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Re: We lost 

By: Beldin in 6TH POPE | Recommend this post (3)
Fri, 08 Dec 23 5:02 AM | 45 view(s)
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Msg. 48112 of 58514
(This msg. is a reply to 48110 by nacl01)

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I am sorry for your loss. That generation is all but gone, now, and the world is worse off for it.

My father-in-law, like yours, fought in WWII. I have great respect for him and the sacrifices he endured. He was a B-17 captain flying out of England starting in 1943 to the end of the war. Let's just say it was amazing that he was able to survive his tour of duty - two of his co-pilots sitting right next to him did not. He was about 10 years older than your father-in-law. He already knew how to fly before the war, so he volunteered for the Air Corps. Like most, he envisioned himself flying fighters, but he was too tall for the more confined cockpits of the fighter planes - so, he ended up piloting a B-17 bomber. Most of his crew members were 18 and 19-year-olds, so they called him "Pops" - 'cuz he was OLD - in his mid-twenties!

My condolences to you and your family, and even though he is not around to hear it, I add my very sincere thanks and gratitude for his service. 




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The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence


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The above is a reply to the following message:
We lost
By: nacl01
in 6TH POPE
Fri, 08 Dec 23 2:08 AM
Msg. 48110 of 58514

my father-in-law today.

A 96 year old WWII veteran who passed on Pearl Harbor Day.

nacl


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