It has been a while since I did my research on my cousin. His name was Eddie Madell. He originally signed up in a different branch as a pilot, and his Dad immediately got him out because Eddie was his only son. Eddie then signed up and became a member of the 389th. He was a co-pilot on the first Swee Pea, and it supposedly crashed in England. Somehow Eddie became a pilot, which I understand was unusual...not sure, maybe because he hadn't gone to Officers training ??? at any rate, he became the pilot of Swee Pea II. In total, he flew 39 missions, two on D-Day. That was when I found out that bombers "hovered" in place waiting for the bombing runs to start, and that many crashed in-air, even before the run got underway. In doing my research, I got some old microfilm from Charleston, and in reading them, got the names of several members of his crew. Two I remember were a Mr. Kissling from near Allentown Pa, and a Mr. Kohlari...from Ohio (I think). I contacted them, and to a man, all were glad to talk with me, and a few were surprised to hear that some runs they made were in different areas of Germany than they thought. One fellow said he had been contacted by the son of another bomber group, and he was going to inform him that he now knew what happened to his father. It seems the records I had showed his plane was shot down and somehow or other it mentioned he was captured by the French??? Eddie came home and was training high altitude gunnery? flights off the coast of Charleston, SC. He was the instructor, not the pilot, and theirs was the only plane that didn't make it back from this training mission, and nothing was found to indicate what happened. The plane went down the week FDR died so the news reports of the search stopped and FDR took it's place. I gave all the information I had ( including what for all intents and purposes, was a yearbook....all Eddies flight information from training level onward, and the letters sent to his Dad telling him Eddie was missing) to the 8th Air Force museum in Georgia. I requested that they make it available for others to research, and told them that I had been asked by Eddie's sister, Jackie, to find a good home for the papers... which I think I did... although I never have had a chance to visit. That is pretty much it...oh, I did contact their Col., I think his name was Robert Miller, and he was as excited to talk to me as the flight crew were....they all had an incredible bond. My guess is that many of the men I spoke with are no longer alive as it has been close to 10 years...or more. I'm the daughter of a 501'r, my Mom and Eddie were the same age, even though he was her nephew.... Eddie's group dropped supplies on Bastogne, where my Dad was, and I like to think he knew.