Bless them all, the long and the short and the tall

Hello,

I am a new member from Central Texas. My Dad was a B-24 pilot with 35 combat missions out of North Africa and southern Italy. My FIL was a B-29 pilot with 28 combat missions out of Tinian. I am a Vietnam Veteran (commanded the best company of 11Bravos ever in Nam) and my brother is a retired CWV who started with rotary wings in Nam and stopped with fixed wings after Desert Storm.

The best things I can bring to the party are the stories told by my dad and my father in law plus about 200 original images from the European and South Pacific fronts. My FIL had a close buddy who was a combat photographer in the South Pacific and we have about 75 of his best images as well. Some of those you may not wish to see twice.

A few years ago there was a great debate over the Smithsonian's plans to display the Enola Gay with some revisionist history as a side story. I am proud to say that my FIL was one of the "Five Old Men" that the director of the Smithsonian complained about as leaders of the battle against using the revisionist history. The director lost and was replaced, the "Five Old Men" won.

My Dad finally passed at the age of 86 after a life time of success and teaching his children that "War IS Hell" and should always be the absolute final and worst solution to be used only if nothing else can be done. At his wake we sang one of his favorite songs from the WWII days and you may this one...

Bless them all bless them all bless them all
The long and the short and the tall
And bless our instructors who taught us to fly
They put us up here and left us to die

And if ever this damn thing should stall
We'll be in for one hell of a fall
No roses no violets for dead bomber pilots

Bless them all bless them all bless them all...



My only hope is that I made him proud while he was still alive. I want to thank all of the vets out there, especially the WWII vets, and even above them the WWII Vets that never came home. You are not forgotten, no matter how you died, no matter which country you died for, no matter how lonely, how painful, how sudden, no matter what, you are not forgotten and you are all the true heroes of the day.

God rest your souls.

 

welcome to the forum challenger..

 

Welcome, Challenger. I hope you will enjoy it here. As mentioned I look forward to your future posts, and hope you will share the stories and images. It sounds like you are a family who has served your country with pride.

 

Well, thank you and thank you for your service. I see your Purple Heart. What price did you pay?

Dad had one. He took a flak hit to his head that became a major scalp wound. That was on the day they bailed out over Yugoslavia after bombing the oil fields in north east Italy.

Their B24 had no aileron, brakes, and little other hydraulic control. One engine was feathered and they used too much fuel flying into headwinds on the inbound part of the mission. The aircraft was getting harder and harder to fly by the minute so they dropped out of the 'box' and got low. After one fighter made a pass they knew more would come. Dad ordered the jump bell and out they went. Dad, as pilot, was the last to jump. He stayed awake long enough to pull his rip cord and see his chute open. He knew he was behind enemy lines but there was nothing to be done about it.

He passed out on the way down from the loss of blood due to the flak wound. When he woke up he was literally being carried in the arms of this really big man who spoke no English. he turned out to be one of Tito's Partisans. Those guys saved his entire crew that day. The Partisans smuggled them around behind enemy lines for a couple of days and got them to a lift off point. There was an English RAF officer there manning the incoming Allied airmen and the outgoing transport aircraft that the RAF snuck in at night. His name was Bill Rice.

They got Dad and his crew on one of those RAF transport and it flew them back to their base in southern Italy (Venosa). They all lived, they all flew again, and while they endured one more crash landing and one more bailout they all survived the war. Dad died a year ago and there are two of his crew left today.

About ten years after the war Dad was working for Minneapolis Honeywell as the Houston Branch Manager. One day some guys from Dallas came down for a meeting and there was Bill Rice, the English RAF officer that helped to save his life. Chance meeting but they instantly recognized one another. Dad bought dinner that night and then he brought Bill home to meet his kids. Since I was only 5 I don't remember that, but, now I know I was lucky to be there at all.

What's your story sir?

 

Thank you.

Are you in Korea right now?

 

Thank you sir. Please see response below. One of Dad's stories. Mine too, I guess, in a round about way.