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Remember the Mighty Eighth! Our motto "Abandon Rank, All Ye Who Enter" Defense forces on war footing! This issue dedicated to all ground
personnel who did their best to keep us flying and, very important,
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Vapor Trails Contents Click here for
Our Tribute to the 9-11-01 Heroes
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Jack Messerlian Group Photos! Hooray for Jack Messerlian whose group photo of chapter members at Westover Air Reserve Base elicited praise from many quarters. You saw that photo in our national magazine! Jack and his demon camera are a familiar sight at many of our functions and we enjoy seeing the pictures he has taken. If only he could figure a way to make us look better and........younger. Who Hid The Woburn Elks Club? NOBODY! Go North on 128. Take Exit 36. You are
now on Washington Street! Elks club is on the LEFT two sets of lights from
128. Parking in the rear. C U there. It seems that the world as we know it changed when the World Trade Center Towers and a section of The Pentagon itself were destroyed. Your Chapter grieves with those who suffered personal loss in this vicious attack and stands to salute all brave men and women who performed so nobly. We also salute the brave men and women who worked in and around the Towers. The loss of life would have been so much greater if these people also had not acted like heroes and heroines. A man who hits a home run in a ball game is often called a "hero" in the press. He isn’t. These people were and are. The attack has affected just about everyone in the country in ways some small and some great. Security takes precedent at Hanscom Air Force Base where entry to the base is now a complicated procedure. Our thanks also go out to Joe DiGiacomo, currently ailing but as active in Chapter affairs as his health permits and to Al Audette whose efforts along with Joe’s made it possible for us to use the Lodge. Come to our 11AM meetings on the third Thursday of the month. The accommodations are excellent and there is a wonderful reasonably priced cafeteria where most of us enjoy the cooking after we conclude business. Bill Campbell TRANSMITTAL SHEET OF FORM ONE TIME 17 Nov. 1945 Brennan J.J. 31366061, S/Sgt. AC Radio Operator All flights on B24M
Note: Brief stop at Nassau, Bahamas, to fulfill treaty obligation. U.S. had to make use of this field a certain number of times over a certain period or field control would revert back to Great Britain. Note: A kind hearted Colonel stopped me outside the PX and asked where I lived. Upon hearing Boston he said he was flying to Boston and I was welcome to come along. He took my name and other info and said he would clear my departure and take care of all red tape. Furthermore I could invite a friend if he would get his name etc. over to his office. Thus I and a chap from Roslindale rode in luxury accommodations meant for Generals. There were fierce thunder storms when we landed at Washington, D.C., a scheduled stop. The colonel said he would not be taking off for some time because of the weather. We thanked him very much and went into DC and bought tickets on the midnight pullman to Boston. In the morning when we went into the diner for breakfast the civilians cheered and argued who would buy us breakfast. We could easily have gotten used to such treatment. Treasurer Carl Tells All! (about dues!) Our fine friend Carl Wood has come out from behind his ledgers to tell us that he has received word from National HQ in Savannah. As of 12-31-2000, 415 people were either life members or had paid their 2002 dues resulting in a dues rebate of $415 to the chapter. The Chapter does not assess dues. We are dependent on dues rebates from Savannah, $5.00 from new membership dues, profit from the Fling luncheons, raffle proceeds and px sales. Records indicate that 66 members have not paid their 2002 dues resulting in a loss of $66. HQ reports 57 members have not paid their year 2000 dues. Anyone whose dues are not paid for 2000 and 2001 will be dropped from the "Vapor Trails" mailing list. We must recruit new members as time takes its toll of
older members. Remember membership is open to all, male, female, young and
old vet and non-vet! It should include younger people who have an interest
in preserving the memory of the 8th and a stirring moment in or
nation’s history. Need A Speaker For Your
School, Club Or Organization? GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS OVERDUE! Hello to the 8th Air Force Historical Society. These thoughts have been in my mind for many years and I have finally decided to spread them around. It’s all about ground crews and all the units who served in the 8th. I also relay these thoughts from the crew I flew with in the 487thBG, "Strauss’s Louses". Looking back, we were kids, really, doing what we were trained to do. Let’s face it. Aircrew is still given the main credit for the success of the air war. So here go my inner feelings and where I believe we should be extending credit and thanks. We used to call the ground people "Ground Grippers" and "Gravel Agitators". Yet a lot of these people were highly trained mechanics, fire fighters, electronic specialists, medics, you name it. They were "Our Little Friends" at the base. They made sure everything was A-OK when we were leaving on a mission and they stood by the landing strip when we returned ready to take care of us and our 17 if need be. Let’s give them credit for a job well done. They didn’t always get this credit. I had a pal who was assigned to a Fire Brigade. He did not belong to any particular squadron or group so he did not share in the battle stars or Unit Citations, just sweltering in an asbestos suit as the 17s returned. He was ready to plunge into a burning aircraft to rescue trapped crew if he had to do so. The fact that such was never required of my pal in no way reflects on him. He was ready. He was a brave person. He did what he was supposed to do and he can hold his head high. Let’s give these comrades their long overdue credit. When we meet them at reunions let’s give them a firm handshake and a strong "Thank you!". I’d like to see our national magazine honor the people who didn’t get written up in the press and in books, didn’t get the medals, stayed longer overseas when the war ended because they didn’t have the "points" needed to go home. These were the people who really kept us flying! By Far, the most demanding training at Keesler Field was that of Aircraft Engine & Mechanics training, which was considered more intellectually challenging than even that of pilot training in the second world war. SEEING A GHOST! Being a Ghost! The five of us had been on the flight line since early morning and it was time for another crew conference. The B24 we were supposed to fly to China with a cargo of 100 octane seemed totally unreliable. There were electrical problems. There were problems with the instruments. We started to taxi once and everything quit after a fraction of a minute. Various mechanics and specialists were running back and forth trying to fix this, test that. I was a sort of errand boy relaying messages to Operations and carrying replies back. Sometimes the pilot rode back with me in the command car that served as a sort of taxi. A bored "weed wallah", as we called the ground personnel, sullenly drove us back and forth, too hot and sticky to make much conversation. A wallah, by the way, is someone who does something. "Dhobi" for example, means "laundry". Therefore, a dhobi wallah is a laundryman. Fliers were glad to get into the air, especially during the monsoon season. Altitude brought coolness. Cans of beer chilled in the bomb bay alongside the cargo tanks.. The gasoline fumes hopefully were sucked out of the aircraft by various drafts. In those days we relaxed with Lucky Strikes and Camels. There was an awful lot of lugging to do if one were to fly the Hump. One went to Operations as a first step and signed out an escape kit. It was a canvas money belt of that was worn next to the skin. It contained silk maps of the areas into which one might be forced to jump or crash. The belt also contained a number of prewar silver rupees, some said a gold coin or two and a few vials of opium. These items were to be used to bribe locals although most of us thought displaying our money belt treasure miles from civilization would be a good way to get one’s throat cut. You checked to see that the belt was sewn tightly shut when you signed it out. It was examined even more carefully by Operations upon one’s return from a mission. God help anyone whose belt showed signs of tampering. I never heard of any cases like that but I was rattling around in my own 20 year old world and might have missed them. We had a final crew meeting late in the afternoon and decided to refuse to fly this aircraft. It was our right and meant that we would be the next flight off after a replacement crew was found. We rode back to Operations with a new driver. The other had been with us an entire shift. A few hours later after an evening meal of D-ration stew and mystery meat we were just about to turn in when we heard whistles and saw fire trucks heading for the flight line. We jumped into a jeep and hurried down. There was the 24 we had refused to fly. It was upside down and spilled fuel from broken lines was burning. The main gasoline cargo never did explode. Rescuers with axes and saws were cutting through the fuselage and dragging out badly burned crewmen. The 24 had lost power a moment of two after takeoff, tried to come around to land, fell short, caught the gear in a ditch and slammed to the runway upside-down. I had seen enough. We had to get some sleep. Take-off time would be very early. A human alarm clock came around about 0345. I cleaned up, dressed, ate, got my stuff and looked for a ride to Operations. The same driver who had ferried us back and forth was on the nod in the front seat. I tapped his shoulder. "Take me down to 85" or whatever the number of the new plane was. He looked at me in utter horror. "Get away! Get away! You’re dead." ‘I’m not dead!" I argued. "Take me down to the flight line." "Yes! You are!" he bellowed. "I drove you back and forth all day. I saw you get in with your bags. You’re a ghost! Yaaaaaah!"" By coincidence a medical officer came along accompanied by a private named Freddie. "What’s going on?" I told him. "Tell him I’m not a ghost, Sir.!" "Freddie. Take the sergeant down to his plane. Driver, come with me and maybe I can get you a dram of flight surgeon’s whiskey." They went away and I was delivered to the 24. Crew members wanted to know what had kept me. We took off without incident. About five minutes after we had reach altitude someone came on the radio "Woooooo!" the ghostly
voice whispered. Signal Honor for Chapter Educator John J. Ahern, a long time 8th Air Force chapter member, received a most unusual honor this past year. The newly expanded and overhauled John J. Ahern Middle School was rededicated to him. John praised Foxborough in a thank you speech for its longstanding commitment to learning. More than a few of our chapter members are envious of John for his recognition. It is said that even after the passage of many years when these members go by the middle school they attended the lights are quickly put out and the shades drawn. Vets Cheer and are Cheered by VA Awards! Massachusetts veterans cheered the news that Bay State VA hospitals have won national recognition for providing consistently exceptional care to area veterans. The West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Brockton hospitals are now getting the "national recognition" they deserve according to a story in the West Roxbury "Bulletin". This years local awardees are West Roxbury for Cardiac Surgery, Bedford for the Seriously Mentally Ill, and Boston for Health Care for Homeless Veterans. The Boston clinic also won honors for its treatment of Substance Abusers and treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The awards are good for two years and then the hospitals and clinics compete again. The awards are given by the VA sponsored "Clinical Programs of Excellence"program and are recognized as demanding of the competitors. We are in receipt of a nice letter from John Wilson of Wellesley. He says he enjoyed reading VT, especially the review of "Wings of Morning"'. He says he strongly identified with the navigation team in the book because a dunderhead superior almost caused his Wing to meet with disaster. John, who is more farsighted than most of us, reminds veterans worried about the ravages of Alzheimer's that one can register at the Bedford facility prior to any needed hospitalization. Hopefully those who register will never need to enter E.N. Rogers Hospital but if one does he or she will have priority placement and thus save their survivors additional worry. Here is an Email that reached VT all the way from Blimey "I hope you don’t mind me writing to you. .I stumbled across your newsletter in my quest to find any members of the 449th who were here at Wattisham Airfield, England, during the war. We are keeping the memory of the Mighty Eighth very much alive here. As it is the 60th anniversary of you gents joining us (thank you) over here…..We have an 8th AF room, complete with nose art and loads of pictures. How can I contact any personnel who were posted here? Spread the news our museum exists….The 479 Mustangs and Lightnings were here from 43 to 45 and the 4th Strategic Air Depot from 42 to 45. Email: [email protected] We received a number of messages urging that we review author Hank Holzer’s book on the traitoress Jane Fonda. "Aid and Comfort, Jane Fonda in Vietnam" We weren’t able to fit it into this issue but if enough people want it just ask us. We’ll put it on our WEB SITE at http://www.geocities.com/eighthafhs More Email… Hi, my name is Frank Joyce. My uncle, Lt. Francis J. Joyce, Jr. USAAC, was a b17 bombardier and died May 8th, 1944 when his plane was hit coming back from a run over Germany. I believe he was with the 996th bomb group. Do you know where I could look to find out more information about his bomb group or missions flown? Thanks. Email: TR9871
Join the 8th!
To print an application, click the seal above. Wings of Morning The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War Two, by Thomas Childers. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. 1995 Sure, we know that "Wings of Morning" was first published in 1995 but it’s just as fresh and meaningful as when historianTom Childers first put pen to paper. This is the book that we hoped"The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose would be. Well, some say parts of it are but "Wings" is vastly more detailed and vastly more moving The noted author’s tale of young Americans flying missions in B-24s essentially turned out to be the tale of George McGovern, a pal of the author. You remember George. He ran for president and carried two states. Childers writes about a family member he never knew, his uncle, Howard Goodner, who tumbled from the sky just as World War Two was ending. Childers found a treasure trove of letters Howie had sent home while cleaning out Childer’s grandmother’s house. Historian Childers was intrigued. He spent more than the next two years seeking out the families of other crew members and even making trips to Germany to help answer some question he felt necessary for the completion of this book. "Wings" follows a typical B-24 aircrew from its last days in civilian life through aircrew training. It tells of their experiences as members of the Eighth Air Force. For those of us who flew on hazardous flights and those of us who kept the planes in the air by skilled and devoted work "Wings" is an absolute must read! There was so much luck as well as skill involved in surviving. A piece of flak hits in a certain spot and a bomber explodes. A dozen or a hundred other pieces of hot metal rip through the fuselage striking no one and causing but superficial damage. Who could figure it? Childers points out that even training casualties were also very high The radio operator writes home from operational training at Westover Field in Massachusetts. "The B-24s are nice ships (but) we lose a lot of them here. Since I got here we have lost seven ships." And this with no one shooting at them. The crew eventually was transported to the British Isles aboard the New Amsterdam. (Your editor recalls the dismay of his crew when Mitchell Field ran out of B-24s and we were trucked to a debarkation point, was it Fort Totten?, and sitting in an olive drab school bus in the rain waiting for a signal to board. Suddenly someone is pounding on the door and tells us we are going back to Mitchell and a brand new B-24 is waiting for us.) The heroes of "Wings"
are assigned to the787 Sqdrn., 466th Bomb Group, 96th Combat
Wing, 2nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force. Many active and past
members of our society were members of the 466th. If you
haven’t read "Wings of Morning" you must read it. Make sure your
children and grandchildren have read it. This is the book that tells it
like it was. The Death of the West" by Patrick Buchanan How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization Former two time presidential candidate, talk show frequenter and conservative political columnist Patrick Buchanan has produced a best seller titled "The Death of the West." It’s been quite popular among some members of the Massachusetts Chapter, and some have asked if there would be a review in "Vapor Trails". Buchanan, whom your editor has met and liked, mainly because Pat said he read the editor’s stuff, has been likened to Cassandra. Cassandra was the daughter of the king of ancient Troy. She fell afoul of a god who gave her the gift of prophecy and a curse to go with It.. She could tell the future accurately and in detail. Her curse was that no one would believe her. "Don’t bring that horse in here, fellows!" she cried from the walls of Troy. "It’s a trick!" The Trojans ignored her and their city fell. Buchanan must identify with Cassandra. He believes he is correct but the mainstream media is convinced he is wrong. Let’s look at his book. It is filled with statistics, not the dull compilation of meaningless numbers you might have been exposed to in school but facts that, according to Pat, bode ill for the Western world. You read it and you shake your head. Buchanan cites birth rates in Europe, including Russia, and America to show that the nations who have led the world since the days of Greece and Rome are no longer reproducing themselves as a rate high enough to sustain their leadership. A silent invasion of those with no concept of Western justice and culture is sweeping the great countries of Europe. Chaotic, disease-ridden Africa, the turbulent denizens of the Middle East still smarting over the Crusades spill over the undefended borders into Italy, Germany and, indeed, all of Western Europe. The Serbs, who traditionally have been the protector of southern Europe against a huge influx of those who are antithetical to what the West stands for, now find themselves cast as an enemy! Some supporters of Buchanan see his predictions verified by the fact that the former Soviet Union is almost literally being overrun by those who live on Russia’s ancient borders. American troops, albeit in small numbers, are helping her defend against this invasion. The presence of our troops in what was once the Soviet stronghold appears to prove an argument of Buchanan’s book. Russia is part of the West. She must join with it or perish. "The Death of the West" is certainly worth reading whether you agree with its premises or not. One chapter member said he was so horrified by the predictions he couldn’t get the book back to the library quick enough. Another was circulating his pals telling them this is a "must read". We’ve been through a
long winter. Maybe we need a good argument or two to pep us all up! "The
Death of the West" might be the answer. 8thAFHS
Member Nathaniel W. Kettendorf 8thAFHS Member John Ferullo The president of your chapter announces the death of John Ferullo of Watertown. John and his lovely wife, Vera, were regular guests at our Fling Luncheons. John flew P-51s with the First Air division, 356 Fighter Group. We give a last salute to this loyal member. Henry C. McCray, "8th AF all the Way" Helen M. McCray, East Wareham, MA, has written us to announce the death of her husband, Henry, last fall. Henry enjoyed reading all the news and information in this newsletter. He was "Eighth Air Force all the way" she writes. He was a turret gunner and flew many missions over Germany and" I would say bravely" says his proud helpmeet. He also served 29 years with the Air Guard at Otis. He lived to be 80 and enjoyed good health til cancer struck.
SERIOUS STUFF.... THE DUE$ QUE$TION!!! All are welcome to join the Eighth Air Force Historical Society. Dues are $20 a year! (It was just raised by the national organization.) You pay us twenty dollars only when you first join! After that, the National organization will bill you for $20 once a year. That's the only money involved. You get two issues of "Vapor Trails" and four issues of the highly professional Time magazine-sized "The Eighth Air Force News" as well as a chance to take part in the sort of fun events you read about in this issue. Please do NOT send your dues to our saintly treasurer once you've sent that first ten. You don't want to get on his WRONG side, do you? TEN HUT! The receipts from the raffle ($1.00 each) help pay for "Vapor Trails" and other administrative costs.
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