indiana territory

P-51

While talking with a gentleman yesterday, the subject came up about my writing about things - and, ah, with the slightest reason to talk about myself I was off and going. During the monologue i mentioned a World War II pilot I had interviewed years ago in a suburb of Cincinnati.

He had flown P-51's and he talked about the youthful confidence and zest he and his fellow pilots had. Take off, fly a mission and make it back to the base in England . . . until your number was up. Only, he said he guess no one really thought their number would be. They felt sort of golden in their planes that danced in the sky.

One day, his number came up and his plane mortally wounded, incapable of making it back across the Channel, he bailed out over occupied France. It wasn't the Resistance that was waiting for him, ready to supply the cover of a barn for rest, a change of clothes, an escape route. It was the Germans who stood in the field watching him come down; he said he felt lucky they weren't shooting at him.

He was taken to a POW camp, and that is a story in itself, and that camp was liberated by General George Patton. This then young pilot said, "I won't tell you that I made eye-contact, but he (Patton) was only about six feet away and as his gaze took us in, he said, 'I'm proud of you men.' I'm telling you I would have followed him anywhere."

It was an article that wrote itself, a little column in a local paper. I learned a lot and I had really been happy to talk to him, but that's all I thought it was - me being privileged to listen to his story. After the column was in the paper, he called me. He said he had been up on the roof working on his gutters and when he came down two young fellows were waiting for him. They verified who is was and then said, "We want to shake your hand and thank you for what you did for us."

It moved him to be thanked; it pleased him that a younger generation realized what a lot of men had done for them. And he wanted to let me know.

I had done nothing but write what he had told me, but it pleased me that the words I passed on had helped to make a link between the generations and emphasis a heritage continued.

posted by Jody @ 7:46 AM