Bob had told me a couple of years ago he was in the process of compiling the data from his research after which he planned to author the story for the purpose of informing relatives and friends of just what it was like to have been a World War II pilot facing intense enemy fire while trying to complete a bombing mission.
Bob gathered data from files obtained from the Department of Defense which up until recently had been closed to the public. Recently, Bob sent me a copy of his story about Ace.
It is fairly long but I found it so interesting I read it all at one sitting. Bob also included quite a few informative photos including shots of the airplanes used during the air war in Europe as well as interesting detail on how they were constructed. I thought this week I would put the entire narrative on our website rather than serialize it because I think it is more interesting and meaningful to read at one time in its entirety.
The story is a wonderful tribute to the heroic efforts of Ace and his fellow pilots. I was greatly impressed by the brave sacrifice of so many American soldiers and airmen who were fighting so bravely to the point of death to save Europe from its own destruction.
How this story of sacrifice and unselfishness contrasts with the image Europeans want to portray we Americans today; how soon they forget! I believe many of you will find the narrative very informative and more than that, reinforces the belief that many of the most courageous, heroic and capable young men our country ever produced were lost in this selfless effort to save Europe from the despotism of Nazism. When I was an early teenager in , my oldest brother, Ace, was a hero to me.
