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By the way, back around 1990 I think it was GHW Bush that cited Col Halverson as an example of how we have been using FEMALE military pilots for many years. They assumed that Gail was a female name and did not realize the only female pilots we used in WWII or afterwards were the WASPS on ferry missions.
Sad to hear about Halvorsen. I met him once during an anniversary of the Airlift, he flew in the Historical foundation's C-54 to Berlin and landed at Duxford as a stop-over. Nice fella, very relateable and keen to talk to those who braved the rain to go visit the aircraft. He told me he flew this C-54 to Tempelhof years after the airlift and it was put outside the big terminal for years, but was moved for fear of vandalism and was kept in one of the hangars. Now the airfield has closed it is kept there, hopefully to become part of the Alliertenmuseum when (or if) it moves to Tempelhof.
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His story was terrific and truly inspirational.
It brings history alive!
It sure does! I had the pleasure of meeting a few vets as a result of working in museums and there were some hoots. I met Lancaster pilot and VC winner Bill Reid, who came to the museum for an exhibition opening, usually when these guys were dragged along, and he was fantastic. I was on the podium among the speech givers and while we were waiting to give our speeches he kept nudging me and telling me jokes! He was fuuu-nny!
I met 603 Sqn pilot Stapme Stapleton at Duxford once with the official squadron historian I knew from working at the museum. He was a cracker, again, funny. When I was introduced to him he said to me, "so you're a Kiwi huh, some of my best mates were kiwis. You're alright son" and proceded to talk about stuff he'd done. Lots of wisecracks. His moustache was stained yellow with nicotine, that's what I remember most about meeting him.
Aircrew Remembered: Aviation Obituaries from London Daily Telegraph
Reprints of Obituaries of aviation people as published by the London Daily Telegraph, along with original research.aircrewremembered.com
I had an uncle (now passed) that was in the Marine 1st and fought at Pelelieu and Tarawa then on to Okinawa. My son-in-law is currently a lance corporal in the 1st. Sadly, he knows very little about that history.I had a regular customer who always came in wearing a bright red Marine 1st Div WWII Vet cap, so I asked him about it one day. Turns out he fought on Bloody Ridge and landed on Pelelieu where he got his million-dollar wound. I was awestruck into silence as he told me about fighting off waves of both men on the 'Canal and the sea at Pelelieu.
Another time, managing a framing shop, a guy came in with what was obviously a squadon reunion pic to have it framed. When I got his info for the work order, he had a Polish name, so I had to ask. He flew and fought over Poland and when they lost he snuck through the Balkans and ended up in England, where he joined one of the Polish squadrons, too late for BoB but flying Spits, in which plane he later got three kills.
It's one thing to read about it, but it's another thing entirely to see their eyes glisten as they answer questions from some young nobody about what they did.
I had an uncle (now passed) that was in the Marine 1st and fought at Pelelieu and Tarawa then on to Okinawa. My son-in-law is currently a lance corporal in the 1st. Sadly, he knows very little about that history.