In 2019, World War II veteran John "Lucky" Luckadoo, then aged 97, announced his goal of establishing a national day of recognition, on May 9, for
home front heroes. Luckadoo was a
B-17 Flying Fortress pilot and was the last surviving original pilot of the
100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth, part of the
Eighth Air Force during World War II. He was the subject of the book ''Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History'' by Kevin Mauer. Luckadoo died on September 1, 2025, at age 103. The first official recognition of the date of May 9 as Home Front Heroes Day was on May 9, 2019, in
Dallas, Texas. The inaugural event was created for residents of Luckadoo's retirement community, Presbyterian Village North. Ceremonies included the presentation by
Dallas City Council member Adam McGough of a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor/City of Dallas and the Dallas City Council. On May 6, 2022, Congressman
Colin Allred (D-TX-32) and Congressman
Jake Ellzey (R-TX-06) introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the effort to designate May 9 as Home Front Heroes Day. ==See also==