What a 4 1/2 hours !!!! In a couple of my last posts I had read two books recommended about B24's from a friend at church. Yesterday he and I sat down and he talked about his time over there in WWII. Mistakenly I said he was a Navigator, he told me no - Flight Engineer, [my old fart memory is really kicking in]. The last book listed here "Finish Forty and Home"; for him became 44 missions. He told me - "luckily we had control of the air by then, but the antiaircraft flack was terrible, especially over about 8 of the drop zones". He said one flight his plane took many flack hits, but they finally got back, but on almost every flight they got some hits, but nobody was seriously hurt. His hairest flight was the time one 500 lb. bomb got hung up in the bomb bay with the final arming wire pulled. Rear hanger had released, but the thing was hanging from the front hook, bouncing around in the air turbulence, he's stand between the bomb racks on the 15" catwalk trying to release the thing before it blows, needless to say it dropped.
I could go on for hours with his stories, but ---
Charles ended by letting me know that he finally returned home 2 days after the Hiroshima bomb was dropped, and now, sadly out of the crew of 10 he served with, he is the last one living.
I am honored to say I spent time, listening to 'one of the greatest generation'.
Date has been set for next Friday - wife and I are taking he and his wife to dinner. Admittedly a very small thank you, for a man that lived through World War II, and wears the Air Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters, plus others.