Yesterday while I was out of town working, my dad brought some of his buddies from the local 8th AF Association to my hangar to see my T-33. Among them was Col (ret) John Gibbons, a pilot on 100th BG B-17 "Miss Irish". Dad wrote me in an email this morning that Mr. Gibbons told him of one mission where they took a direct hit from flak that nearly cut his airplane in two, but they managed to limp home. Mr. Gibbons recognized my "Rosie's Riveters" B-17 print on the hangar wall and mentioned he was in the same squadron as Rosie Rosenthal. Holy crap!
Gonna have to talk to dad about coordinating our schedules next time so I'm in town for these kinds of visits. My dad is inviting them back next time I fly the T-Bird so I'm excited to meet Mr. Gibbons and a couple other B-17 vets. If any of you historians know the story of B-17 "Miss Irish" let me know. Hearing the WWII vets' stories is awesome. I met a WWII B-24 flight engineer vet at the Honolulu Int'l Airport last week. Whenever I meet an older guy wearing a ball cap with "USAF" or "8th AF" etc. on it I inquire if they served and then let them tell their story--too cool. Anyway, the B-24 flight eng told me about being held back stateside after initial training for the duration of the war to be a flight eng instructor. He went on to fly flight eng on B-29s and C-119s. I love encounters like that!
. I met another passenger a year or so ago in a jetway boarding early in his wheelchair and was wearing some WWII fighter group ball cap and I asked him if he served in that group and what he did. He answered yes he served and flew P-38s and P-51s. I asked him his impressions of the airplanes and he said, "the P-38 was a piece of sh*t, but the P-51 was a Cadillac!!" His wife just grinned and shook her head and he went on to praise the P-51 for a few more minutes, then I had to get going to work. Wish I could have talked longer.
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