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Special dedication to
all the soldiers of the Commonwealth countries that came to Britains
aid in time of need. The
British people thank you and honor your dead as their own. Also to
all the Polish, Free French, Gurkhas, Italian Partisans, North
Africans and others that fought alongside Anglo-American forces, your
sacrifice will not be forgotten.
     
       
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 The
Ontario Tank Regiment Softball team, 1941.
Clockwise from left, Tiny Flemming (outfield),
Phil Morin (outfield/pitcher), Sgt. R.O. Dyer (r. field),
Capt. J. I. Kerr (manager), Brigadier F. F. Worthington, Lt.
Col. C. Y. Masson, Maj. C. O'Brien, (sports officer), Lt. A.
B. Whitelaw (center field), Chew MacDonald (1st base),
Steve Stevenson (2nd base), Frank Lappin (pitcher/team captain),
Buck Willis (infield), Harry Brockbank (catcher), Sgt.
J. Falconer (3rd base), George Mercer (l. field), Corky
Horoski (short stop), Cpl C. Speers (r. field).
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The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron
THE WASP LOGO
Designed by Walt Disney studios as a tribute to the women ferry
pilots of the AAF
(WAFS/WASP)
In September 1942, the Army Air Force (AAF) created the Women's
Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and appointed Nancy H. Love its
commander. Love recruited highly skilled and experienced female
pilots who were sent on noncombat missions ferrying planes between
factories and AAF installations. While WAFS was being organized, the
Army Air Force appointed Jacqueline Cochran as Director of Women's
Flying Training. Cochran's school, which eventually moved to Avenger
Field in Sweetwater, TX, trained 232 women before it ceased
operations. Eventually, over 1000 women completed flight training. As
the ranks of women pilots serving the AAF swelled, the value of their
contribution began to be recognized, and the Air Force took steps to
militarize them. As a first step the Air Force renamed their unit
from WAFS to Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Pilots like Betty
Bachman, Ann Criswell, and Betty Striff were considered Civil Service
employees of the AAF WAFS/WASP. Barbara Erickson became the first
WASP to receive the Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement as a Pilot.
Erickson received her medal for completing four 2,000 mile deliveries
of three different types of aircraft in slightly more than 5 days of
actual flying. Although not allowed to fly combat missions, WAFS/WASP
pilots served grueling, often dangerous, tours of duty. Ferrying and
towing were risky activities, and some WAFS/WASP pilots suffered
injuries and were killed in the course of duty. In 1977, after much
lobbying of Congress, the WASP finally achieved military active duty
status for their service.
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Dedication to the 2 Million
Indian troops who answered Britain's call in World War II.
The Indian contingent of the British forces was the
largest of all the Commonwealth contingents. Their bravery and
contribution to the allied victory is often overlooked, yet these
courageous soldiers served in nearly every theatre of British
operations, including the Pacific and Italy.
Indian troops at Monte Cassino, Italy.
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3rd Bomb Group Crest
The oldest continuous serving unit in the Air
Force. Formed on July 1st, 1919, as the Army Surveillance Group,
redesignated 1st Surveillance Group, August 1919. Designated 3rd
Attack Group 1921---redesignated 3rd Bomb Group 1939---April 1st,
1942, first combat mission against Lae, New Guinea (During WWII, the
group suffered 1634 men killed in action and 174 aircraft lost. They
sank 642 enemy ships and destroyed enemy 2,000 aircraft. They
received 2 Presidential Unit Citations and the Philippine
Presidential Citation)---August 9th, 1945, last combat mission
against Japan---1948 redesignated 3rd Bomb Wing---1950-1952 flew
first and last combat missions in Korean war---1964 redesignated 3rd
Tactical Fighter Wing---1965 deployed to Bien Hoa, Vietnam---1971
Kusan air base, Korea---1974 Clark Field, Philippines---1991
Elmendorf Air Base, Alaska, 90th Squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia
for Desert Storm. The wing is currently still stationed at Elmendorf, Alaska.
The following is a poem
written by Herbet Denver Carroll of 'G' company, 339th Infantry, just
before he was killed in action in central Italy, November 3rd, 1944.
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1
I'd like to tell you of my experience on line
The night we took hill79
May eleven, at eleven P.M.
Was the time set for the attack to begin |
2
The hill was of the Gustav line
The English had broke it, but fell back each time
Now it time for the Yanks to try
And each man was willing to die |
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3
At eleven o'clock, we laid a barrage
That will go down in history, none ever so large
The boys started out to this hell hole on earth
Facing machine guns and artillery burst |
4
Through Trimonsule we had to move fast
For it had the name of "Purple Heart Pass"
To get into position, our chances looked slim
For most of the Jerrys had all zeroed in |
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5
On the side of the hill, we had to dig in
With mortar shells singing hell songs of sin
Seventy-two hours, on that hill we stayed
And many a brave man, went to his grave
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6
Each man prayed aloud and looked to the sky
But the shells kept coming, brave men had to die
We accomplished our mission and broke that strong line
And Jerry moved out, leaving wounded behind |
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7
After they started running, it wasn't so bad
The 339th gave them all that we had
We knew our objective - it was to take Rome
And we knew that each step, was nearer to home
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8
We marched through Rome on June the fifth
Dirty and sore, tired and stiff
The only regret we had on our mind
Was our buddies we left, back on hill 79
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Special tribute to SGT. Tom Marsh, SGT.
J. A. Gibson. FLT SGT. Howter and SGT. Hamilton, Royal Australian
Air Force.
(Attached to 5th U.S.A.A.F.)
On May 23, 1942 five B-25's from
the U.S.. 3rd Bomb. Gp. struck at Lae Airdrome, in New Guinea. They
got hit hard by Zeros and the plane Sgt. Marsh was flying in had to
ditch. The men got out and got their raft inflated, but it proved to
be an exercise in futility. The Jap Zeros proceeded to straff the
survivors and Sgt. Marsh was killed. One man, Cpl Louis Murphy
survived and eventually, with the help of friendly natives made it
back to relate the details of the straffing. Lt. Henry Keel was the
pilot on the plane.
Sgt. Gibson was flying in Lt.
Ted Wuerpel's B-25 in that same raid. They were shot down over Lae
that day. And another Aussie who was defending his country and
helping his Allies, who were woefully short of experienced combat
crew in those early days, gave his life.
On July 26, 1942, Flt Sgt.
Howter and SGT. Hamilton,were flying on 13th Sq. B-25's on a mission
to Gasmata, New Britain. Both of them gave their lives as both planes
were shot down on the mission.
Dedication by Jack Heyn.
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Tribute to all the 'War Dogs'
that have served in all the armed forces (and continue to serve).
Also, police dogs everywhere.
 'Stubby'
WWI. Stubby was the
original War Dog. He fought in 17 battles in WWI, saving U.S. lives,
capturing Germans and comforting the wounded.
 'Nemo'
Vietnam. Despite
losing an eye to gunfire, Nemo (an Air Force sentry) threw himself on
4 Viet Cong to save his handler in 1966. Both survived.
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