Drive-By Parade Planned For Herndon WWII Veteran's 100th Birthday

HERNDON, DC — The local Veterans of Foreign Wars is honoring a significant milestone for one Herndon veteran. The VFW is throwing Robert "Bob" Shawn a drive-by parade to make the occasion of his 100th birthday.

The parade will assemble Wednesday, at 5 :30 p.m., in the parking lot of Dranesville Elementary School, 1515 Powells Tavern Place, in Herndon. The public is invited to join the parade to wish Shawn a happy birthday. However, they are asked to practice social distancing by staying in their cars.

A veteran of World War II, Shawn joined the National Guard 258th Field Artillery on March 9, 1940, and then applied for pilot training with the Army Air Corps in December 1942. After earning a pair of wings through an exchange program with the Royal Air Force, Shawn returned to the Army Air Corps, where he earned his silver wings.

Serving first as a P-38 instructor, Shawn was later assigned to the 9th Air Force stationed in England, where he flew a P-47 aircraft. After five months, he re-trained and began flying P-51 Mustangs, which he did through the remainder of the war in Europe.

After WWII, Shawn remained in the U.S. Air Force, flying missions during the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold wars. Over his entire career, he flew 328 combat missions.

Shawn lives with his second wife Julia Shawn in Herndon. He has three children, eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren.