THE FINAL MISSION

Sometimes you luck out and catch a fascinating program on TV by mistake.  My timing was perfect for the July 4th holiday weekend to catch on Wisconsin Public TV, the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) : The Final Mission, a program about their restored B-17 short flights for bomber veterans, family of those folks/ plane aficionados, etc out of Osh Kosh, WI... A flight costing in the $400 range.  

courtesy of EAA photo gallery

The gentleman who arranges these flights, Chris Henry, researches the past, finding photos and historical facts re: their missions/past service/ whatever connections. Chris has a very rewarding job besides the fact he has been in love with the B-17 since he was 12 years old when a B-17 basically came down in his hometown and he helped repair it.

I wanted to share a couple of Bomber B-17 stories Chris Henry told about some passengers. 

There actually was a Wisconsin veteran crew flight in April 2013.  

WWII veterans gather for a photo in front of the EAA's B-17, Aluminum Overcast, in Oshkosh on Monday, April 14. Ten veteran B-17 crew members were assembled to share stories and take a flight.
Photo By Todd Ponath  

As you might imagine it's not so easy to gather a veteran crew of 10  considering these WWII vets are now in their late 80's and early 90's. There were cancellations with health being one main obstacle and unbeknownst to the organizer the day of the event, the weather. He had never considered the possibility of snow in April. Well, hey it is Wisconsin, but at least they would be able to climb into the bomber where their names had been stenciled just as they had been 7 decades before. Fortunately there was a break in the snowstorm and the flight was cleared for take off, so off they went. Upon its return the men seemed rejuvenated despite the cold trip.  These planes didn't have insulation. Yet, there were no complaints as these seniors reminisced about these same temps of their late teen flying days.  Even though these guys hadn't met before, they told stories and joked with each other as they had shared similar B-17 experiences. What a flight that must have been!

Another story was an unusual flight request from Faith Goldman, whose husband was not in the military but was a Holocaust survivor and he really wanted to fly on a B-17. The connection was towards the end of WWII a B-17 had dropped food

Photo of one of the food drops in Holland was called Chowdown

packages for the starving concentration camp prisoners of which he was a recipient. That B-17 bread and cheese drop mission had meant so much to him.  His wife also said they really didn't have the funds for him to go on the flight due to large medical expenses. Sigh. Chris took down her name and number.

Lo and behold a half an hour later, a call came in from a recent passenger who was so pleased to have flown on a previous flight  he'd wanted to donate monies anonymously for those who couldn't afford to go. A small miracle indeed but the story doesn't end here... Not long thereafter a flight request came in from a son who called for a flight for his Dad who had flown numerous flights but the flight he was most proud of as a B-17 pilot on the Pandemonium Reigns was the food dropping over the same concentration camp of Mr. Goldman. Chris Henry put the pilot and the Holocaust survivor on the same flight and didn't tell them the connection until they were on board. One can just imagine the emotions aboard that flight. The story gives me goose bumps every time I think about it. 

The last story I'll share is about legacy, the legacy of this 'close' group of bomber fly men.  A family member who had just flown with his Dad called to say they needed a bomber jacket for his Dad to be sent out by overnight express delivery.  Chris explained that this would cost an absorbent amount ($65 postage) and it'd be cheaper to send it priority mail with a 2-day arrival time at much lower $12.  The son then recounted what had occurred the previous night. When the family returned home after the B-17 flight, they all had a whiskey, a tradition of a successful B-17 flight and his father had then expressed he really wanted to be buried in a B-17 flyer jacket. His Dad passed away that evening and his funeral would be the following day... 


And, of course, he was buried in a B-17 jacket...
A legacy indeed.

There are were many memories and stories...

If you would like to donate and make it possible for others to have a B-17 experience, here's the link:B 17 Aluminum Aircraft Keep it Flying