In the last photo taken of him, U.S. Navy SEAL Billy Wayne Machen stands next to a pile of rice in Vietnam in this photo taken Aug. 18, 1966 — one day before he was killed on a mission. This photo was provided by his son, Sam Machen. (Contributed photo)

From the ground and the skies, Upshur County residents and elected officials on Thursday will pay tribute to one of the county’s native sons who became the first U.S. Navy SEAL killed during the Vietnam War.

The newly built Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park will be dedicated, and an air show featuring a B-52 bomber will take place in conjunction with the ceremony. Both events take place at 1707 Machen Lane, which borders Lake Gilmer northwest of town. They are free and open to the public.

The dedication for a Texas Historical Commission marker honoring Machen’s life will take place at 3 p.m. Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Steve Dean, founder of the Flight of the Phoenix Aviation Museum at the Gilmer airport, has spearheaded the project to build the memorial park on the property where Machen grew up.

Machen, a petty officer 2nd class, died Aug. 19, 1966, while on a mission in a South Vietnamese jungle. He spared the lives of his fellow troops by taking on the enemy alone in a fire-fight, preventing his men from being seen and shot. He posthumously received the Silver Star, one of the military’s highest awards for valor in combat. He was a graduate of Gilmer High School.

The ceremony and air show will take place following the East Texas Yamboree’s All Service Club luncheon. The Yamboree, Gilmer’s renowned annual festival, begins that day.

Gates to the ceremony will open at 1:30 p.m., and handicap parking will be available. Those who need handicap accommodations should advise the parking lot attendants, the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members. Attendees should bring lawn chairs and plan to arrive early.

The action will begin at 2:30 p.m., when vintage military vehicles, Vietnam War-era helicopters and members of the Texas Patriot Guard — motorcycle riders who participate in numerous Armed Forces-related events — will arrive. The helicopters are a Bell UH-1 “Huey,” a Bell AH-1 Cobra Gunship and a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse from the Mid America Aviation Museum in Mount Pleasant.

The helicopters will carry a number of East Texas military veterans to the event.

The Gilmer High School band will play the national anthem at 3 p.m., and a B-52 Stratofortress bomber from Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport will fly over the park.

Upshur County Judge Todd Tefteller, state Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, and U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Tyler, will speak during the ceremony. The keynote speaker will be Gilmer High School football coach Alan Metzel.

Machen’s son, Sam Machen, will help unveil the marker honoring his father, and additional Machen family members will be present.

The memorial park is built near where the Machen family home once stood, and the centerpiece of the memorial is the concrete water well from which the family drew water. The park includes benches, flag poles and a concrete walkway leading to the water well.

Dean planted six oak trees to symbolize the six days of “hell week” training SEALs endure to test their stamina. Three of the trees are planted in a triangle, symbolizing the Navy SEAL Trident insignia. The centermost tree — which symbolizes the tip of the trident — also represents Machen, who was the point man on the fatal mission.

At 4 p.m., the War Bird Air Show will take place. The Flight of the Phoenix Escadrille will fly two World War II North American T-6 Texan planes over the park. One plane will pay tribute to Bill Stevenson, a World War II Navy instructor pilot, and another will pay tribute to Dean’s brother, John Mack Dean, a pilot during the Vietnam War.