Incorporated 1977
WWII IN THE PACIFIC AND OTHER MILITARY HISTORY
AND SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS AND CRUISES
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 April 2013 - our group at the Cabanatuan POW camp site memorial |
 2013 Vietnam/Laos group at Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue City. Photo by Jere Hagen |
 Members of the Valor Tour group offer a toast in honor of the 6th Bomb Group. "By sheer coincidence, two former World War II enemies converged on Tinian to honor their war dead: Valor Tours honoring the American service members who served on Tinian during WWII and a Japanese group paying last respects to their fellow Japanese who died on island." [Read more.] - Marianas Variety, March 19, 2013 |
 Just back from the Solomons (2012) : We are safely back home, tired, but still feeling a warm glow about our trip. It was excellent from beginning to end. Andy Giles was a good tour leader and related well to the veterans and students. The Bilikiki staff were very gracious and accommodating and the food was superb! I would go back and do this trip again in a heartbeat. - Fred Mullinax |
 For two weeks students accompanied WWII Veterans who served in China just after the close of WWII. They were joined by Charlie Tsui, who was adopted by the marines as a young boy in the 1940's. This blog follows their journey. http://cofochina.blogspot.com/ |
 Guadalcanal 2012 tour group at Edson's Ridge |
 Our first "500 Years of Warfare" tour, August 2012. Great trip ... great group. |
 June 2012 Bomber Command tour with Bob Reynolds (fourth from left) at Bob's old WWII base in England. |
 Great War Experience - May 2012 |
 Trip across Iron Bottom Sound to Tulagi (video) | |
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| WWII Sicily and Italy group at the 82nd Airborne Memorial at Ponte Drillo, Sicily. | Group in front of Peace Bell at San Angelo, Cassino, May 2012 |
 Our group at the Pacific War Memorial on Corregidor to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor. | |
 On board our Solomon Islands cruise up "The Slot" May 2012 "Can't say enough about the total trip quality...Andy Giles did an outstanding job of guiding us at every step...I want to thank Valor Tours for putting this trip together. Most memorable part of the trip was stepping on Puvuvu after 67 years." - Bill Kruschel, U.S. Navy Corpsman with the 1st Marine Division, WWII | |
 March 2012 group at Ho Chi Minh's Tomb, Hanoi | |
 Our Ghost Soldiers of Bataan group at the American cemetery, Manila on April 5, 2012. Includes students from the College of the Ozarks. For more information, click here. | |
| video Tribute on Bill West taken during our August 2011 tour to Guadalcanal | |
 70th Anniversary Attack on Pearl Harbor commemoration group at Bellows Air Station on the beach where the Japanese mini-sub washed ashore. December 2011. | |
 Oscar (POW) and Mary Leonard meet with Filipino Veterans at the Fall of Bataan ceremony on April 9, 2011 at Mt. Samat Bataan along with our group of 20 passengers. |
 "I truly feel that I was meant to be on this trip. Visiting all of the sites where (my brother) had been has helped in putting all of the puzzle pieces together....I'm truly grateful that I was there at this time. Now I know so much more about (my brother) and his experience fighting the war and defending Manila Bay, as well as his time as a POW." - Grace Adams |
 Italian Front WWI tour group at Caporetto: Northern Breakthrough - July 2011 | |
 Four Veterans attending the 67th Anniversary D-Day Normandy Invasion tour, taken at Saint Mere Eglise, France: Bob Reynolds, 89, 101st Squadron RAF Bomber Command; Morrie Nelson, 91, H Co., 11th Infantry Regt, 5th Infantry Division; Walter Dietz, 94, 82nd Airborne Division; George Newkirk, 89, 224th Fighter Group, USMC. - Taken by Greg Nelson. |
 "Excellent driver...enjoyed the beaches, the history and most of all the museums. We were fortunate in our traveling companions and leaders. We most certainly will recommend this tour!" - Pat and George Newkirk |
 Valor Tours 2011 Western Front Tour Group at the British Memorial to the Fallen, Ploegsteert Wood, Ypres Salient, Belgium  GUADALCANAL 2010 GROUP on Edson's Ridge  | |
| Capt Wilbur Jones (tour leader) second from right and other tour members on Omaha Beach, June 2010, D-Day tour. "...This tour really drove home the true cost of freedom. It was a delightful experience to talk to Bob Reynolds. His experiences in WWII added greatly to the tour." - Joe Grafton "...Both hotels (D-Day tour) had great locations, particularly hotel in Normandy...fantastic! Great set up for time on Omaha Beach, great food, hospitality and wonderful place to sit with the group before dinner....What an amazing trip." - Shawn Bury  | |
| "...I had an amazing time on the 65th Anniversary Okinawa tour. Could not ask for better guides....It was really something walking the same ground my Grandfather fought on 65 years ago, and to finally see the places he told me stories about. The tour fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting the battlefields of my Grandfather. I learned so much from the other WWII Vets throughout the course of the trip. Thank you for an amazing experience." - Bryan Stefancyk, Okinawa 65th Anniversary June 2010 tour  | |
WWII Veteran Ken Dolan, retracing his steps 65th years later on Okinawa | |
| "...our trip was a resounding success in every respect. Thank you so much for all that you did in your re-arrangements to accommodate my needs to go back to old familiar spots. Our time in Normandy was magnificent. Southern France and Alsace were great as was the weather and the company. (My grandson) and I enjoyed our tour companions very much. Our driver was marvelous and Wilbur Jones (tour leader) was the best." - Wilbur Mattison, 7th Army, WWII Europe (2nd from right)  | |
Operation Market Garden 2010 tour group
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| Thank you for all you do for the veterans and their families.Your organization furnishes a most important service in providing opportunities for these interested people to travel to military sites. You help to keep history alive. Wendall and Jean Clift81st "Wildcat" Infantry, Peleliu  | |
Our tour group's visit to the Philippines makes the newspapers in 2009 | |
| "My husband Col. Kenneth Harrell and I were on your 60TH Anniversary tour to Peleliu with Mr. Giles. It was a highlight for Ken who had been badly wounded in the Battle for Peleliu. We often talked about the amazing time we had and the wonderful people we met, the Rock Islands, the boat trip to Peleliu, the feast given by the people of Peleliu, etc. Ken died on July 23, 2009 and I want to tell you how much your tour meant to us both.... Thank you for some wonderful memories." Jill McNichol-Harrell |
Read Our Valor Tours Blog
Postings by our tour guides and those who have enjoyed our tours. We welcome your comments. Read an interesting article about Bob Reynolds "Americans shamed into Pacific war tribute: hero wins battle for Guadalcanal memorial to Marines"(1992). |
 I was on the 2007 trip to Normandy with my two sons, it was the best trip we ever took together. Thank you once again. I just wanted to let you know that by some coincidence I happened to be up early on Saturday June 6th and was watching all of the proceeding taking place at Omaha beach live on Fox News and who do I see???... Bob Reynolds. I was quite surprised. Well I hope I look that good at 88. David Gilkeson, Normandy, 2007 |
 Standing on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima "What a wonderful time we had on our World War II Pacific tour. Andy Giles did a superb job as our tour leader. His knowledge of what went on in the Pacific is incredible! The memories we have of the trip will be something we will cherish forever. And we certainly want to do another trip with you soon." Don & John Mc Neill, World War II Pacific tour, 2009 |
 "Superb accommodations. Guide and driver very friendly and knowledgeable. Most meaningful event was finding my cousin's name on the MIA Wall at the American Cemetery in Manila. Great tour. I would love to travel with that group again." Kathleen Smith, Ghost Soldiers of Bataan tour, 2009 |
 Letter from Bob Reynolds to ADBC Convention (click to read full letter) |
 "The tour was great! Mike Hanlon is extremely knowledgeable. The coverage of the battles was comprehensive and we saw a lot of interesting battlefields, cemeteries and monuments. I would unqualifiedly recommend this tour to any of my friends." Jackie Moton, WWI Tour, 2008 |
 2008 WWI group at Verdun Museum with Honor Guard |
 "Thanks for your professionalism and can do attitude. I would recommend Valor Tours!" Jim Robinson, Operation Galvanic tour to Tarawa, 2008 |
 "You should be very proud of the wonderful opportunities you provide for veterans, their families and history buffs. Keep up the great work." Art and Dorothy Marske, AWON tour to the Philippines 2008 |
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 All frequent participants on Valor Tours, from l. to r.: Fred Guyer, Glenn Frizzell, Ron Real and John Eckersley, at Midway, June 2007. (Fred has been on 22 tours in 22 years.) |
 WWII Veterans attend Anniversary Ceremony on Iwo Jima, March 2007. |
 WWII Veterans with local officials at American Memorial, Guadacanal, August 2006 "We've been on dozens of foreign trips, but none were better organized or run than this one (Return to Guadalcanal 2006). It was much better than we expected... we were consantly amazed at the extent of [the tour leader's] knowledge of Guadalcanal and of the WWII actions that occurred there. You've got a great team!" Gil Jensen |
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 "...Bonnie joins me in thanking you for the fabulous tour of the Philippines during the Hellships Memorial Dedication tour. Your loving care and thoughtful attention to our desires is much appreciated. It most certainly was a noteworthy experience..." Bonnie & Gerry Schurtz |
Hellships Memorial tour to the Philippines to dedicate the Hellships Memorial at Subic Bay. |
| Eldon Clapp 60th Anniversary of the Atomic Mission Tour to Tinian August 2005. |  |
| 60th ANNIVERSARY D-DAY TOUR (2004) with photos by passenger John Shively | |
 American Cemetery at Omaha Beach | "...This (60th Anniversary D-Day tour) was certainly the trip of a lifetime and traveling with Valor Tours made each day more special because all the details were expertly handled. Thanks for a job well done!" Marty Ehlert, Houston, TX |
"...My congratulations on putting together a well run tour (60th Anniversary D-Day tour), reasonably priced and excellently staffed....your tour guides were well informed..." Ray Lavendier, Farmington, CT |  German Battery on Omaha Beach |
 Young men dressed as D-Day soldiers | "...Hats off to Valor Tours. That was a superbly organized tour (60th Anniversary D-Day). It was an honor to be escorted by true Gentlemen..." Bruce MacKenzie, Canada |
"...It was indeed an honor and a privilege to meet and stand with all the chaps from the "greatest generation"...." John Peters |  Pte du Hoc |
 Row of crosses in cemetery on Omaha Beach | |
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| USS Enterprise- July 1942 Photo sent by Bill Loyd.... who is looking for anyone who is in the photo.(see our Discussion Board- "VF-6 U.S.S. Enterprise July 1942 Tulagi-Guadacanal Offensive - Bill Loyd 06:16:01 06/19/00".) |
 | Bob Reynolds of Valor Tours, Ltd., leads a commemorative service for the passengers on board the "War in the Pacific" cruise, October 2002, while passing Savo Island on their way from Guadalcanal to Guam. |
 | Dick Francies, a Death March survivor (left), stands with members of our "Ghost Soldiers of Bataan" tour at KM Zero at Mariveles, Bataan. |
| "The beaches, museums and cemeteries we visited, as well as the battle areas, gave us a most thorough exposure to what happened in the invasion of 1944. You know how to bring people together and make them comfortable. " Douglas and Marjorie Witt - D-Day Normandy 55th Anniversary, 1999 |
 Museum at Utah Beach, Normandy, June 1999 (Photo by Valor Tours) |
| "…(We enjoyed) hiking the trails of Corregidor…exploring the tunnels…and the sharing of experiences of those who had been there at the time of the war."
Don and Barbara Challman, Shoreview, MN "...we enjoyed our tour with you to Corregidor and Bataan. I really understand so much more of what my husband went through. I felt as I hiked the trails that I was walking over his footsteps..." Hazel Campbell, Yuma, AZ- General Wainwright Memorial tour, 1999 |
 Dedication of new Wainwright Memorial on Corregidor, May 1999 (Photo by Valor Tours) |
 Group preparing to take off on you chartered twin-engine Donier to explore WWII relics in the Marshall Islands. (Photo by Mace Coleman) |
"…(I enjoyed) my return to my old ship or what was left of it - USS LST 342 - and standing on the rusty deck, and thinking back 55 years to the days of my youth." Theron MacKay - Solomon Islands cruise, 1998 |
| "Great trip to areas I was stationed in in '45. Great air force and army receptions in Okinawa. Bob Reynolds knows how to bring back the past in a most memorable and educational way! Wish I had more time to travel extensively with him…" Robert and Lynn Browne - U.S. Army tour to Leyte/Okinawa, 1998 |
 Jim Koslow makes a rubbing of his brother's name (Peter Koslow, 96th Div.) at the Okinawa Battle Monument. Tour Director Don Dencker on right (96th Div.) |
| "Thanks for the wonderful trip experience. We both came home feeling it was the best trip we had ever been on. You really went the extra mile…." Charles and Audrey Weidler - U.S. Army tour to Leyte/Okinawa, 1998 |
 Bob Reynolds, right, with members of the Leyte Landing Day group standing in front of MacArthur Memorial (Photo by Gerald Graves) |
| "You opened up another interesting way to see and enjoy our world…" |
Eugenia and Milton Wyatt - Aviation Buffs tour to England, 1998 |
| "This was a go-go trip. Up early and out. Not a moment to spare. Bob was adamant in showing us all the features that were presented in the brochure." William Kanellis - Aviation Buffs tour to England, 1998 |
"...wish to compliment you (Bob Reynolds) as a tour guide for giving us such a fantastic tour of London's VE Day celebrations... all the highlights surrounding this extremely important event... our heartfelt thanks for a very educational and sentimental experience, one we will never forget..." Rober & Carol Olson, Danville, CA VE-Day in London, 1995 |
| "Bob, you and Ed planned an ambitious schedule and pulled it off. Well done, you get an A+. The choice of accommodations was excellent and the food left nothing to be desired." |
Ray and Natalie Hall - Aviation Buffs tour to England, 1998 |
 Members of our 1999 Guadalcanal/Solomons Island group on Plum Pudding Island where Lt. J.F. Kennedy swam ashore from his PT boat 109. |
 Bob Reynolds, President of Valor Tours, in Ste. Mère Église, where the 101st Airborne landed on D Day, June 6, 1944.(Photo by Alfred Evans) |
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"Thanks for the Memories" Page (photos & letters) | Tour Details
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Recommended Books
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