Warbird Information Exchange

Ummmm...if you had met him in person I think you would have a different impression of the man also.

John

I also remember meeting Pappy Boyington at Oshkosh back in the 80's. He was pleasant to me at least, I would have been about 13 or 14 at the time, but there were other older people in line with me who he was more abrasive with.

My more recent experience was in 2003 at Oshkosh. I had my two boys with me, they were 8 and 5 at the time, and we were camping at Camp Scholler. We had just left the warbird area to walk back to where we had parked our bikes near the theatre in the woods. We were walking along and both boys were whipped from a long day, and this man driving a golf cart passed us going the other direction, as he passed us he slowed and turned around and came back and asked us if we would like a ride to where we were going. We sat down in the golf cart and after he asked where we were going he turned and asked my kids if they were having a good time, and what they liked. While he was talking with my kids I noticed his name tag that simply said: Scott Crossfield. Now I knew who he was, but my kids had no clue at this time, other than he had saved their feet from a long walk back. He never mentioned himself or talked about himself, he simply listened to my kids tell him what they liked, and had looked at, and what there favorites things were about Oshkosh. When he dropped us off I said "Thank You Mr. Crossfield". After he left, my kids wondered how I knew him, I explained to them that when we got in the golf cart I didn't realize who he was, but after we rode along I had seen his name tag. We then went on to discuss "Who" he was. Since that time they have gone on to learn more about him, and his accomplishments, and have said many times "Remember When?" A memory that we as a family will carry with us for a very long time.

Eric

Mustangdriver's post about Yeager is one of the first positive encounters I've read about him in ages. I met him at the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends... he was the only guy there who seemed like the whole affair was a waste of his time, while the other pilots were as kind and appreciative and cordial as could be.

My two favorite encounters were with Horst Petzschler and Hans-Ekkehard Bob. Petzschler was appearing at an art show in Jacksonville a week before I was to be married (the first time), and my fiancee and I went up to see him. I also built a model of his Bf 109G-6/AS "Black 14", and he just lit up when he saw it... he was one funny guy, and he gave me a Jagdgeschwader Udet cuff title and a few pics, and I got a pic of him with his arm around me while I'm holding the 109, and he's got this look on his face like, "That's my boy!"

H-E Bob was a guest of Jerry and Judy Crandall at the 2001 IPMS Nats, and I got to spend a little time with him. One day at the show, I came in wearing an He 162 T-shirt, and he almost ran across the room to come talk to me about the 162... again, just the most gregarious and happy guy you could ever hope to run into.

We're losing all these men quickly... I know it's often said, but can't be stated enough, take a moment to speak with them if you have the good fortune to be in their presence.

Lynn

I posted this story in WIX back in October...

I met a quiet, unassuming gentleman looking over my T-33 at Oshkosh in 2004. He'd flown them in USAF pilot training and went on to be a search and rescue helicopter pilot. I didn't have any idea of his harrowing search and rescue missions in the Vietnam War til he sent me copy of his personal autobiography weeks later. Turns out he won a DFC and had flown into some verrry hot situations...one brave dude! Every year at Oshkosh we meet up again. I am honored to be his friend. He wrote about the experience seeing his old jet again for a website one of my airport buddies put together. Check out the link below and hear him tell the story much better than I could.


http://www.area51hangars.com/logbook/veteransVoices/JoeConnell/JoeConnell.html

Two memorable encounters for me.........both when I was working at ISM: Meeting General Tibbets and shaking his hand was the first one. I was so in awe of this "real life" hero in front of me that I was pretty much speechless (which almost never happens).

The second one was meeting WASP Bea Falk Haydu and being able to have a brief conversation with her about the WASP program. I had done my thesis for my BA on the WASP, so it was just an incredible honor for me!

Thanks for sharing, that sounds like a great friendship.

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Share your story: Rutgers Oral History Archive http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/

I was at Oshkosh a few years ago waiting in a long, meandering line to eat lunch at the Warbird Cafe when an older gentleman approached on a golf cart coming from the flightline trying to get to the road in front of the warbird tower. He stopped in front of our crowded lunch line and patiently waited to pass through, but nobody recognized him...then I realized who it was. I yelled out, "gentlemen, make a hole for Mr. Crossfield!" The folks in line "made a hole" and he smiled, waved and drove on. I jogged/caught up to his cart and said, "excuse me, Mr. Crossfield?" He turned and smiled and I asked if he remembered my late uncle (Bob Field) who'd worked for North American as a propulsion engineer on the X-15. "Sure I do...he tried to blow me up a couple times!" I laughed and joked that he probably didn't mean to. He asked how my aunt was doing (she had some entertaining stories about Crossfield at the North American parties) and asked me to say "hi" to her. He couldn't have been nicer.

Hey Paul,

So I am sitting here at work this morning, with that s*it eater grin on my face, with tears running down my cheeks. I haven't been moved so much by something I've read in quite some time. The gentlemen’s account of his ride in your T-33 was beautifully written and made me feel like I was right there with him. I will never understand exactly what it was like for him, but I think you helped to facilitate something really magical and you should be proud of yourself. I think it's a beautiful story and equally as beautiful a friendship. Anyhow, the point was I was moved by it and I appreciate you sharing his story.

Steph

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"It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane." Charles Lindbergh

Thanks Steph and TAdan! Joe and I are gonna go flying again at Oshkosh this year--it's getting to be an annual tradition. It's a great experience to fly with the vets who've flown or maintained the old bird. It's one of the best things about flying a warbird.

Funny thing.. Something in one of the other posts struck me.

When I encountered Gen. Tibbets at MAAM last year, it was at the crew area for lunch. Now, what struck me was that while all of the CAP kids and others were chasing and sniffing around R. Lee Ermey, a former Marine and TV/Movie Star, General Tibbets who is one of the most famous American heroes of the time was being largely ignored.

It struck me that all of these people were wasting what to some is a once-in a lifetime opportunity to have even a brief conversation with this man, who is well into his 90's.

I just though that it was a great waste of an opportunity and it spoke of the sad modern day definition of "hero". Glitz over substance.

Not to belittle R. Lee's accomplishments or question his patriotism, but he is no comparison to General Paul W. Tibbets.






I have to credit WIX'er Jase for shooting the picture, as he was there as well.

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Kevin Kearney
Vice President
Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation


C-54D "Spirit of Freedom" 43-17228
C-97 "Angel of Deliverance" 52-2718 (painted as YC-97A 45-59595)
C-54E/R5D-4 "Spirit of Freedom" 44-9144 BuNo 90414 (wfu April/2020)
http://www.spiritoffreedom.org

Well, here goes my little story.

Back in the mid 80's they used to have shows down at Brown Field and would bring in some really nice stuff from the CAF and private birds and would also set up a vendors area with folks signing books and selling stuff.

One of the cool things going on was that they where letting folks sit in the cockpit of a T-6 and take their pics. I was just getting into warbirds and was quite eager to jump in the seat for my pic. After I jumped out one of the crewmembers handed me a small certificate that stated that I had sat in a real T-6! It was pretty neat so I gave it to my girlfriend to hold for me.

As we cruised around, she handed me the certificate and told me I should get some autographs from the pilots so I headed for the first bird I saw, Lefty Gardners Lightning. I had no clue who Lefty was so I asked if the pilot could sign my little paper for me. He looked at me and said out loud "Somebody get me a pilot over here!" So, another gentleman came up to us with a smile on his face, chatted with me for a bit and signed my paper and I walked away happy with absolutely no clue who had just signed my paper! It was George Gay! Wish I had known better or asked more questions. Oh well!

Also at this little event was Boyington, who was really nice to me and also signed my paper for me. He was more interested in checking out my then girlfriend than anwering my goofy question, but, the question that got his attention was when I asked what he thought of the guy selling books claiming he had shot down Boyington, a Mike something, and was also there selling his book. He stood up, pointed at him and in no low voice stated "That MotherF$*)#$ never shot me down!" End of questions!

Good times! And I still have that little piece of paper!

Same here man. You just put your finger on why I drive 4 hours one weekend a month to volunteer at the NMUSAF. You can always see this there, and it is great, and special to play a role in that. I was once giving a tour around the WWII Gallery when I saw a man standing there infront of Shoo Shoo Baby with tears in his eyes. I had someone else continue the tour and started to talk to this gentleman. He told me he was an 8th AF top turret gunner in the B-17. In the same Bomb Group as Shoo Shoo Baby. We talked for an hour, and I was able to get a hold of our co-ordinator at the front desk who was able to get the man into Shoo Shoo Baby. We took some pics of him in the aircraft.

The other one that stands in my mind is the one year that Fifi came to KAGC. I didn't work where I do now and did not have a ID badge to get on to the ramp, so I had to wait for the crew to open the gate at the field so that I could go see the B-29. While I was waiting with a few other vets, I started talking to one of them who was a former B-29 crewmember. He told me of a few close calls they had, and that he had not seen one sice the end of WWII. When we go to the gate, there was a sign there that read B-29 Tours $10.00. I could tell that he did not have the money, as he was digging around in his pockets. He then said, well if you saw one you saw them all right? I handed the guy at teh gate a twenty, and said "Come on you have to give me a tour!" He was shocked, and gave me the best our there was. When we got into the cockpit, the CAF crew member told him that people are not allowed to sit in the cockpit, but too go ahead anyway. I got great pics of him in the pilot's seat. I got his address and mailed him some pics. His family wrote me back, thanked me, and enclosed a few copies of his WWII crew. That is one of the best things I ever did in my life.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

The problem is not with these people...but with the people that place such high expectations on them.

Being a military pilot and having exemplary accomplishments or courage DOES NOT make you an extraordinary human being. These guys are just people that did some amazing things in an airplane. It means nothing with respect to what kind of person they are.

I fly with guys I would never leave alone with my wife or sister, yet I'd trust them with my life in combat. What you do in the cockpit is utterly removed from what happens on the ground outside of it.

A family friend of ours' is a retired Navy test pilot as well as retired from flight testing for NASA. He told us he met Yeager at a pilot's party and found him to be arrogant. I'd heard that from other sources as well. He might very well be arrogant like Boyington and some of the others, but I still think they're heros. They put their asses on the line numerous times for this country.

Yeager took over flying the X-1 because Slick Goodlin wanted more money than Bell was willing to pay. Yeager flew it on his regular military pay without any extra hazard duty pay. This was after many engineers said the X-1 would disintegrate trying to fly past mach 1. That's on top of his combat service in WWII, Vietnam and other flight testing. Boyington sticks out for his service in the Pacific.

So what I'm trying to say is, these men aren't entertainers. These men gained their fame through military action. They tend to have big ego's which can be a good attribute for someone in combat. As such we shouldn't exactly hold them to a high standard of friendliness. If someone is offended by their behavior, don't buy their books, etc.

And lastly, actors and proffesional athletes are not heros. They're entertainers. Some of them are vastly overpaid and act spoiled. I get so tired of people fawning all over them.


That's my 2 cents

speaking at length with Don Blakeslee and Fred Cristianson of the 56th fg.........