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March/April Newsletter
May 29, 2005
Here is the March April newsletter. Do you want it in a
different format? John
SECRETARY'S REPORT
This issue is later than some of those of the past. I
guess I just have too many irons in the fire. I love
what I do, but I just love too many things. I am
having a lot of fun in the Civil Air Patrol It reminds
me of my time in the squadron. Amen to that.
I have been appointed to be the Aviation Education
Officer for our flight. I am learning such things as
how to detect child abuse. Preparing for a mission
and what items to have. I haven't had my training
in First Aid as yet.
I have my classroom, which has a projector, VCR,
TV, and Overhead Projector. There is a white board
in the room so all I have to do is have the lessons.
Things have been hectic on other fronts also. My
renter pulled one of those midnight departures. I
have spent the past four weeks painting, fixing ,
cleaning and carpentering. There were carpets to
install, light fixtures, base trim and plastering.
.
The layout of this issue may have slight changes, I
hope for the better. I should have included some of
the stuff from Dave. He has also been busy with the
Web Site. Please visit the sight. Before I forget, is
there anything that you would like to see on the
Web Site?
The same thought holds true for the newsletter. Is
there anything that I should include, or change to
make our newsletter serve you better? I would like
to have more photos but my printer wont like that.
It seems to take it so long whenever I add any
artwork I may go to a copy machine with the page
with the picture of the Mariposa. That will solve
one aspect. We have copy machines at the airport,
where the Civil air Patrol meets, but I have not
checked to see what rules apply, or what it would
cost. I will check with some of the local print
shops, or even Ace. In the meanwhile,
Have a great Spring Season
ORGANIZATION CONSISTS OF FORMER,
PRESENT AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF:
7TH PURSUIT SQUADRON; 49TH
FIGHTER GP PRESIDENT: Kathleen Bush;
2223 Colfax; Flint, MI; VICE PRESIDENT:
Eldon Breazier; 1130 North Pine; Kingman,
KS 67068-1439 SECY/ TREAS: John
Plosila 183 SWAN LAKE DR; MELROSE, FL
32666-3065 (352) 475-5680. e-mail---
jplosila@juno.com; Web Site: www.7fs.org
We have a link to the 9th Web Site.
Please note the Web Site change
.
7th NEWS
I hope that many have visited the web site and
have noticed some changes. The picture of the
Mariposa is posted, that should bring memories to
many. For those that are not, as Kathleen put it,
Computer literate," I have included a picture in
this issue. It headlines the Chaplains column. To
me, it brings a flood of stories and memories.
This is part of the package that was sent by Jane
Cunningham, the daughter of Joe Cunningham,
one of our early Presidents. Joe is one of the
founders of the Air Force Memorial Foundation. I
get mail from them, some very recently.
I forgot to mention that there is other new
material besides the picture of the Mariposa on
the site. There is some interesting material that
relates to Bong, our hero. I am waiting for your
comments. Dave is doing an excellent job with
our web site. Thanks a bunch Dave, we appreciate
your effort to keep our history in the fore front.
Dave would you do some research for me? I
donated the painting of Lt. House and his famous
effort to save our Commander by dipping the
wing of his plane into the canopy of the jap
fighter. I couldn't find it when I was at the base.
Unless it is in a hidden spot. I always worry that
there are those that may take items as a souvenir.
In 1995, Dick Vodra and I searched the place for
lost artifacts. I hope it has not gone south.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Every year Kathleen Bush has sent a contribution
in behalf of her husband John. John was my
mentor and very active in our affairs. Thanks,
Kathleen. Kathleen also serves as our President for
which we are thankful. Thank you for fattening our
war chest, and for the many things you have done
through our history.
CARDS LETTERS AND CALLS
In my busyness I have not kept track of my mail or
message that have come in. My apologies for that, I
will have to develop a system for keeping it safe so
it can be reported.
+++++++++++++++++++++
There have been scores of e-mails from Al
Meschino. Thanks Al. I have used many of Al's
stories in past issues.
+++++++++++++++++
In addition to her contribution, Kathleen included a
letter. Many thanks Kathleen. I have called but my
timing was off because I did not get a response not
even a beep. Happy Easter.
++++++++++++++++++
Hey John
Its been a little while. How are you ? Hope all is
well Have a little good news on the 7th FS front
Have been able to find a relative of Maj. Arland
Stanton Late last year had contact with Stanton's
Nephew Mr. Todd Quigley Todd's email is:
etvq@msn.com
.
Recently received an interesting letter from the
cousin of S/Sgt. Flake F. Wardlaw, from Mr.
William R.Wardlaw. I have been told that Flake
passed away on August 25th 199. Flake was the
Crew Chief of Lt.Harold W.Harris. Recieved a
very nice Christmas card from Frank & Dolores
Schwartz.
Received a letter from Jim Gordon also. Im
currently corresponding with John Flynn Jr, who is
helping me with his Dads (Sgt. John Flynn Sr's)
history. Do you know of any other 7th FS Crew
Chief's who would be interested in corresponding
with me John ? Hope this is of interest Kind
Regards Jason
+++++++++++++++++++
Dear John P: G'day mate.
I am still pursuing information on Fernley
Damstrom and would appreciate some guidance
to the possible( if possible?) location of flight
records during his time with the 7FG.
His brother has told me Fernie trained in Brisbane
on the P40 after arrival in Australia 1943. The
49th Group were stationed there and could the
training have taken place at Amberley,
Queensland?
Also Steve Ferguson in his book 'Protect and
Avenge' states that Sylvan Sissom was
Damstrom's wingman during his ill fated time in
Laoag. Is there any way he can be located?
Appreciate any assistance you could provide in
this matter.
Best Regards Bob Crich
Pennant Hills, Australia
++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear John,
Thanks for all of the replies, that were for Mr
Harold J. Martin. Thanks again.
Regards
Shane Johnston.
++++++++++++++++++
There were several messages from Ken Clark,
but, I seem to have lost them. Sorry about that.
+++++++++++++++++++
I also had messages from Diane Saxton. Will
respond later.
DIARY
I ended with Diane, but will continue with the
diary she has provided. We are grateful that she
has taken the time to send it, and to give
comments. We will continue where we left off,
which was February 10.
February 11th
Bombers making their regular "milk runs" on
Hollandia and Wewak today. Patrol planes have
been alert all day-three squadrons in the air at all
times on the alert for the enemy. The report this
evening is that the enemy transports turned back
just as they reached Dumphu this morning. No
reason has been offered. We will be on the
lookout for them the remainder of the week. This
was movie night and most of us were a little
skeptical about attending but the urge to seek relief
from the strain of the other evening was too great.
The picture was "Jane Eyre" with Joan Fontaine
and Orson Wells. It was an excellent picture with
the stars giving marvelous characterizations. I
actually liked Orson Wells in this picture. Have just
finished a letter to Edna in answer to the V-mail I
received from her today. Now I must retire and
regain more of that lost rest.
February 12th
We had a little more rain last night and I regret to
report that the roof Grassey and I fixed the other
day is till showing slight signs of leaking-nothing to
worry about if it doesn't grow any worse.
The men have been instructed to turn in the rifles
they borrowed the other night. So far there has
been little response. I guess most of them are still
on edge from the scare so recently experienced. All
hand grenades were to be returned and as yet I have
not seen a one! A lot of the fellows will keep them
until they regain their confidence, then use them to
fish with. Some excitement out at the line again
today as one of our pilots brought No. 2 in for a
landing this afternoon and could not get his landing
gear down. He circled about for some time trying
to get some response from his hydraulic system
when the motor finally conked out on him. He was
forced to crash-land on No. 10 strip but escaped
without a scratch!
February 13th
A beautiful but uneventful day. Took advantage of
the ideal weather and did my laundry.
February 14th
Awakened to another glorious dawn this morning,
the sky a beautiful pattern of amber clouds greeting
the sleepy earth, bathed in dew, with a radiant
smile, while the mountains frown down on us from
their lofty heights. I am truly very thankful to be
alive at these moments!
As the dawn was beautiful, so were the combat
results of our Squadron in today's operations. One
flight went on a mission over Hansa Bay this
morning, encountering a dozen Nips. Lt. Farrell
shot one down, as did Lt. O,Hara, Lt. Keck and Lt.
Epling. The 8th Squadron got three more. I had to
make another trip to the line this afternoon for
armament supplies and took my time enjoying the
full beauty or the valley and mountains, color, color
everywhere! Walked over to Special Service after
supper and found a copy of Guinea Gold to forward
to Edna. This was an excellent evening to
practice a little golf, so I took full advantage of
the limited facilities, then returned to the tent and
talked with the boys and wrote to Edna.
February 15th
Weather wonderful and the Nips lost ten aircraft
to the 8th Squadron---six on this mornings
mission and four on this afternoon's. Grassey and
I have not been very busy today. I am
contemplating a trip down to Port Moresby to get
some Air Mail stamps and envelopes for the
Squadron as it seems impossible to get them up
here. I shall also make an extensive search for my
own and Grassey's "B" bags. I do hope to be able
to bring them back with me. This has been
another evening of lolling about. Hanson has
been giving us the benefit of his clever chatter
again. I tired of it after an hour and read an article
in Collier's, then wrote Mother and Edna.
February 16th
I awakened some time during the night to find the
wind and rain sweeping through our tent. It has
continued to rain all day and I have had some
difficulty keeping awake. Oh well, more water
for washing clothes. Incidentally, that is a job I
must undertake tomorrow. We had a very good
movie this evening, "The Fallen Sparrow",
starring John Garfield. This was a slightly
different characterization for him and I really
enjoyed his acting for the first time. Hit the
jackpot on mail today-three Air Mail letters from
Edna, a V-Mail from Mom and another from
Edna's brother Bill. I have taken the time to write
Edna a V-Mail, but must retire now and answer
Mom's and Bill's tomorrow.
February 17th
Life is getting more boresome here now that
enemy action seems to have ceased. Time drags
and the life isn't exactly suitable to my taste-I
hope we move up soon. The only event worth
mentioning today was the fact that we had the
first fresh meat the outfit has seen in two weeks.
It was most welcome! So many outfits are moving
into the valley and all of them must be entirely
supplied by air. I took about an hour and a half off
after dinner and washed out my clothes to the
accompaniment of my beautiful baritone voice.
Some of my neighbors did not appreciate it and
offered me varying bribes to keep quiet so they
could clumber in peace. When I had finished, I
walked down to our place of business and cleaned a
number of rifles. Spent the greater part of the
evening writing letters to Mom, Bill and Edna. I
had a letter from Harold and Chris today and all is
serene and happy with them though Chris is
determined to work and let someone else care for
the children.
February 18th
Clear skies with Alto-cumulus clouds today. I did
not have much of an opportunity to enjoy it though
as Grassey and I gave another lecture and
demonstration on chemical warfare, then made a
trip down the valley to pick up some new
equipment which had been flown in. Something is
really popping in the mountains today-we could
hear the artillery booming all day long. Our pilot's
had gone on a dive bomb mission and Lt. Pollock
returned with his plane badly shot up by ack-ack.
Lt. Francis came back with two feet clipped off
each wing tip. It seemed he dived so low that he
had to pass between two palm trees and thus lost a
considerable part of his wing surfaces. These old
P-40's are really quite a ship! Grassey, Lynch and I
went to the "theater this evening and saw "Fired
Wife". It was really excellent entertainment.
February 19th
Our pilot's took off bright and early this morning
with 300 lb. Bombs. They carried these wicked
little greetings over the Hansa Bay area and
presented them to our little friends. Grassey and I
kept well occupied today getting all our new
equipment in order and all available space cleared
for a gun inspection tomorrow. I have decided to
start for Port Moresby on the 22nd and wish to
have all duties out of the way by that time so
Grassey won't have more work that he can handle.
I am hoping for good weather to continue
throughout my trip-I will probably be gone for
several days. I walked over to the Radio men's tent
a while ago to listen to Madame Tojo's version of
the war. The Japs are giving us a terrific beating
according to her version, and no doubt her
countrymen believe her statements.
February 20th
Just another day of the same old monotony for us
here in the valley. If it were not for my prospective
journey the day after tomorrow, it would be very
bore some. I had to make a trip to Headquarters
today to make arrangements for my transportation
facilities. Naturally, I will travel by air and hope to
be fortunate enough to reach there in one day.
Frequently one is delayed at least overnight
somewhere along the line. Apparently the
Japanese are offering stubborn resistance in the
Hansa Bay sector. Our ships went over there
again today, bombing and strafing. We did not
have a show this evening but the Pilot's showed
some combat film taken by their gun cameras on
one of the recent missions over Wewak. They
had a small screen out from a parachute, set up in
the Mess Hall and proceeded to show the film on
it. I found it quite interesting A V-mail letter
from Edna today, and I have just completed a
long letter to her.
February 21st
Today was chiefly spent in preparation for my
journey tomorrow. It has been raining practically
all day long and conditions do not look very
favorable at the present time. I am going to
purchase $500 worth of airmail envelopes for the
Squadron and also try to pick up a s much candy
as I can carry. The fellows will really enjoy it. It
may not be possible for me to write Edna for a
few days so I have written her this evening
explaining the situation.
February 22nd
Wow! What a day I have had! I arose at 5:30 a.
m., had my breakfast and then gathered my things
together, then went to the Orderly Room and tried
to pick up the money to make my purchases for
the Squadron. Sgt. Gilbert was still in bed, so I
had to go to his tent and awaken him. I then had
to go to Headquarters and pick up my transportat-
ion authorization. I was to leave from Strip No.
10 at 8 a.m., and when I had finally reached the
Strip it was 7:45. The transports were late
however, and did not come in until 9 a.m..
Chiodo, Btrazowski and several other fellows
were with me but they were on their way to
Australia for a furlough. The dispatcher assigned
us to a ship going to Nadzab so we loaded aboard
and began our journey. We reached Nadzab and
landed safely, were then assigned to another ship
going to Lae. I was glad of this as I had not seen
this base as yet. Well, we reached Lae, and came
in for our landing as another transport was taking
off. We circled out over the sea three times and
as we did so I noticed several sunken ships
rearing their noses up at the edge of the beach.
As we proceeded to lose altitude, the transport
which was coming down the runway crashed.
Naturally, we could not land so we headed back
inland to Nadzab, landed again, then boarded
another transport and flew back to Lae. By this
time the wrecked transport had been cleared from
the runway and we landed safely. I had borrowed
Sokol's camera for the journey, so I immediately
began shooting my film. I took a picture of the
strip, which runs directly off into the Sea, then a
picture of the wrecked ships in the harbor. We then
sought the Transportation Section and made
arrangements for passage on to Port Moresby.
They informed us that the planes would not take off
until after dinner, so we walked down to the ship
we had been assigned, sat on the ground beneath
the wing and waited while the Pilot's had their
dinner. They returned about 1 p.m., and we loaded
aboard. The Pilot revved his motors up and was
about to proceed onto the runway when the order
came through grounding all aircraft for the
remainder of the day as the Pass was closing in.
Our hearts sank, but we made it.
CHAPLAINS COLUMN
POP'S ON DECK
When the Mariposa reached the Antarctic, a
storm, with mountainous waves, swept the
deck, which was sheer ice. The violent wind, at
one point, tipped the ship almost on its side.
Below deck the GI's were thrown out of their
bunks! What a truly rude awakening!
My buddy was awakened by the intensity of the
storm, with one difference, his buddy was
Pops, the captain! Bleary eyed, he asked, "Is
Pops on
deck?"
Yes he
is, was
my
respons
e. He
was
assured,
"I'm
going
back to
sleep."
In Matthew 8:5, "When Jesus had entered
Capernaum, a centurion came to Him. His
servant was paralyzed, in terrible suffering.
Jesus told him that he'd go and heal him. But
the centurion said he did not deserve to have
him go there, but just say the word. He was a
man under authority. If he told his men Go,
they went and followed his order. When Jesus
heard this, He was astonished, saying to those
following Him, "I tell you the truth, I have
not found anyone in Israel with such great
faith.'"
The Verse 13 conclusion, "then Jesus said to
the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you
believed it would, and his servant was healed
at that very hour." A powerful insight into the
kind of faith that Jesus loves, things get done!
Later, to the twelve, "You of little faith!" They
freaked out, when He got up and rebuked the
wind and the waves. Calm! Astonished! Why?
He understood the connection between faith
and authority. To Jesus, there is no crisis He
can't handle. Jesus has authority over any
situation. They doubted His authority over the
storm. He spoke to it like a parent would speak
to a child, it became calm. Faith can be in who
has the final authority. Company, economy, or
disease have the final word? Mate or feelings?
Is everything totally under the authority of our
Savior? If not, don't panic. A well being and
calm sense can come , settle the authority issue.
Faith's shield destroys all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. Satan can't touch anything given
to Jesus. Like that dangerous storm, if Pops' on
deck, there's nothing He can't handle. Go back
to sleep, our Lord is in charge!
STORIES.
A parents directory:
DUMBWAITER: one who asks if the kids would
care to order dessert.
FEEDBACK: the inevitable result when the baby
doesn't appreciate the
strained carrots.
FULL NAME: what you call your child when
you're mad at him.
GRANDPARENTS: the people who think your
children are wonderful even though
they're sure you're not raising them right.
HEARSAY: what toddlers do when anyone mutters
a dirty word.
INDEPENDENT: how we want our children to be
as long as they do everything
we say.
OW: the first word spoken by children with older
siblings
PUDDLE: a small body of water that draws other
small bodies wearing dry
shoes into it.
SHOW OFF: a child who is more talented than
yours.
STERILIZE: what you do to your first baby's
pacifier by boiling it and to
your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.
TOP BUNK: where you should never put a child
wearing Superman jammies.
TWO-MINUTE WARNING: when the baby's
face turns red and she begins to make
those familiar grunting noises.
A Pollack came to Chicago's bar and ordered a
drink. The news was on, there was a guy
standing on a ledge of the top floor of a Sears
Tower, ready to jump. So Pollack yelled to
bartender: "Hey buddy, I gonna bet ya 20 bucks,
he ain't gonna jump." The bartender accepted the
challenge. Thirty minutes later the 'Sears guy'
jumped. So, Pollack removed $20 and put it on a
counter. The bartender told him to keep his
money because:"an hour earlier I have seen the
news, and I knew that he would jump, so it would
not be fair to keep your money" and Pollack
replied:"Keep the money, you won. I watched the
same news an hour ago, but I could not believe he
would jump for the second time"
++++++++++++++++++++++
HER STORY:
He was in an odd mood when I got to the bar, I m
thought it might have been because I was a bit
late but he didn't say anything much about it. The
conversation was quite slow going so I thought
we should go off somewhere more intimate so
we could talk more privately. So we went to this
restaurant and he's STILL acting a bit funny and
I'm trying to cheer him up and start to wonder
whether it's me or something else.
I ask him, and he says no. But you know I'm not
really sure. So anyway, in the cab back to his
house, I say that I love him and he just puts his arm
around me. I don't know what the hell this means
because you know he doesn't say it back or
anything. We finally get back to his place and I'm
wondering if he's going to dump me!
So I try to ask him about it but he just switches on
the TV. Reluctantly, I say I'm going to go to sleep.
Then, after about 10 minutes, he joins me and we
have sex. But, he still seemed really distracted, so
after wards I just wanted to leave. I dunno, I just
don't know, what he thinks anymore. I mean, do
you think he's met someone else?
HIS STORY:
Lousy day at work. Tired. Got laid though.
The Mexican doctor told the village nympho-
maniac, "Senorita, it looks to me like you've had
Juan too many."
************
IT FIGURES
An American tourist in Tel Aviv was about to
enter the impressive Mann Auditorium to take in a
concert by the Israel Philharmonic.
He was admiring the unique architecture, the
sweeping lines of the entrance, and the modern
decor throughout the building. Finally, he turned
to his escort and asked if the building was named
for Thomas Mann, the world-famous author.
"No," his friend said, "it's named for Fredric Mann,
from Philadelphia."
"Really? I never heard of him. What did he write?"
"A check."
***************
This thought comes from the extraordinary word
smith Jack London. "I would rather be ashes than
dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry
rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom
of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and
permanent planet. The proper function of man is to
live, not exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong
them. I shall use my time."
-Jack London
++++++++++++++++
God created the mule, and told him: "You will
be Mule, working constantly from dawn to dusk,
carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat
grass and you will lack intelligence. You will live
for 50 years." "The mule answered: "To live like
this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no
more than 20." And it was so.
Then God created the dog, and told him: "You
will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to
whom you will be his greatest companion. You
will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years."
"And the dog responded: "Lord, to live 25 years
as a dog is too much. Please, no more than 10
years." It was so.
God then created the monkey, and told him:
"You are Monkey. You will swing from tree to
tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, you
shall live for 20 years." "The monkey responded:
"Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world
is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than
10 years." It was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him: "You
are Man, the only rational being that walks the
earth. You will use your intelligence to have
mastery over the creatures of the world. You will
dominate the earth and live for 20 years." "And
the man responded: "Lord, to be Man for only 20
years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 20
years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog
refused, and the ten years the monkey rejected."
And it was so.
And so God made Man to live 20 years as a
man, then marry and live 20 years like a mule
working and carrying heavy loads on his back.
Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as
a dog, guarding his house and eating the leftovers
after they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, to
live 10 years as a monkey, acting like a clown to
amuse his grandchildren. "And it was so."
++++++++++++++++++++++
WHAT HE SAYS / WHAT HE MEANS **
I'm going fishing." Really means: "I'm going to
stand by a stream with a stick in my hand all day,
while the fish swim by in complete safety."
It's a guy thing." Really means: "There is no
rational thought pattern connected with it, and
you have no chance at all of making it logical."
Can I help with dinner?" Really means: "Why isn't
it already on the table?"
"Uh-huh, Sure, honey,Yes, dear." Really means:
Absolutely nothing. It's a conditioned response.
It would take too long to explain. Really means: "I
have no idea how it works."
e're going to be late. Really means: "I have a
legitimate excuse to drive like a maniac."
REFLECTIONS
In January 1995 we wrote:
WHO, WHAT and WHERE
January & February 1942
Jnuary 1--OPA announces figures for nations tire
ration allotment for the month of Jan.
January 7--Gen Sir Archibald Wavell arrives in
Singapore to assume command of the American,
British, Dutch and Australian forces in the SW
Pacific area.
January 10-Admiral Ernest King and staff members
discuss possible naval retaliation against Japan.
(From these discussions arose the idea that grew
into the joint Navy-Air Force operation known as
the Doolittle Raid.)
January 13- President Roosevelt appoints Donald
Nelson head of new War Department Board.
January 16-Carol Lombard killed in an airplane
crash.
January 29- General Harmon appointed Chief of
Staff US Army Air Force succeeding General
Spaatz who becomes Chief of AAF Combat
Command.
January 30- White House staff and guest celebrate
President Roosevelt's 60th birthday.
February 7--Albert Speer becomes Minister of
German War production.
February 9--USS Lafayette lost. Former French
luxury liner Normandie suffers fire then capsizes in
New York while
undergoing refitting.
February 9--Congress passes bill for Daylight
Savings Time.
February 13-Japanese submarine (I-17) shells oil
storage area at Goleta, California.
February 13-German High Command (Hitler)
cancels Operation Sea Lion, the postponed
invasion of England.
February 22- Air Marshall Arthur harris
appointed Chief of RAF Bomber Command.
February 22- General McArthur ordered to leave
Philipines and establish headquarters in Australia.
(Bet you forgot all this, did you?)
Another interesting story came in 1995 from
George Faz. It was a triple gain. George came to
the 7th with an interesting background. He came
to us from Douglas Mac Arthur's War Room in
Sydney, while we were in Darwin. He was
ordered to report to Sgt David Ackerman in a
revetment. He asked an airman what a revetment
was. He laughed and told George what it was and
where it was. (What a way to be thrust into our
squadron.)
When he got to the revetment he saw Sgt
Ackerman on top of a plane. George told Da
vid that he was assigned to assist him. Since
David was looking at the engine, he told George
to come up on the plane. David had to go to the
supply. His very next instruction was that while
he was gone, George was to look for a leak at the
cueno. I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling. Is
it the same as the scavenge oil filter (HELP! you
mechanics).
George stayed there until he returned. David
asked if he had found the leak. George turned to
him and asked, "What is a cueno?" George was
then asked if he had worked on P-40's. It turned
out that this was the closest that George had ever
been to a fighter plane.
Thanks to Ackerman's professional expertise, it
was not long before George was pre-flighting
aircraft. He has never forgotten David. George
was with us in New Guinea, all the way to the
Phillipines. Of course this was before Mac Arthur
arrived. He returned home in February 1945.
George confesses that Major Bong has always
been his hero. We agree with you George. Also
thanks for the kind words, we always appreciate
those. We also appreciate the photo and your other
thoughts.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joseph (Kappy) Kaplowitz sent a video tape that
had been copied from film. It is silent but perhaps
someone can come up with a script for our new
movie.
Some 1997 Stuff.
Bill Ferris' letter tells us that the hangover
character with no name in our insert is none other
than "his honest".
Bill has been visiting his son in Maryland, a good
choice. We thank you for the letter and all the
information. Your editor will make an effort to see
if he can identify the photo in question. Bill, can
you tell me who else was in the group of photos?
Thanks.
Bill included a little humor for our jokes
department. We will try to insert it in our column
somewhere.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The letter from Jack and De Lores Wilding was a
triple wamy. It included a letter, photos and check,
wow! Bill was a tent mate to Charley Ford and
George Collins.
One of the pictures he sent with a P-38 was flown
by Lt. J. A. Conn while Jack was his crew chief.
Like many others, Jack was later transferred to the
475th
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was a letter from SSgt David Bamburg. It
had some sad news, gobs of information, plus
some newsletters. Thanks.
David has requested that any historical data or
items be sent to him because he is our current
historian. All the stuff that used to be in the
squadron's possession was lost when the temporary
disbanding of the squadron took place. More about
this elsewhere.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was a large package of information from
James Keck, thanks Jim. The roster he sent was for
1945, which is an up-date, since the published list
was from 1942. (Kappy told me that my 1942 list
did not name several officers and men.) Sorry
about that.
He has other data that shows home addresses,
battle scores and stations. I have somehow mixed
some drawings, and am not sure if they came
from James or Bill Dodson. They are marked: J.
Hill coll. Help!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bill Dodson sent a whole collection of photos.
This will help our effort to try to include as many
members as we can on our photo page. Thanks
Bill. Did you get the copy of the history book yet?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Somehow the letter from Albert Murray got lost
in the shuffle and craziness. It seems that Albert
lives in my neck-of-the-woods. I am sorry I
goofed Albert, forgive. If I remember some of the
details........
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Virginia Harris' letter said that she misses her
Hal. It was David Bamburg who told us about the
death of Rose Stevens. We had the pleasure of
her company at our breakfast table in Peoria.
Many members shared pleasant moments with
her, and we will miss her. Bon voyage.
Rose passed away on January 22, 1997 after
being struck by a semi-truck on the 20th.
A memorial service was held for Rose Stevens-
Revis at 3:00 pm Monday January 27th at the
Chapel. Rose was cremated and her mother took
her ashes back to California for burial.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Time was too short to include the usual stuff
about the Military. Sorry. I had planned to have a
report on the SA-2 Guideline. It will be in the
next issue, I promise, or it's a trip to the wood-
shed. We wouldn't like that, I know. Some of the
other stuff got lost with the computer. I don't know
why I had a failure, it does happen.
I will be waiting for your suggestions. In the
meanwhile , stay in shape, send a note or two.
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