Or episodes of "Twelve O'Clock High" as a kid.......my Dad would wake me
up/let me stay up for it ......sawthe same plane here a coupla yrs ago and
took 2 of my boys on a tour of the 17 and the B24(?) 'the Dragon and His
Tale' with it ........best part ....hearing all 4 B17 engines start and
'sing'...........must be some kinda 'Healey'
thing.........vroom,vroom.............HoYo
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Davies" <rdavies1@cox.net>
To: "davidwjones" <davidwjones@cox.net>; "Healeys" <healeys@Autox.Team.Net>
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 8:24 PM
Subject: RE: Rememerance Day (no Healey content)
> Well said.
> In the slight chance you haven't watched "Memphis Bell", I highly
recommend
> it.
> Ron
> 67 BJ8
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-healeys@Autox.Team.Net
> [mailto:owner-healeys@Autox.Team.Net]On Behalf Of davidwjones
> Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 3:52 PM
> To: Rich C; healeys@Autox.Team.Net
> Subject: Re: Rememerance Day (no Healey content)
>
>
> Last year, my sisters and some friends bought me a pass to go for a "check
> flight" on a fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress when it was here in the
> area.
> -Part of a national tour.
> They bought the passes in particular because our father had been a lead
> navigator in England for the 100th bomb group (the Bloody Hundredth).
> On the flight, I spent some of the time at what had been my father's post,
> at
> the nav table and waist gunner positions, but also checking out the
turrets,
> and flight deck. -I took along my father's leather bound personal flight
log
> and his painted bomber jacket, which interested the flight crew.
> Like a lot of his generation, he never really talked about his time in
WWII.
> Most of what I know is from dusty old B&W photos, medals and 2 purple
hearts
> -apparently "relatively minor" from shrapnel.
> Experiencing briefly the intense cold, incredible noise, cramped spaces,
and
> the feeling of exposure when thinking about flak and fighter planes,
plowing
> along in the antique behemoth, I realized that I cannot even imagine what
it
> must have been like, even now. ---And not just once, but 20 to 30 and 35
> times, and all the while losing friends, and comrades. -And this, all
> relatively easy, compared with the trials of ground troops!
> The aircraft itself and it's equipment was amazing to see, -but thinking
> about
> the crews that manned them leaves me without words.
> The bomber jacket and log that I mentioned have since been donated to the
> new
> WWII Memorial flight museum in GB. Someday, I hope to get there to see the
> entire memorial.
> I've been thinking a lot today about the contributions of past and current
> military members, and I appreciated reading the contributions to the list
on
> the topic.
>
> David W. Jones
> '62 Mk II BT7 tricarb
> Cumberland, RI USA
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