David Pettey

American Battlefield Trust: What moved you to first give to our organization?

David: It's been a long time since, but originally I was looking for a good cost effective organization to donate to that also matched my interests. Always being a history buff, I naturally was attracted to American Battlefield Trust. In addition, I enjoy the outdoors and liked the idea that preserving battlefields would also help control urban sprawl.

What do you enjoy most about being a Color Bearer?

For the last eleven years I've been living and working in Dubai, so obviously I am limited to donating money, reading Hallowed Ground and visiting the occasional battlefield.  I look forward to more active participation once I return to the U.S.

What is your favorite battlefield you’ve visited?

Antietam is my favorite battlefield.  However, with my job I fly often and enjoy seeing various battlefields from the air such as Stalingrad, El-Alamein and others.  It certainly gives one a different perspective.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

I am a pilot for a large international airline in the Middle East so I have been lucky enough to travel to many places.  However I have noticed that the more I travel the more places I want to see.  I would like to visit more places in the Pacific and also the Ardennes in Belgium.

What would you like to pass on to future generations?

That's easy. I would like the battlefields to be passed on intact to future generations.

If you could meet any historical figure who would you like to meet and why?

I could list so many historical figures but since you asked for just one, I would say Winston Churchill.  He was one of the great people of the 20th Century and saw so much during his life from the Boer War in the 1890's through WW1 and WW2 to the Cold War.

Anything else to share?

Keep up the good work!