My Memorial Day
As you know from my posts, my M35A2 is still not back up and running. The mechanic did not show this weekend, so we worked on other things; we began the resuscitation of an M66 ring and legs to install on the truck.
My wife and her friend went to the D-Day museum in New Orleans yesterday. I stayed home getting things ready for my MBA class that I have to teach starting tomorrow. I did take a little time to go outside and tap out some screw holes on the M66 ring and start the process of drilling out broken screws and re-tapping.
On Memorial Day, I felt an extra sense of purpose as I worked on that M66 ring. It seems like I owe a lot of vets quite a bit to make sure that this restoration is as good as I can afford it to be. You seem back in the 1980's, when I served as a CAF wing leader, the WWII vets were like Nam vets today. Now, 30 years later, the WWII vets are going very quickly.
Years ago, I had the pleasure to meet men who were on both sides of the fight.
Today I am sure that most are gone.
I met Pappy Boyington. I have his books signed to me personally.
I met George Gay, the sole survivor of Torpedo 8 from the Battle of Midway. I have his book signed to me personally.
I met Masajiro Kawato, the Japanese ace who shot down Pappy Boyington. I have his book signed to me personally.
I have a litho of the Memphis Belle signed by the MB's pilot.
As a member of the Deutcheshaus in New Orleans, I met two German WWII vets, both are now gone. One was named Max - he was a German U-Boat sailor who managed to escape a sinking U-Boat and spent much of the war in a POW camp. The other was Carl, who was in training for the Luftwaffe, but when the invasion came at Normandy, was handed a rifle.
Sorry for babbling. Much of my WWII vet tribute were in my memories.
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