[ Post a Response | 457th Bomb Group Message Board ]
Posted by Alan Morton
on 6/26/2008, 6:34 pm, in reply to "42-102464 - Edward Nabozny"
99.162.86.12
For the record: Since Stasiu didn't respond to my last posted message of 6/22/08, I sent him an Email and asked him for an indication of "Where did we end up on this issue?" Why? Because Eric and I spent a lot of personal man hours and telephone 411 information call dollars trying to give him insight and visibility about the plight of T/Sgt Edward Nabozny. Personally, before I answered him I knew (65 years after the fact alone), the odds of finding any of the crew or immediate family still alive or able to communicate for health reasons would be remote.
When I was flying Combat Missions with the 457th BG, 750 BS I was 19 years old. I'm 83 years old today. Most Flying Officers were in the 21 to 24 year old bracket because their Officer training time took longer. So these same Officers are now in their 84 to 87+ age bracket or older today ... if alive. We're dying like house flies today!
Another factor: CREW PHOTOS. Some Flight Crews had cameras and were "Gung Ho" continually taking photos of their Aircraft and Crew ... Other Flight Officers and Crews had no cameras or acted like we were on Secret Combat Missions and took NO or few Photos of the Total Flight Crew or the various A/C we flew.
As for: "Aircraft Nose Art" ... When I went out the A/C that we were assigned to fly that Mission day it was PITCH BLACK DARK and damp COLD in the early morning hours. The last thing on my mind was what's the A/C Nose Art? When we arrived back at the base after a 10 hour Mission it was getting or was dark and I had to get my gear and guns together back to supply and go to Mission debriefing ... and, my shot of whiskey. The last thing on my mind was the Nose Art on the A/C. This novelty only set in and really became popular only after the War was over and our reflection set in about the A/C we flew and their pet Nose Art Girls and off-color names. This Nose Art was really popular with the Fighter Pilots and their personally assigned P-51's, P-47's Fighter A/C and the like.
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