to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-DAY. Join us for the premiere of the short film GERONIMO by local documentarian CJ Machado and Emmy-winning filmmaker Craig Waxman. The film features local and beloved Coronodan Tom Rice and his contributions to the jump over Normandy. As a partner of Freedom Rings Global, this special film screening will be followed by a commemorative bell ringing to honor those involved in D-DAY.
Tickets are available now by clicking Register Now above!
Important Registration Information: Capacity is limited and reservations are required. No walk-ins will be admitted.
If you have any questions please email info@coronadohistory.org or call (619) 435-7242.
Please be aware, that tickets are non-refundable, as proceeds for this event will support Force-Con and the Coronado Historical Association's educational mission.
Freedom Rings Global Ties to Coronado:
The French have never forgotten their Liberator and Island Icon Tom Rice. On June 6th, 2020, The Normandy Victory Museum asked Rice to ring liberty bells in his hometown of Coronado, California, to carry forth the spirit of freedom and democracy.
At the time, the Naval Air Station North Island was chosen for the Freedom Rings Global Ceremony because Tom's father served in the U.S. Navy in aviation. Tom's father, Marcus Stovel Rice - a member of the VPT3 squadron - and the pilot were killed when the amphibious aircraft crashed into 60 feet of water in Panama Bay, Panama on May 23, 1934. Tom was 12 years old.
Tom Rice and the Commander of Navy Region Southwest, Rear Admiral Bette Bolivar jointly rang the Liberty Bell at NAS North Island (Flag Circle) in harmony with the Liberty Bells wave around the world to remind us that Freedom Rings, Freedom Reigns!
A group of ardent Tom Rice supporters called "Team Tom Rice" and Honor Flight San Diego expanded the movement by creating a Freedom Rings Global initiative in support of our French Allies. To this day, the tradition continues with thousands of cities from France, Belgium, and the UK participating in this year's global event.
About CJ Machado and Force-Con:
CJ Machado is an award-winning documentarian, photojournalist, and veteran advocate. Most of her work is dedicated to sharing the stories of the "Greatest Generation.” Her dedication and commitment to documenting historical events led her to train as a World War II paratrooper to capture the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. WWII paratrooper and local Coronado Island resident Tom Rice (97 then) jumped into the same drop zone as he did on D-Day for the commemoration ceremonies. In celebration of Tom’s monumental Normandy Jump in 2019, the documentary called Libertas became the featured film in the “Salute to Veterans” Coronado Island Film Festival later that year.
CJ is recognized as a passionate patriot and is the Founder of Love Amazingly Productions, Operation Call-To-Service and Force-Con. Force-Con is the largest military convention of its kind honoring the legends of aviation, World War II veterans and POWs from all branches of service. She works relentlessly to recognize the contributions of our World War II service members before they take their final journey home and is an avid supporter of Honor Flight San Diego.
This May 2024, she will lead the Run for the Wall (central route) from LA to DC with POW/MIA steel wings to raise awareness of the Missing in Action (MIA) from the Vietnam War. The POW/MIA wings have dog tag feathers that represent the Missing in Action Vietnam veterans – 1577 at present. Each dog tag is embossed with the name of the MIA veteran, their branch of service, location last seen and date of disappearance. The impressive POW/MIA steel wings belong to the super heroine character LT Williams in the Purple Foxes United historical fiction story, inspired by the Sontay Raid, the most daring mission executed to save Prisoners of War.
The POW/MIA wings were on display during the Open Doors: Vietnam POW's Fifty Years of Freedom exhibit at the Coronado Historical Association during its West Coast Tour of Wings (September 2023) which has expanded into Wings Across America with the Run For The Wall organization.
Currently, she is leading the production team for D-Day 80 in Normandy, France and the aircraft recovery project of the sunken USS Lexington under Operation Call-To-Service. The USS Lexington served in the Battle of the Coral Sea and is known as “The Holy Grail of US Navy Aircraft” since none of the TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers survived topside after the war.
As an event producer and working with media and press relations at local, national, and international levels, she has captivated audiences worldwide with over 20 million views for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day involving World War II paratrooper Tom Rice and then again reaching over 10 million views for Tom's centennial jump on the legendary beaches of the Hotel del Coronado in August 2021. She has strong ties and works closely with all major networks including CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox News, and the American Veteran Center to share inspiring stories of our service members and veterans.
Part of her success is attributed to choosing projects that have historical significance and have an impact with those who appreciate their freedom and liberties.
To learn more about her upcoming projects, visit:
www.OperationCall-To-Service.
www.
About Craig Waxman and Polysphere Creative:
Craig Waxman is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and founder of Polysphere Creative, a New York based production company. His work spans multiple mediums ranging from documentary film to scripted television and interactive design. As a CNN producer in 2019, Craig filmed Tom Rice’s 75th Anniversary parachute jump into Carentan.
Currently he is working with museums to 3D scan artifacts and tell their stories with video and interactive elements. Recent collaborations include the Explorers Club in NYC, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. and the Coronado Historical Association. He will be documenting the upcoming D-Day 80 with Operation Call-To-Service in Normandy, France. You can learn more about Craig’s work at: www.polyspherecreative.com.
