Mary Ann
This is my family’s Veteran’s Day story –
During WWII, my father was a P51 Mustang fighter pilot with the 15th Air Force, 51st Fighter Wing, Group 325, and Squadron 319 in the European Theater that included Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He was a member of the Checkerboard Clan – that is the tail patterns that identified the different squadrons. Being a P51 Mustang fighter pilot in WWII was like being an X-Wing Starfighter pilot in Star War Movies – brave warriors. He flew 51 missions.
He was that all-American boy from small town America who was doing his duty for his country. He was the best of the Greatest Generation.
This is the public story, but I would like to share his own Greatest Generation Story that he shared in recent years with friends and family.
As the Germans were leaving Greece at the end of the WWII, my father was on a mission to attack them in the former Yugoslavia. When his group left in the morning, the weather was bad and grew worse as the day progressed. During the mission, his plane was hit with shrapnel, and the instruments ceased to function. Upon leaving the area, he was separated from the group. Now lost, he was surrounded by white clouds and could not see anything. He did not know where he was – the compass was broken. He knew if he would fly higher, he would need oxygen, but the oxygen was not working so at that height, he would pass out and crash. If he flew low, he could possibly run into a mountain or run out of gas and plunge into the ocean. He had few options.
At that moment, he said a prayer asking God for help, and the surrounding white opened with a patch of blue. He flew through it, and he was over a river that he followed to the sea. He was saved.
However, it did not end there. My father’s plane was nearly out of gas, so he had to land. There was an island, Vis, off the coast of the former Yugoslavia that was used as a base to rescue downed pilots. If you saw the second Mama Mia movie, that was the island of Vis. There was uncertainty about who would greet him upon landing. There were both Serbs and Croatians on the island. If the Serbs found you, they would turn you over to the Germans, and you would be a POW. If the Croatians rescued you, they would help you. Luckily, the Croatians found him, sheltered him, and got him fuel for his plane so he could fly back to Italy in the morning.
My father came back to the United States after he completed his 51 missions to prepare to leave for the Japanese Theater. Then, Hiroshima happened, and the war ended. He returned to civilian life; however, he remained in the Air Force Reserves until he retired in 1986.
My father and our family would not be here if it were not for that prayer. I often say that we are all here because of a wing and a prayer. Thank you for a well-built P51 and the grace of God. My father, as a teacher and coach, has made a difference in the world touching the lives of countless young people. Imagine if he had not.
Silver Sage Sisters 