Archive for the ‘U.S. Air Force’ Category
Agent Orange, B-52G, Cold War, GAM-77, Palomares, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on April 22, 2013 at 2:38 am
Nick Firda was flying one of these C-123 twin-engine transports loaded with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. It was his job to spray the enemy infested jungle with the deadly defoliant so the leaves would fall. Photo provided
It was the height of the Cold War in the 1960s. Maj. Nick Firda was flying a secret Strategic Air Command mission in a B-52 bomber loaded with atomic bombs across the Atlantic Ocean to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina when an oil pressure problem caused him to shut his first engine down. It would be the start of a long flight. Read the rest of this entry »
306th Bomb Group - 8th Air Force, B-17 "Fightin'-Bitin", Berlin
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on April 15, 2013 at 2:38 am
Lt. Fred Hocker of Englewood, Fla. holds one of the blades of a B-17 bomber’s engine called “Fightin’-Bitin’” on which he served as navigator during World War II. He was in the 306th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force in Europe. Photo provided
The six missions Lt. Fred Hocker flew over Berlin with the crew of a B-17 bomber called “Fightin’-Bitin” were the very worst of the 23 combat missions he made as a navigator in the 306 Bomb Group, 8th Air Force during World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
Belgium Congo, C-130 Hercules, Cuban Missile Crisis, Incirlik Air Force Base, Loring Air Force Base, McDill Air Force Base
In Cold War, U.S. Air Force on March 27, 2013 at 2:38 am
This was the C-130 “Hercules” crew that flew part of the 500 Belgium paratroopers to the Belgium, Congo to quell a native uprising. Norman is the airman at the far left squatting. Photo provided
For most of his 24 years of service in the Air Force Sgt. Norman Page kept C-130 “Hercules,’ four-engine transport planes flying as a senior aviation mechanic and flight engineer or crew chief. After graduating from aviation mechanics training his first assignment, a Strategic Air Command mechanic at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa in the early 1950s. Before retiring from the service in 1975, Page had traveled the world in the Air Force while fixing airplanes and crewing in them.
Read the rest of this entry »
Admiralty Islands, B-24 Liberator, Biak Island, Holandia, Jap Zeroes, New Britain Island, New Guinea, Nose art, Rabaul
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on March 22, 2013 at 2:38 am
Carl Driver of Alligator Mobile Home Park south of Punta Gorda, Fla. was a tailgunner on a B-24 “Liberator” in World War II, stands beside the nose art on his bomber “Passionate Witch.” He flew in the 13th Air Force in the Pacific. Photo provided
Carl Driver of Alligator Mobile Home Park on Taylor Road south of Punta Gorda, Fla. was the tail gunner in a B-24 “Liberator” four-engine, heavy bomber dubbed “Passionate Witch.” They were part of the 13 Air Force, 50th Bomb Group, 23 Bomb Squadron that flew from captured island air bases built by the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II.
Read the rest of this entry »
"Hotfoot Two", 333rd Squadron, 8th Air Force, 944th Bomb Group, B-17 Flying Fortress, Bury St. Edmonds, Le Mans, Stuggart
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, World War II on March 17, 2013 at 2:38 am
Clayton Raynes of La Casa mobile home park in North Port, Fla. is pictured as a 22-year-old second lieutenant when he graduated from flight school in 1943 during World War II. Photo provided
On an overcast April night in 1943 a lone B-17 bomber dubbed “Hotfoot Two” flew from Newfoundland to Greenland on its way to Scotland, Ireland, England and the war zone in Europe. The “Flying Fortress” was destined for the 8th Air Force to became one of the thousands of American, four-engine, heavy bombers to wield Hitler a knockout punch.
Read the rest of this entry »
Battle of the Bulge, B-24 Liberator, "Silver Chief", 753rd Squadron
In World War II, U.S. Air Force on March 15, 2013 at 4:38 am
This is the crew of “Silver Chief,” a B-24 in the 458th Bomb Group, 753rd Squadron, 8th Air Force during World War II. Port Charlotte, Fla. resident 1st Lt. Ed Sealy, the pilot, is second from the left in the back row. Photo provided
Their target: A road intersection near Schonberg, Germany, at the close of the Battle of the Bulge. It was Hitler’s last and largest offensive on the western front during World War II, aimed at blunting the allied advance into the “Fatherland.” Read the rest of this entry »
15th Air Force, 464 Bomb Group, 779 Bomb Squadron, B-24 Liberator, Distinguished Flying Cross, Ploesti
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, World War II on March 1, 2013 at 4:38 am
Almost 63 years after a bombing raid in a B-24 “Liberator” over German oil refineries in Romania, former Tech. Sgt. Jay T. Fish of Englewood, Fla. received the Distinguished Flying Cross in an elaborate award ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2007 along with the other eight members of the bomber’s crew. Read the rest of this entry »
B-24 Liberator, Berlin, Brown Knoser, Distinguished Flying Cross, Jimmy Stewart, ME-109s
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, World War II on February 4, 2013 at 4:38 am
Vincent Durand of Port Charlotte, Fla. holds a copy of the local newspaper that says it all: “SURRENDER SIGNED!” This picture was taken at an air base near Madison, Wis., after he returned from his tour with the 8th Air Force in England during World War II. Photo provided
Buried in a box of old pictures and military records tucked away in a chest of drawers in Vincent Durand’s Port Charlotte, Fla. home is a medal from long ago.
The bronze medal with its four-bladed airplane propeller was attached to a red, white and blue ribbon — The Distinguished Flying Cross. Read the rest of this entry »
Army Logistics School, B-26 "Marauder", B-26 "Widowmaker", Fort Mead - VA, OCS
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on January 14, 2013 at 4:37 am
Second Lt. Art Folaros of Port Charlotte, Fla. talks to a beautiful Russian army doctor outside a bar in Plzen, Czechoslovakia, near the end of the war in Europe during World War II. Photo provided
Second Lt. Art Folaros of Port Charlotte, Fla. went to Europe in 1944 and trained to fly a B-26 twin-engine Marauder attack-bomber nicknamed the “Widowmaker” to provide tactical air support for Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army. Read the rest of this entry »
Berlin Air Lift, Carlstrom Field - Arcadia, Mitchell B-25, Stearman PT-17
In Cuban Missle Crisis, Korean War, U.S. Air Force, World War II on January 2, 2013 at 4:38 am
Ed Jaworek learned to fly this Stearman PT-17 biplane at Carlstrom Field in Arcadia, Fla. in 1942. He flew a Mitchell B-25 attack bomber during the war. Photo provided
Ed Jaworek was a co-pilot who flew a Mitchell B-25 twin-engine attack bomber on low-level combat missions for the 8th Air Force in Europe during World War II. He took part in the Berlin Air Lift, in 1949 and piloted a C-46 twin-engine “Commando” transport in and out of Berlin. When the Korean war rolled around, in the 1950s, he flew a medical air transport C-47 “Gooney Bird” during the last months of that war. A C-119 “Flying Boxcar” was his plane during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Read the rest of this entry »
446 Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, B-24 Liberator, Battle of the Bulge
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, World War II on December 28, 2012 at 4:38 am
Lt. Adam Kubinciak is presented the Distinguished Flying Cross by Lt. Col. William D. Kyle during a ceremony late in the war. He received the commendation for saving his crew when his B-25 caught fire shortly after takeoff from England. Photo provided
First Lt. Adam Kubinciak was the pilot of a B-24 “Liberator” bomber named “Miss Liberty,” part of the 706th Bomb Squadron, 446 Bomb Group, 8th Air Force stationed at Bungay, in southwestern England, during World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
Emergency Defense Training Program, Military Air Lift Command
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on December 26, 2012 at 4:38 am
Joe McKenney of Arcadia, Fla. was a 19-year-old warrant officer working on the flight line for the Air Traffic Command in Casablanca, Morocco in 1945 when this picture was taken. Photo provided
Joe McKenney of Arcadia, Fla. had just graduated from aviation training at Manhattan High School in New York City in 1943 when he enrolled in the Emergency Defense Training Program to become an aviation mechanic. Read the rest of this entry »
"Blood Chit", 846th Air Force Base Unit, Dum-Dum Air Base, Merrill's Marauders, Myitkina, The Hump
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on December 17, 2012 at 4:38 am
Sgt. Pete Chisholm of Port Charlotte, Fla. with his spotted leopard. He got the cat while serving near Calcutta, India, during World War II. Photo provided by Pete Chisholm
It wasn’t the brightest move on his part, former Sgt. Pete Chisholm admitted more than 60 years later in the comfort of his Southwest Fla. apartment.
“I volunteered to help some of Merrill’s Marauders out. At the time I was an engineer on a C-47 (twin-engine transport) flying out of Dum-Dum Air Base just outside Calcutta. On most of the 47 combat missions I flew with the 846th Air Force Base Unit, we brought in soldiers and medical supplies,” the 85-year-old resident of Essex House said.
This flight was different. Read the rest of this entry »
McCoy Air Force Base, Paul Doumer Bridge, Pentagon, Sidewinder Missles, Viet Cong
In Cuban Missle Crisis, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on December 14, 2012 at 4:38 am
Col. Dick Carr of Burnt Store Isles, south of Punta Gorda, Fla., is pictured in the driver’s seat of an F-4 Phantom fighter he flew during the Vietnam War. Photo provided by Dick Carr
Retired Maj. Gen. Richard Carr of Burnt Store Isles was among the U.S. Air Force Academy’s first graduates in 1959. He spent much of his 35-year military career preparing to fight a war with the Soviet Union that never happened.
In 1962, he was involved in the “Cuban Missile Crisis.” Read the rest of this entry »
Barksdale Air Force Base, C-131 Samaritan, Kindley Air Force Base, SAC, St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, Travis Air Force Base
In Cuban Missle Crisis, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on December 12, 2012 at 4:38 am
Jean Carr of Burnt Store Isles, south of Punta Gorda, Fla., is pictured in the 1960s in her Air Force nurse dress uniform, complete with white gloves during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Photo provided by Jean Carr
Jean Carr was an Air Force nurse during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War in the 1960s.
“I wanted to be a history teacher, but my patents didn’t have the money to send me to college for four years. They decided my twin sister, Joan, and I could both become nurses. So we went to St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Peoria, Ill. for three years and became RNs. It was the best decision they ever made,” the 74-year-old nurse explained sitting at the dining table in her Burnt Store Isles home south of Punta Gorda, Fla. Read the rest of this entry »
20th Air Force, 313th Bomb Wing, 484th Squadron, 505th Bomb Group, B-29 Superfortress, General Curtis Lemay, Iwo Jima, Tinian
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on December 10, 2012 at 4:38 am
Guice Johnson graduated from the Aviation Cadet Program during World War II. He was a bombardier flying raids over Japan in a B-29 “Superfortress.” Photo provided
1st. Lt. Guice Johnson was the bombardier on the 12-man crew of the first B-29 to land on Tinian Island during the closing months of World War II.
In fact, when Capt. Walter Schroder put down the wheels, the Seabees were still working to build the runway. Read the rest of this entry »
B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress, Baka Bomb, Distinguished Flying Cross, Pine Castle Army Air Base
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on November 30, 2012 at 4:38 am
Bob Althoff of River Haven Mobile Home Park, south of Punta Gorda, Fla. holds on to “Duke V,” his 109-pound pet Doberman. The octogenarian piloted a B-29 “Superfortress” bomber on 35 missions over Japan during the closing months of World War II. Sun photo by Don Moore
Old “Iron Pants” decreed that the B-29 bombers would fly firebomb raids over Tokyo at 7,000 feet after taking command of the 20th Air Force. The “Superfortress” crews had been flying raids at 25,000 feet, Bob Althoff, pilot of one of the bombers, recalled decades later. Read the rest of this entry »
Air Force One, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Watergate
In U.S. Air Force on November 19, 2012 at 4:38 am
President Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, and their entourage visit the Great Wall of China. In the crowd was Sgt. John Harms of Port Charlotte, Fla., who served aboard Air Force One, the presidential airplane. Photo provided
Second of two parts
For 15 years Sgt. John Hames of Port Charlotte, Fla. was a flight steward aboard Air Force One. Read the rest of this entry »
Air Force One, Dallas Texas, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson
In U.S. Air Force on November 16, 2012 at 4:38 am
John Hames of Port Charlotte, Fla. holds a framed thank-you note from Jacqueline Kennedy he received from the former first lady. Above is the president’s picture. Sun photo by Paul Schmidt
First of two parts
When President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline flew to Dallas 40 years ago on a campaign swing through Texas, Sgt. John Hames was the flight steward aboard Air Force One. Read the rest of this entry »
Berlin Wall, F-105B "Thunderchief, F-86H fighter jet, National Guard, ROTC
In Air National Guard, Cold War, U.S. Air Force on October 22, 2012 at 4:38 am
Lt. Bob Thompson is pictured in his graduation photo after he received his fighter pilot wings in 1957. Photo provided by Robert Thompson
Maj. Robert Thompson was a citizen soldier and a “week-end warrior” — a member of the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron of the New Jersey Air National Guard based at McGuire Air Force Base in central New Jersey. Read the rest of this entry »
'Lady Be Good', 376th Bomb Group, CBI Theater, Leopoldville, Libya, Sahara Desert, Soluch, U.S. Air Transport Command, Wheelus Air Force Base
In Distinguished Flying Cross, Korean War, U.S. Air Force, World War II on October 5, 2012 at 4:38 am
Lt. Col. Tom Baxendale of Port Charlotte, Fla. flew almost two dozen different military airplanes during his military career that spans World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Photo provided by Tom Baxendale
On one of the 160 missions he flew over “The Hump,” Lt. Col. Tom Baxendale ran head-on into a flight of Japanese Zero fighters. He was piloting an unarmed C-46 twin-engine transport loaded with 55-gallon drums of gas. Read the rest of this entry »
Attenborough, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, Merseburg, Messerschmitt-109s, Schweinfurt
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on September 26, 2012 at 4:33 am
A B-17 like this one was similar to the one 2nd Lt. Leonard Pogue of Port Charlotte, Fla. was shot down in over Holland during World War II. Photo provided
This was like 2nd Lt. Carl Citron of North Port, Fla.’s B-24 bomber that attacked the German sub base along the coast of France. Photo provided
America’s airborne military might in Europe during World War II was hammered home by thousands of four-engine B-17 “Flying Fortress” and B-24, four-engine “Liberator” heavy bombers that dropped thousands of tons of bombs on Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” from 1943 until the end of the war two years later. By then, there was little left of most of Germany’s major cities except piles of bricks and rubble from bombing raids by Allied air forces. Read the rest of this entry »
Cam Duc, DMZ, Hercules C-130A, Khe Sahn, Laos, Royal Thai Airbase
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on September 19, 2012 at 4:38 am
This is Lt. Col. Ron Dudley’s C-130A transport crew when he was flying secret missions from the Royal Thai Air Force base in Thailand in 1967 during one of his three deployments to Vietnam. He’s the fellow in the center squatting with dark hair. Photo provided
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Dudley of Waterford subdivision in Venice, Fla. flew a “Hercules,” C-130A, four-engine transport plane full of troops or supplies on hazards missions to the front lines during three Vietnam War tours. Read the rest of this entry »
43rd Bomb Group, B-24, Ie Shima, Okinawa
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on September 14, 2012 at 4:38 am
This is the B-24 crew Chuck Rauch flew with all the time while serving in the 5th Air Force, 43rd Bomb Group, 63 Squadron in the Pacific. He is second from the left standing. Photo provided by Chuck Rauch
Two days before VJ-Day, Japan’s surrender ending World War II, former Lt. Chuck Rauch, of Punta Gorda, Fla. was flying as navigator in an all black B-24 “Liberator” bomber. He was on a night mission to attack shipping at the north end of Ie Shima Island, part of the Japanese home islands. Read the rest of this entry »
Doolittle, Distinguished Flying Cross, Nose art, "Leggy Lady" B-25 Mitchell, 10th Air Force, CBI Theater, USS Horney, Squadron M
In World War II, U.S. Air Force, Distinguished Flying Cross on August 31, 2012 at 4:38 am
This is the crew of “Leggy Lady”, a B-25H that Brown flew out of a base in Finny, India during the Second World War. He is pictured standing second from left. Photo provided
Ret. Staff Sgt. Linwood Brown of Punta Gorda, Fla. was tail gunner in “Leggy Lady,” a B-25 Mitchell medium attack bomber, part of the 10th Air Force flying bombing raids in the China, Burma, India Theater in Burma, China and Thailand in late 1944 and almost until the end of World War II in ’45. Read the rest of this entry »
21st Fighter Group, 72nd Fighter Squadron, 7th Air Force, Enola Gay, Iwo Jima, Stearman, Superfortress
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on August 6, 2012 at 4:38 am
Flight Officer Bill Springer is pictured in his leather flying jacket and helmet standing on the wing of his Stearman advanced trainer. Photo provided
Bill Springer will never forget his first night on Iwo Jima, March 1, 1945. Read the rest of this entry »
"Flying Tigers", 14th Air Force, B-24 Liberator, Kumming China, P-40 "Warhawk"
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on July 23, 2012 at 4:38 am
Joe Hart flew a B-24 bomber for the “Flying Tigers” in China during World War II. Photo provided.
“Glamour Girl” is what Lt. Joe Hart and his B-24 “Liberator” crew were going to call their World War II bomber. But they never got a chance to paint it on the nose of their four-engine plane because they were shot down by Japanese fighters over China on their second combat mission during WWII. Read the rest of this entry »
11th Bomb Group, 7th Air Force, 98th Bomb Squadron, B-24 Liberator, Fokker DR-1, Hickam Field, Pearl Harbor
In Pearl Harbor Survivor, U.S. Air Force on July 4, 2012 at 4:38 am
Arnold Heins of Port Charlotte, Fla. looks an an exact duplicate in miniature of the “Red Baron’s” Fokker DR-1 tri-plane he flew in World War I. It took Heins eight years to complete. Sun photo by Jeffery Langlois
Cpl. Arnold Heins escaped death when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 61 years ago today because he had just gotten off dining room duty at the mess hall at Hickam Field in Honolulu. Read the rest of this entry »
Ernie Pyle, Ie Shima, USS Missouri
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on June 29, 2012 at 4:38 am
Bob Normile of the Pine Brook subdivision in Venice, Fla. holds a picture of a flight of B-17 bombers like the one he co-piloted when he flew Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his staff to the surrender ceremonies in Japan, held aboard the battleship USS Missouri, which ended World War II. Sun photo by Don Moore
First Lt. Bob Normile, now living in Pine Brook in Venice, Fla. was copilot of the C-54 that flew Gen. Douglas MacArthur from Manila to Okinawa, Japan on Aug. 28, 1945, for the surrender ceremony ending World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
398th Bomb Squadron, 486 Bomb Group, 833 Bomb Squadron, 8th Air Force, B-17 Flying Fortress, Manheim
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on June 25, 2012 at 4:38 am
Waist Gunner Bob McCullough pokes his head out the gaping hole in the side of the same B-17 bomber T/Sgt. Howard Dillingham of Port Charlotte, Fla. flew in during World War II. Photo provided
It was the railroad yard at Mannheim, Germany that was almost T/Sgt. Howard W. Dillingham’s and the other seven members of his B-17 bomber crew’s undoing. Read the rest of this entry »
"Ferrets flights", B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress, Cold War, Iron Curtain, MacDill, SAC, Yokota Air Base
In Cold War, U.S. Air Force, World War II on May 4, 2012 at 4:38 am
The “Suella J” was 1st Lt. Smith’s B-29 “Super Fortress” he flew over the Soviet Union while spying on the Russians shortly after World War II. Photo provided
“Ferrets flights” are what they were called. They were aptly named because the super-secret missions in modified B-29 bombers immediately after World War II were made to ferret out information about the Soviet Union’s most sensitive military sites. Read the rest of this entry »
553 Reconnaissance Wing, Da Nang, Khe Sanh, Korat Thailand, Major Gerald Parchall, McNamara's Last Chance, Otis Air Force Base, Super Constellation
In U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on May 2, 2012 at 4:38 am
Sgt. Ed Schuppenhouer works a radio while training to become a counter-insurgency expert with the 553rd Reconnaissance Wing in Vietnam in 1967. Photo provided
Sgt. Ed Schuppenhouer was part of what was called, “McNamara’s Last Chance” when he served as a counter-insurgency specialist aboard an EC-121R four-engine Super Constellation in Vietnam in 1967-68. Read the rest of this entry »
20th Air Force, 398th Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group, B-29 Superfortress, General Curtis Lemay, Nagasaki, Norden Bombsight, Osaka, Tinian
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on April 2, 2012 at 4:38 am
The crew of the badly damaged B-29, “The Spirit of F.D.R.” stands on the tale beside the nearly disintegrated rudder of the huge four-engine bomber. Jim Hussmann of Venice, Fla. is squatting in the foreground. Photo provided
By Jim Hussmann
Special to the Sun
After graduating from the Air Corps’ Navigation School in San Marcos, Texas in December 1944, Jim Hussmann of Plantation Golf and Country Club south of Venice, Fla. was ordered to report to Alamogordo, N.M., where he and 10 other airmen specialists were to begin training as B-29 bomber combat crew. Read the rest of this entry »
Control and Warning Battalion 932, DEW Line, Loran Navigation Station, Reykjavik, Soviet "Bear" Bombers
In Cold War, U.S. Air Force on March 28, 2012 at 4:38 am
Sgt. Earl Schworm is going to church in a school bus one Sunday in Iceland. He was serving with the 932nd Control and Warning Battalion near Rockville Air Force Base in the southwestern part of the barren, treeless country. His job was to help run a radar station that was part of the DEW Line early warning system. Photo provided.
Earl Schworm, who lives in Boca View condominiums in Placida, Fla., served as a member of U.S. Air Force’s Control and Warning Battalion 932 in what became known as the “Intercept Capital of the World” during the “Cold War” of the 1950s. His job: tracking Soviet strategic bombers trying to penetrate U.S. air space. Read the rest of this entry »
Attleborough, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, Norwich, RAF, St. Lo
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, Uncategorized, World War II on March 14, 2012 at 4:38 am
The crew of “Lucky Penny” a B-24 crew is being debriefed on the runway at their home base in England following their first bombing raid along the French coast on D-Day during the Second World War. Photo provided
Jimmy Stewart taught former 2nd Lt. Nick Radosevich of Englewood, Fla. how to fly a B-17 and B-24 bombers during World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
405th Fighter Group, 509th Fighter Squadron, 9th Air Force, Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge, Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, Distinguished Unit Badge, P-47 Thunderbolt, Patton's 3rd Army, Stukas
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on March 5, 2012 at 4:38 am
At 23 2nd Lt. Bill Wells sits in the cockpit of his P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane somewhere in Europe during World War II. He flew 50 combat missions providing air support for ground troops during the war. Photo provided
For their support of Gen. George Patton ‘s 3rd Army that stopped the German offense in World War II at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge , 2nd Lt. Bill Wells’ P-47 Thunderbolt squadron received a Presidential Unit Citation. Read the rest of this entry »
316th Troop Carrier Group, 44th Troop Carrier Wing, 9th Air Force, C-47 Transport, D-Day, Fairchild PT-19A, Lands End, Operation Market Garden
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on January 18, 2012 at 4:38 am
Cadet Ted Weatherhead of Englewood stands on the wing of a Fairchild PT-19A, two-seat trainer at an airfield near Uvalde,Texas, 70 miles west of San Antonio, where he took preliminary flight training in 1943 during World War II. It was the home town of John Nance Garner, IV. FDR’s first vice president. Photo provided
Ted Weatherhead was a 21-year-old green 2nd lieutenant and co-pilot of a C-47, twin-engine, transport plane — a member of the 316th Troop Carrier Group, 44th Troop Carrier Wing, 9th Air Force — that dropped 19 fully-equipped 101st Airborne paratroopers behind enemy lines on D-Day hours before the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
13th Air Force, 18th Fighter Group of the 12th Fighter Squadron, Lou Drendel/Aviation-Art.net, Mindanao, Nose art, P-38 Lightening
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on January 9, 2012 at 4:38 am
Twenty-year old 1st Lt. William Fowkes of Port Charlotte, Fla. stands beside his favorite airplane in all the world, “Billy’s Filly,” a P-38-L fighter he flew on 37 combat missions in the South Pacific during World War II. Photo provided by William Fowkes
“Billy’s Filly” is what he called her. She was the sleekest, most beautiful, best fighter plane there was in World War II, according to Col. William Fowkes of Punta Gorda, Fla., U.S. Air Force retired. Read the rest of this entry »
Carlstrom Field, Magdeburg Germany, P-51 Mustang, Pittsburgh Smoker II, Stalag Luft 1, Stearman PT-19
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on January 6, 2012 at 4:38 am
Second Lt. Al Zimmerman flew a P-51 Mustang fighter in the 355 Fighter Group in Europe during World War II.
A gorgeous but lethal P-51 Mustang fighter plane knifing its way through puffy white clouds seemed to fly off the wall at De Carter Brown’s Port Charlotte, Fla. studio. Read the rest of this entry »
B-29 Superfortress, Gen. Curtis Lemay, Guam, Old Upper Cut, Pappy Boyington
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on December 26, 2011 at 4:38 am
1st Lt. Bob Watcher, the navigator on this all black B-29 called "Old Upper Cut," flew from a base in Guam. He was on the last B-29 mission in WWII, flown on Aug. 14, 1945, the day the Japanese surrendered. Photo provided
1st Lt. Bob Wachter of Port Charlotte, Fla. was the navigator on a B-29 bomber called “Old Upper Cut” that flew on the last “Super Fortress” mission of World War II. When his squadron left Guam on Aug. 14, 1945, he didn’t know they would fly not only the last, but the longest bomber raid of the Second World War. Read the rest of this entry »
4th Military Airlift Squadron, 62nd Airlift Wing, C-141 "Starlifter", Yom Kippur War
In U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on December 21, 2011 at 4:38 am
2nd Lt. Sam Harris of Punta Gorda Isles, Fla. squats in front of his T-38 "Talon" supersonic, two-seat jet at Lakeland Air Force Base in April 1972 during Air Force training. Photo provided
Sam Harris of Punta Gorda Isles, Fla. began his military career as a cable-splicer in the Army National Guard in 1970 and ended up in 1979 as a captain in the Air Force. He flew giant C-141 “Starlifter,” four-engine, jet transport planes around the world. In between he has lived a life filled with exciting incidents that propelled him into an airlines career in which he’s flow the globe these last four decades. Read the rest of this entry »
Ardennes, B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress, Dresden, Honr Flight, Rhineland
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on November 28, 2011 at 4:38 am
This is the crew of “This Above All”; a B-24 “Liberator” bomber Dave McKalip of Port Charlotte, Fla. flew on in World War II as part of the 8th Air Force in England. He made 30 combat missions. McKalip is standing in the back row at far right. Photo provided
David McKalip flew 30 combat missions as a radio operator on a B-24 “Liberator” bomber during World War II. The mission that made the biggest impression on him 65 years later was the flight that leveled Dresden, Germany. Read the rest of this entry »
AC-119 Stinger, AC-119K, B-29 Superfortress, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Kempo Air Field, P-52 Mustang, Tuskegee Airman
In Korean War, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War, World War II on November 9, 2011 at 4:38 am
Capt. George Hardy, standing second from the left, was co-pilot of a B-29 flying out of Kadina Air Base in Okinawa, Japan during the Korean War. They were part of the 28th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group. This was his first assignment following racial integration in the United States Air Force. Photo provided
EDITOR’S NOTE: Second of a two-part story.
When the Korean War broke out in June 1950 George Hardy’s World War II service was long behind him. He flew a P-51 “Mustang” in the 99th Fighter Squadron as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black fighter group, during the Second World War. Read the rest of this entry »
Admiral "Bull" Halsey, B-29 Superfortress, General Curtis Lemay, Nose art, Tanaka Termite
In Distinguished Flying Cross, U.S. Air Force, World War II on September 28, 2011 at 4:38 am
2nd Lt. Ken Stetson of Englewood, Fla. is pictured when he graduated from flight school and received his wings during WW II. He flew a B-29 bomber on 30 combat missions over Japan. Photo provided
1st Lt. Ken Stetson, was at the controls of a B-29 “Superfortress” the crew named “Tanaka Termite” when it was attacked by Japanese fighter planes while flying in formation over Mount Fuji on their first of 30 combat missions to Japan. Read the rest of this entry »
Cam Rahn Bay, Danang, Panama Canal Zone, Sea Grape Gallery, Vietnam
In U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on September 21, 2011 at 4:38 am
2nd Lt. Thelma Daida of Port Charlotte, Fla. is pictured in her fatigues while taking basic training at Shepard Air Force Base in Texas in 1965. She spent a year serving as a surgical nurse in the Air Force in Vietnam. Photo provided
1st Lt. Thelma Daida was a surgical nurse working in the only in-country U.S. Army Air Force Hospital in Vietnam in 1965 located on the giant airbase at Cam Rahn Bay. It was an exciting time to be a 20-year-old nurse serving in Southeast Asia. Read the rest of this entry »
Anzio, Distinguished Service Cross, General George Patton, German JU-88 "Junkers", Monte Cassino, Presidential Unit Citation, Salerno
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on September 14, 2011 at 4:38 am
Sgt. Sam Burns wearing the Distinguished Service Cross, the second higest medal for bravery, on his breast pocket. Directly above is a ribbon noting he took part in the Italian Campaign and participated in four major battles during World War II. He was 22 when the picture was taken in Baltimore, Md. after the war. Photo provided
The barrel of Cpl. Sam Burns’ .50 caliber machine-gun glowed red from the heat of 1,000 bullets. He was firing at the twin-engine German JU-88 “Junkers” bombers strafing their artillery outfit in the Tunisian desert of North African in December 1942. Read the rest of this entry »
447th Bomb Group, 47th Wing 8th Air Force, 711th Bomb Squadron, B-17 Flying Fortress, Drew Field
In U.S. Air Force, World War II on September 2, 2011 at 4:38 am
A flight of B17 Flying Fortresses, part of the 447th Bomb Group, 711th Bomb Squadron, 47th Wing of the 8th Air Force, come under attack over Nazi-occupied Europe by German fighter planes. Art courtesy of Lou Drendel/Aviation-Art.net
Harold Kloth of Lexington Manor in Port Charlotte, Fla. flew 30 combat missions as the pilot of a B-17 bomber nicknamed “Royal Flush” as part of the 8th Air Force in Europe during World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
4925th Test Group Atomic, B-45C "Tornado", B-47 "Stratojet", B-52 "Stratofortress", Enewetak, Kirtland Air Force Base, Lackland Air Force Base, Norden Bomb Site
In U.S. Air Force on August 10, 2011 at 4:38 am
Airman Tom Cory, 20, shortly after graduating from boot camp in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in 1952. Photo Provided
Tom Cory of Buttonwood Village mobile home park, Punta Gorda was an aviation mechanic who kept a “Tornado,” B-45C, atomic bomber flying. It was America’s first four-engine jet bomber built during the Korean War era of the early 1950s to deliver an A-bomb to an enemy target. Read the rest of this entry »
15th Air Force, 301st Bomb Group, 419th Bomb Squadron, B-17 Flying Fortress, Distinguished Flying Cross, Focke Wulf-190, Messerschmidt 109, Presidential Unit Citation
In Distinguished Flying Cross, Presidential Unit Citation, U.S. Air Force on July 29, 2011 at 4:38 am
Capt. Bill Schultz is pictured when he was flying a B-17 bomber as part of the 15th Air Force in World War II. Photo provided
Bill Schultz flew from a field in Foggia, Italy, as the pilot of a B-17 “Flying Fortress” in World War II. The 87-year-old North Port, Fla. resident, who lives in the Lazy River manufactured home park, was a member of the 301st Bomb Group, 419th Bomb Squadron, 15th Air Force 65 years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
314th Airlift Wing, Da Nang, Dyess Air Force Base, Edwards Air Force Base, Khe Sanh, Little Rock Air Force Base, McGuire Air Force Base, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Just Cause, Tet Offensive
In U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War on July 18, 2011 at 4:38 am
Brig. Gen. Fred Buckingham of Punta Gorda, Fla. is pictured at his desk at Little Rock Air Force base in Little Rock, Ark. He was the commander of the 314th Airlift Wing at the base when the picture was taken in 1994 shortly before retiring. Photo provided
Lt. Fred Buckingham flew his C-130 “Hercules,” four-engine transport plane to Vietnam just in time for the North Vietnamese Army’s siege of the Marine base at Khe Sanh, the biggest single battle of the war, and the enemy’s massive Tet Offensive, where every major city and many American military bases were attacked in a countrywide coordinated assault. Read the rest of this entry »
