June 2005

32 Pages·2015·6.41 MB·English

Tne AtR FoRCES EscApE & EVASIoN soctEry
SUMMER 2005 Communications
2
Volume 17, No. WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS 76g0T-2501 JUNE 16, 2OO5
*)hlAlN*il4NNXXXlry*tXeXt-tXXStXl+ttt<St*tt+lXtS,lrStXXt:trStS.ll-itS.tSla.tSlt+lSySlStS'Sla.tS.tS,t*tX
The school that fell from the sky
On June 5, 1943, Lt. Fred
Hargesheimer was in a P-38, PAPUA
flying a photo reconnaissance
mission 8,000feet above the
Japanese-occupied island of New
Britain
He was shot down by an
enemy jighter.
A month after parachuting into
jungle,
the he was found by the
M eramer a p eop I e fro m the vil lag e
of Ea Ea (now called Nantabu)
in Papua New Guineu ForJive
months, they nursed him back to
health, hid himfrom enemy
patrols andftnally took him to a
Coastwatchers camp. From there
he was rescued by a submarine,
the U.S.S. Gato.
In 1960, Fred went back to the
ishnd to acpress his grntitade to was the dreams that haunted me. a crowd of natives chattei.ine and
the people who had aided him Weeks had passed since I had sjnqfng as they waded throulh the
That led to the establishment of bailed out of Eager Beaver, but the shallow water.
the Airmen's Memorial School in trauma continued to grip me. I had I screwed up enough courage to
temiSring nightrnares, sometimes staft walking towards the canoe. I
Papua New Guinea by Fred, his about those moments when I moved if
p
family andfriends. struggled to escape from the these t bv
Jap
cockpit, and other times about the the rhe
This k part of his story. er/en more tenifoing ptospect of man I had picked out as the leader
clyrng alone in the iunsle. or elder of the group came closer.
By FRED HARGESHEIMER July 6 was a day fife all the rest; All my fears vanished as I saw a
Grass Valley, Calif. a morning swim, a hike in the bush warm and sympathetic smile spread
Author of The School that Fell to hunt for dry wood, roasted snails across his face.
Fro9Sm5u9t tto4hn5e , W^pSah/ryyo,, nOGedr:ay ssSssZ eVOya -+Bllleoi-ovZk gsCS, AS9g9 efodrg eJlu uonsfct htbh eeaf onPrdea arsdnui naRsfietvete,r nrI otwooen -gn anat at thpoe. rthe paa ngoeAt enwboaothso eakr. nmSoatcenr ibtrhubasleht dere doa undp .t ,h. .weT oa."vcinogid
$1s.95 + p&h bamboo shoots for supper. f.*
minutes into my sear.C[, I was
My survival meant an almost startled by what seemed to be voices
constant coming from downstream. Could
kept my they be rea7, or was I halluci natins.?
day. Th e The sound grew in volume. shot down by the Japanese. These
story. I dreaded them. but not Finally, the nose of an outrigger na.t-r.vCesO cNanT bINe UtruEsDted , and anyone
because I feared animal intruders. It canoe pushed into view, followed by ON PAGE 3
Page 2 STIMMER 2OO5
U.S. AIR FORCES ESCAPE & EVASION SOCIETY The Prez Sez
COMMUNICATIONS
By Richard M. Smith
<http ://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafescape/afees usa.htm>
<afeeso n e@h otm ail.com>
Volume 19 -- Number 2 June 16,2005
,
-, , New Orleans is behind us and
'iw'as a great gathering - 170
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
members, families and friends were
CHAIRMAN: pres€nt at Saturday night banquet.
*Ralph K. Patton, Apt. #1205, 8100 Connecticut Ave', Chevy Chase, MD There was plenty to do in the
20815: Phone: 30l-657-4478; Fax: [phone] BIG EASY. Among them, the D-
CO-FOUNDER: Day Museum, a short distance from
Leslie A.G. Atkinson. 22 bis rue des Pleus, 77300 Fountainbleau,
the reunion hotel.
FRANCE; Telephone (011-33-l) 60 72 5766
I thought the one-hour film on
PRESIDENT:
**Richard M. Smith, 3614 Augustana Drive, Battle Lake, MN 56515-9458 the buildup to D-Day was the best I
(Summer) Phone [phone]; Fax [phone] have seen. For those of us who
VICE PRESIDENT: have visited many war museums, the
***Francis J. Lashinsky, 8015 Gatehouse woods, PO Box 125, Cornwall. PA presentation was first-class, though
17 0 1 6 -0 125 ; Phone 7 l 7'228 -07 92 ; <fran kl ash@ earthl i n k net> much of the rnaterial we have seen
TREASURER: before.
*Francene weyland, l l l T w. Northeast Shore Dr , McHenry, lL 6005 1-92 1 1 For those of our generation, the
Phone 8 I 5-38 5-4378: FAX 8 I 5-459-043 5 museum is well worth a visit.
MEMBERSHIP & CORRESPONDING SECRETARY:
*Clayton C. David, 19 Oak Ridge Pond, Hannibal' MO 63401-6539 AFEES has a new Board member.
Robert Sweatt was named to replace
Phone: 573-221'0441
the retiring Bud Loring, who is
PX MANAGER:
**Thomas H. Brown Jr, 104 Lake Fairfield Drive, Greenville, sc 29615-1506 retiring after a decade of service.
Phone: [phone] <tbrown 1 [email protected]> Margaret and I found the food in
OTHER DIRECTORS: the French Quarter to be excellent.
**Herbert Brill, 4800 Cortland Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625; My waist line proves it.
Phone: [phone] Of course, some of our members
**Yvonne Daley, 1962 Brae-Moor Drive, Dunedin' FL 34698-3250; had to explore Bourbon Street and
Phone: [phone] ; <gadabout I 27@msn. com> sample the fare there.
**A. Ray Kubly, 1204 Amber Lane, Watertown, WI 53098; Riding the trolley brought back
*John CP.h Ronuec:i g9a2y0,- 2l46 1A-3s7h8le2y Drive, Ballston Lake, NY 12019; mwiefem oarnieds i troo doeu rth see nSito. rC chiatizrleens sc. aMr tyo
Phone [phone]
**rRoberr H. Sweatt, 5208 FM 390-W, Burton, TX 77835-9704,978-289-2073 the end of the line and Margaret
LEGAL COUNSEL; complained about the hard wooden
R.E.T. Smith, PO Box 38, Wahpeton, ND 58074;Phone: [phone] seats.
C OMMUN ICAZON,S EDITOR: The trolley rides became more
'rr,NLarry Grauerholz, PO Box 250l,Wichita Falls, TX 76307-2501; popular when we learned that the
Phone: [phone]; <[email protected]> senior citizens fare was 40 cents,
compared to the regular $1.25.
*Class 2006 **Class 2007 ***Class
of of of 2008 Had a nice note from George W.
Michel, winner of the $500 raffle
AFEES COMITTUNTCATIONS IS TEE OFFICIAL JOURNAT OF TIIE AIR pr|ze.
FORCES ESCTPE & EVASION SOCIETY. AFEES IS A TN(-EXEMPT George escaped from internment
\/ElERArrs oRGANTZATTON UNDER rRS coDE 501 (c) (19). rT tlas in Switzerland and reports that some
FOI'T{DED IN 1964 AIID IS CIIARTERED IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. people today criticize him because
THE SOCIETY'S PURPOSE IS TO ENCOI'RAGE MEI{BERS IIEI,PED BY TTTE he wear a lapel pin that shows the
RESISTANCE ORGA}fIZATIO}.IIS OR PAIRICTIC NATIONAI.S TO COITTINT'E Stars and Stripes with the Tri-Color
EXISTING FRIEI{DSHIPS OR REI{ET{ REI,ATIONSIIIPS IfITH THOSE IIITO T of France. "Little do they know
HELPED TIIET,i DT'RING TEEIR ESCAPE OR EVASION. when they start, but before they
ELIGIBTI.IfY REQTJIRES THAT ONE MUST HAVE BEEN A U.S. AIRIIAI| , leave, they do understand," he says.
HE MT'ST HAVE BEEN FORCED DOflN BEHIND ENET.IY LINES AND AVOIDED Make a note: it is Albuquerque
CAPTNTITY, OR ESCEPED TB.OM CAPTIVITY TO RETURN TO AIJ,IED next year and Kansas City in '07.
cottlRol,.
We need you there!
IN ADDITION TO REq'I,AR I.IEI{BER,SHIP, CITHER EATEGORIES OF
--DICK SIVIITH
MEI,TBERSHIP ARE HELPER !iEI'IBERS, AND FR.IEND MEI'{BERS.
SUMMER
2OO5 Page 3
MORE -- The School school in Australia. openmg ceremony.
From Page Little did I realize that the idea of The air attache in the U.S.
1 a scholarship would turn into a r
linding irimself in sirnilzu s5c0h0o sotlu wdeitnhts abny e n19ro9l6lm. ent of nearlv to
crcumstances, will receive good In March 1964 the Airmen's
foodB eafnodre c aI rhea.d J eovhenn Sfitnoikshiee:dA .I' .'F. ." cMlaesrsnrooroiaml sS, cfohouor l noapteivnee dte wacihthe rfso. uarn TowAnts vthilele O, Qffiuceeernss' lCanludb. that
reading, tears began to nickle db*n Australian headmaster named Jim some U.S. Navy
my cheeks. My prayers had been Bye, and about 40 first-throueh ary duty for a joint
answered.
fourth-grade students who stuiied with the RAAF.
A SCHOOL IS BORN English, arithmetic and penmanship When we told them the reason for
-- plus social science, which was an our trip, they offered to do a
After my trip back in 1960 was emxyptlhooralotilogny oanf dth oer atrla hdiistitoonrsy, of their flalyteorv ethre airt ttwhein -secnhgoinoel. jTewt od edliagyhsted
yeoovnued rid,n irgdn.ny A' tl nnsedel ennmoon wee nsa o wsuigemrhpe.l enP eethvrheaarn-pks I socwhnAo oc flue glwtau rrmdeeo.n nT.thhse yla etevre nm hya wd ifae p+tha+es+s g +jau+ts+hte+ ar+isn+ gI+ d+we+il+tivh+e +are +ldo+ w+m-+ay+ lt+sitp+ue+de+ech+.+
cseonudld o sntea rot fa tshceh Molearrasmhiepr afusn tdo to Dofo arotttehnyd ianngd tIh ee xspcehroieonl'cse od fftihceia tlhrill con tIa;rce t de d H aatr g<esnuashr ae@imnerc ccna.nn ebte)
The Airmen's Memorial school, Papua New Guinea
Page 4 STJMMER 2OO5
Collection scanned for pfeservation
', , For many years people attending
AFEES reunions have enjoyed the
stqdes, military records, pictures
and other memorabilia that Scotty
David has mounted in newspaper-
sizgd scrapbooks.
Anyone looking at them must
realize that they are a labor of love.
Why else would anyone be willing to
spend the many hours required to
collect and assemble so much
military history.
They represent a unique
collection of AFEES history.
In May 2004, personnel fi'om
the Defense Department who are
"Keeping the Promise" to locate
information on MIAs back to
World War II, recognized the
research value of Scotty's books.
They realized that there should be a
way to preserve such material.
Lt.Col. Joseph Sanchez and Scotty David show one of the At that time Scotty had
AFEES scrapbook pages to be scanned in Frederick, Md. compiled 18 books and had enough
material for two more.
During the past year she put the
last two books together while Lt.
Col. Joseph Sanchez and Chief
Petty Oflicer Michael Allen worked
with their department to arrange to
have the books scanned into a
digital format without damaging
them. The process, timing and
approval all came to fruition when
the two men attended the New
Orleans reunion. It was time fot
action!
Clayton and Scotty David loaded
the 20 scrapbooks into their car and
drove to Frederick, Md., for the
project to begin on Monday, May
23. Colonel Sanchez met them and
the books were delivered to the
Crowley Company.
The job involved some 1,300
pages and took several days to
complete. When Clayton and
An employee of the Crowley Company is shown working with Scot6, saw the size ofthe scanners
used and learned that they cost
one of the huge scanning machines.
some 5100,000 each, they could
appreciate the size of the operation.
Scotty and Clayton were
presente.i with DOD Commendation
Medals. which are in the form of a
ST]MMER
2OO5
Scotty and Clayton were presented with DOD Legion of tu.rf iluily
Commendation Medals, which are in the form of a
military ID or dog tag.
presented to daughter
The books have gone back to the David home in
Hannibal, Mo., but now they are scanned digital onto
hard drives for maximum quality color. of General Mihailovich
The Defense POWMissirtg .Personnel Of{ice will
have the material for a website'and put it onto DVDs At the Helpers' dinner at the AFEES reunion,
for Scotty. Fufther informati'on concerning the Miodrag D. Pesic of Belgrade announced that five
website will be announced in a future newsletter. American airmen were in Serbia then for a ceremony
honoring General Dragoljub Mihailovich.
To mark the 60th anniversary of victory in
World War II, the government of Serbia invited the
airmen and their familiies as guests.
The U.S. delegation included:
CLARE MUSGROVE, airman rescued in Serbia
ROBERT WILSON, airman rescued in Serbia
l' ARTHUR JIBILIAN, radioman, Halyard Mission
g=l GEORGE VUJNOVICH, OSS officer
CHARLES DAVIS, rescued airmen and president,
Society of Rescued American Airmen
in Serbia by Chetniks.
The American delegation delivered a Legion of
Merit citation, awarded posthumously to General
Mitrailovich from president Harry S. Truman in
1948. The decoration was presented to the general,s
daughter, Gordana.
{. tf i. :lc rF i< rF * rl. {c * + * i. rF rk ,1. ,F ,t ,B {< ,t X< ,lc rl. * N. {< l( ,} ,< ,< rl. ,k ,1. {< ,F * ,t ,1. !t
A Letter
\ from the French ambussador . .
,
Lt.Col. Joseph SancheT, II.S. Army (left) and Chief In early February, Herb Brill, an active member of
Petty Officer Michael E. AIIen, U.S. Nauy,from AFEES, received this letter
the Defense POII/MIA office at Arlington, Vo-,
From Ambassade de France, Aux Etates-Uni,
have learned they have a common interest with
L'Ambasssador
AFEES members nrul their Helpers. Washington, D.C., January 20,200s
Both attended the New Orleans reunion
Dear Mr. Brill:
A irm an magazine change I an pleased to inlbrm you that by decision of the
s President of the French Republic on January 17,2005,
to quarterly publication you have been named Knight of the Legion of Honor.
This distinction awarded by the French
SAN mAN ag Government is the confinnation of the high esteem
Airman "J,Tr1l,ltil; my cowrtry has for you. It is also a sign of the true
basis versus gratitude and appreciation for your peisonal
edition. January almanac contribution to the decisive support of the United
States to the liberation of France durins WWII.
ced photography , It is a personal pleasure for me to seld vou mv
esign. Because of
sincere and warm congratulations.
be published, but
Sincerely,
<www. af. miUnews/airman> * * * /*s /* J+ E* *A +N ;F- *D *,AF V* I+D + * L*E * V* I*T * T+ E* * * *,F + 4. * * t * * + t dr * + + rt
SUMMER
Page 6 2OO5
Belgian teens finally meet survivor
From FLORIDA TODAY, captured. But three were spirited out ,. -j'Since I'm a young boy, I have
of the area to safety by resistance been listening so many tirnes to my
Saturday, May 29,2004
| fighters. ,father when he was telling the story
With the help of the Internet, qf this heavy bomber that flew over
By NORMAN MOODY the boys tracked down several his uncle's farm before crashing in a
surviving members of the crew, meadow during World War II late
Teenagers Francois-Xavier and including Thomas Yankus of afternoon," 44-year-old Jean Noel
Mathieu Bienfait grew up hearing Rockledge. Bienfait said,
about a "ghost airplane" that fell This weekend" Yankus, the radio The mission was one of the first
near their hometown of Mons, operator and a gunner on the plane, daytime raids of Berlin. It was the
Belgium, 60 years ago. will join two of his crewmates in B-17 crew's third bombing mission.
When assigned a school project ceremonies near the site of the The target, an airplane parts
to present some local historical March +, 1944 ua$h. factory, had been hit and the Plane
facts, the boys went to their father, "This is kind of a memorial for had started on its way baok to
Jean-Noel Bienfait, for details. He everybody that didn't make it back, England. Suddenly hit by anti-
retold the story of a crewless a lot of our buddies," 80-year-old aircraft fire, the nose cone was
airplane crashing into the Yankus said, "I never imagined that knocked off, the bomb-bay dqors
countryside during World War II. 60 years later, I'd be going back." wouldn't close and holes were
The Americans will visit the punched through the plane.
The plane,. an Ameilcan B-71
bomber, crashed aJter its crew.bailed grave site and the people who "It forced us to leave the
out during a World War II bombing helped them avoid capture. formation," Yankus said. "We
mission, One of the crew died in the Townspeople and students couldn't keep up."
parachute jump, and six others were eagerly are preparing for the visit. Low on fuel, the crew of the
Medal Qeremon,t btirh the mnyor of Senlis, France, and hh staff at l'Hotel de ville in June
2004, Fromtheteft: Cnel Albert ll/alser, Christian Lucas, Vivian Yankus,
Puulette Declercq, TomYankus, Jacqueline Leroy, Arthut Delnine,
David Carter, Jacques Debras, Andree Massora
. arTr./r'[fFp
?nO5 Page 7
doomed atrcraft began throwing out
everything that wasn't essential to Tom goes back to France to see
lighten the load as they headed for
Spain insfeid. where the 'Ghost Plane' landed
"We knew we couldn't make it
,.you
back to base," Yankus said.
By TIIOMAS L. YANKUS
know you're going to survive.,r ,',,i
They jumped in the chaos of 'the Rockledge, Fla.
moment and pulled the ripcords 6f This was my first trip back to France and Belgium after 60 years.
wthhea ct htuot ees,x npoet kcnto. wing exaclly,.': ,t,' The fabulous reception that was given us will never be forgotten.
"It?s a sudden stillness and the We spent three weeks being interviewed by reporters, making TV
mothball smell of the parachute;,, appearances, being guests of honor at receptions with mayors and the
Yankus said. govemor and receiving medals. we visited schools where they were
Although the ten crew members learning how world war II affected their towns and we exchanged
had been instructed on how to use
gifts and autographs. [t was amazingto see their young people so
ne
interested.
We were provided military buses to view flyovers at a NATO
open, Yankus said. base and a trip to the museum in Brussels. They arranged to have the
Yankus suffered back and les
injuries in the jump B-17 Pink Lady from Paris flown in for our viewing.
The plane continued flying after We were then taken to Senlis, France to visit with paulette
everyone bailed out, until it ran out Declercq and Jacqueline Leroy, the French Resistance helpers who
of fuel.'It ripped the roof off a had kept us hidderr fol three months. Then Jacqueline and her
house without injuring anyone inside
and crashed in a meadow near Mons. granddaughter, Stephanie, gave us a tour of paris. pauline and
Jean-Noel Bienfait said his husband Firman drove us to Normandy to visit the grave of John
Wesp, our waist gunner whose chute failed to open. What a
memorable site; over 9,000 white crosses.
I didn't have time to visit Fretval Forest, where I was hidden for
the items over fo the Belsjan three months with 150 other airmen. Maybe next time.
resistance. This was one of the most memorable experiences in my life and it
Afterwards, the older Bienfait finally brings closure to the mystery of where our plane finally
was forced along with other
townspeople to break the plane into landed- (otherwise known as the Ghost Airplane by the Belgians.)
pieces, which were later carted off
by the Germans.
Yankus found help from the
French. They remained hidden for
months until liberated after D-Day
Yankus, his wife, Vivian, and the'
others, the plane's copilot David
{olter and his wife Jolly, and
bombardier Don Egan and his wife
Audrey, are traveling to Belgium and
France for the reunion. The men
were part of the 335th Squadron,
95th bomber Gtoup of the 8th Air
Force.
"We tqr to thank them for
helping us and they say, 'No, thank
you for liberating us," Yankus said.
John-Noel Bienfait said that in
addition to the planned activities
wwiiltlh b teh eso Amme esruicrparnis ev ehteornaonrss., there German Military offiving at the crash site March 4, Ig44
-Photo by the Lufn+affe
Page E STJMMER 2OO5
Agent known Book tells tale of B-24
as Jean Masson
crew stranded in Tibet
By CLAUDE HELIAS
Plomelin, France
Gestapo Agent Jacques Desoubrie FDr-.om the Boulder (coto.) Daitv ainimist Buddhism, little contact
(known as pierre uo,riJilr"#j""#'^" camera' December 2004 government, Tibet proved less than
a
Masson) was born in Tourcoing, hospitable -- and hard to escape.
usr6r*
French town near the; Belgian By DANIEL ZANTZINGER The airmen were lucky enough
border.
In the spring of m19a4n3 menenrae tsht aSfpfelrn'rcieter rreturned tBou fti nthde hy aobnitlay tiforand aendd o tnoe rseegtr ooufp.
"a small fair-haired (v obstacles for another. The Ti
prominent btue eyes" l:rt'::f i:t+tffii"J feared an attack from neighboring
1939-1945
and Evasion to talk about it. Fellow Chin4 a country with designs on
Femooptl oaynedd J b.My .t hLeaB nCgrluoeysm, steer tl s rih ;Hi"s-u trfef.irJnriaibrnl"e w "ea.xsp esroiences bbaricnkg iinngto thweh aatu tiot ncoomnsoiduesr eredg iiotsn
coruier between delivere< rng tirne he' too' historical fold, and were greatly
He successfully "'"' lk about it' alarmed by the anival of a military
of evaders to Purir. sl r was 1943' the height plane.
But then Desoubrreie spor Part of China- Bhutan and'N
.
true race. He was lfii,ilri'",tJiilfro were once under Tibetan military
arrest of Mr. Frederic dcel rd brutal struggle with dominion. After years of war, a
father of "Dedee" and pan' supplying ileaty was imposed upon China and
cdoaumgehtte sr inince p tahreis cona 7pt wtJurrr e Chainn aa iwr irtohu oterd onvaenrc teh evia tshtoant efh "es tfewlaoe n" aetiroenctse dw otou ldde rcelasrpeect
Mr. de Jongh andw ere "' More than 1'000 one another's borders "for ten
mfiveem RbeArsF oafi rcmoemn eat nd an 'ad' oton tKhuatn mroiuntge' fcrohmina' thouCsaonnds idyeerainrsg. "that dilemma the
supposed
Desoubrie was w, wat' bttt none had the British considered Tibet to be
to them. The airmJeno ngh something of a buffer zone against
captivity. Mr. de T#,ffi,llKlJ"%:""t Soviet designs on India.
28 March 194c4.ontinued ld in Richard Starks' and When the airmen arrived, they
Desoubrie trcutt's new book' "Lost found themselves at the center of a
infiltration work, He w: brewing military storm and were
imne tmheb ecra ipnt uprea dosf. aTnhotish er zHieurf' fHinaarno'l dS pMecnccearl'lum kTiicbkeetd a nadro Cunhdin laik, ea nad fotoo tab alelsl saesr
of Jear
the arrest Baron lead n Perram had more than degree Britain, competed for the
Nothomb (Franco), agr attention of five young men who
comet rine, and Mre !*T,Jl;i,s:|"",.0 just wanted to get back home.
194,
Legrelle in Januaryt urne hundreds of miles off But since America's support was
Desoubrie theBnu rgunc r violent storm, they were key to the success of any major
attention to the ail out into the nig-ht at move by any of the players, the
opented in the Cshuarmtresmer t as their plane ran out of airmen were for a short time de
Paris during the Jitcto prisoners of the Tibetan
With a partner in crime mding' the airmen found government, and at times of the
collected
Marcheret he taNkseln surrounded by looming effusive, partying and contriving
pairrmiseon nw.h o were oh, inl etahkes h' isgehp amraotuendt aiinnjsu roedf ChinSetsaer.k and Murcutt have crafted
Marcheret betrayed F/o Stewart frf#"' nonfiction advenfure that would
make a good action film, relying on
Mme.
recently declassifi ed government
eiol s 1
documents, contemporary
arres ads' railtoads' engines' periodicals, personal interviews and
Desoubrie was or just about everything letters, and personal experiences as
Fren
war and tried by ad eath ' and with a culture they followed the airmen's frail.
was sentenced to by a unique strain of
Decem
executed on 20
SUMMER
2OO5 Page 9
**********
*********** The way it was
SUMMARY
for the veteron
of AFEES 2005 Helperso Raffle
way back then
By FRANK LASHINSKY
From the editor's newspaper
Cornwall, Pa.
in early 1946
AFEES Raffle Chairman
The complaints from ex-
colonels down to former privates on
rn2004 the annual Helpers Raffle appeal was mailed to759 the woes of living as a civilian lead
members. In 2005 the appeal was sent ro 743 members. In 2004 this servant to believe the armed
445 or 59%o replied. In 2005 434 or 58.4% replied. forces are going to have no trouble
in recruiting a voluntary peacetime
army and navy.
Four hundred and fourteen (414) members or 55yo of those To many ex-Gls who thought
receiving the appeal in 2004, made a donation, which totaled snafu a mild term for Army life, a
$7,268, and averaged $17.56 per donor. Ninety-three percent of word can't be coined apt enough to
describe the patience with which
those responding made a donation. civilian life must be approached by a
Four hundred and seven (407) donated a total of $7,02g in veteran.
2005 (54.8%) which averaged $17.27 per donor. When he leaves a separation
center. the first contact with
civilian life many want is the luxury
In2004 mailing expenses were $541, and prizes awarded of a good hotel room. Right then is
were $500 and $250. Total expenses, including prizes, were where our hero finds out that you
$1,291, Raffle net proceeds were 55,977. have to know someone to whom the
In 2005 mailing expenses were $558.61. George W. Michel manager owes a major indebtedness
of Muskego, Wisc., winner of the first prize, donated the $500 troes geervt aatnioynw.here close to a
back to the AFEES Helpers' Fund. Total raffle proceeds were Next he discovers what the little
s6,219.39. woman was talking about when she
wrote about wartime service. The
I want to thank all who replied to the appeal, particularly tbipe llf obro tyw loo obkasg ass. kIacnec ies aat hthaelf qhuoaurrter
those who exceeded the requested donation. I especially want to enroute; the coffee shop waiffess is
thank George Michel for his generosity in donating his prize to the as indifferent as Spider Rowland is to
helpers'fund. water.
After months of dreaming about
tantalizing dishes, about the only
THE 2OO5 RAFFLE WINNERS dream on the menu is milk. With a
demand for more butter, after
spreading the waferJike slice he gets
First Place Prize ($500): George W. Michel on a cracker, he starts his education
Second Place Prize ($250): Renee Wilson, daughter of in food shortages.
He needs an educafion in how to
Roland Jenkins of Kingsburg, Calif.
laugh with the other fellow when he
Third Place Prize ($100): Russell N. Jevons of starts shopping for civies. He is
Wakefield, Kans. quick to see the advantages of
letting the Army worry about
transportation after he stands up on
Thank you all,for your mngniJicent responses. It is vital to the train to his hometown. Give our
enable our reunions, I also want to personally thank my wife hero two weeks of pleading for an
Dorothy,for her continued support and assistance. apartment and that extra room at
the in-laws begins to look like a lot
FRANK LASHINSKY, Raffle Chairman like a love nest.
Page 10 SUMMER 2005
to big trouble
A little mistake leads
II
From My Stories of World War in French. We received the first
by Virgil R. Marco Sr.' mouers soarggea,n "izMaetisosna gceosd efo nr aQrnuea rfioorn", 4th5e B
Tail Gunner 305th BG May. The next two messages base
received were "Artichoke has no without droPping their load of
By RENE LONDOZ generous heart", representing drop sup$fies. In the meantime, the
zone A. The second message was G6rrnans discovered the suspicious
Belgian Secret ArmY
"The beet does not imProve the activity from German watchtowers
During World War II the salad" for drop zone B. These secret at three Luftwaffe aerodrotnes.
OSSISOE in London Provided coded messages inforrned us that supplies, They imrnediatelY sent out
messages fo ce arms, and explosives would be motorcycle patrols to investigate.
grouPs in th dropped on field A for "artichoke" The resistanpe team for field B
designed to and field B for "beet". loaded their supplies on their horse.
The two crews to fly this mission dlawn wagon and proceeded on their
were the William G. McKee crew way to their hiding Place. The team
and the Ernest Beaumont leader instructed a man on a bicycle
Fitzpatrick, Jr. crew. They were to ride two to three hundred meters
from the 801 Bomb Gp., stationed in front and one on a bicYcle in the
messages would be negative, such as at Han'ington; England. This bomb rear at the same distance. Each was
"The afiichoke has no generous group was called the "Carpet- also instructed to sound his bell if
heart" for droP zone A and "The baggers". Instead of dropping bombs, danger appeared. The bicYclist in
beet does not imProve the salad for their missions was norrnally to front soon ran into the sound of the
drop zone B. During the other transpolt and drop supplies for the Gennan motorcYcle Patrol as he was
months with less than 31 daYs our resistance organizations. following a tum in the road. He rang
code narne was "Quebec" and the Occasionally they would trans- his bell franticallY, warning his
messages would be Positive, such as port and drop secret agents to assist comrades not far behind'
"The artichoke has a generous the lesistance forces. The Secret ArmY guides then set
heart" for droP zone A and "The They flew at night in the light of a trap for the oncoming Patrol.
beet does imProve the salad" for the moon. Their planes consisted of They opened frre killing two
drop zone B. older models of the B-24 without a Gertnans and wounding anothet' The
indeed it was on the night of nose turret. The crow consisted of rest of the German Patrol turned
received a only eight men where the regular back. The Secret ArmY added three
the Belgian bomber crews consisted of nine to more weapons to the arsenal from
on the London ten men. The supplies were in round the dead and wounded Germans.
BBC at 7:15 P.m. The message was containers in the bomb bay. Each They soon arrived at their secret
mission was flown at ffee toP level. hiding place safely with the new
The closer the flak, the lower they supplies.
flew to ovel'collle the radat and the The next daY the Germans
fighters. organized a very strong sealch of
The McKee crew was assigned the area but could not find anything'
field A and the Fitzpatrick crew was However. all the Getman units were
assigned freld B. The McKee crew put on alett. Fitzpatrick reported to
nrived first on what they thought itis cottt-uoder that he was not able
was signal A. UnfortunatelY it was to find the B signal and returned
signal B flashed by our resistance with the supplies. This resulted in a
group; The McKee B-24 dloPPed reprimand by his commanding
their load and returned to their base officer, and he was given
in England. Then the FitzPatrick instructions to retutn the next night
crew arrived a little later and saw to find the signal and droP the
signal A flashed by the resistance but supplies.
could not find signal B. The London again sent out the
resistance proceeded to gather the "Message for Quarion": "The beet
supplies dropped by mistake in field does not imPtove the salad". The
B, thinking it was the supplies commanding officer of the Secret
intended for them, and withdrew Army gave instructions to his
their signal.
,