New Story on my Website

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Dudley Henriques"
Date: 2/3/04 4:51 PM Pacific

As I say, I wasn't there and don't know the exact circumstances involved
with this case, but from what I've read in Art's post, I think I would have
given this guy a chance. 65 missions takes a lot of guts....as I'm sure Art
can relate to much better than I can!!
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt



It doesn't take guts. It was what we were trained to do. It was what we
expected to do, every one of us. It was the norm. Not to do it was what was
unthinkable.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Chris"
Date: 2/3/04 5:54 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

Everything in the 40's was in black and white, it seems, not just the
movies.


In a war you had to fight.End of story.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

The sad part of the internet is the ease with which one man can villify
another.

62 combat missions and shoot down are not done by a coward. You are
entitled
to your opinion, but it is only that.

I fail to see your experience, as valuable as it might be, allows you to
judge
other men.

Telling the history is wonderful and I thank you for those contributions. I,
for one,
can do without the pompous judgments.

Thanks.
"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
THE PILOT WHO WOULDN'T FLY

I am only telling you this story because he passed away two years ago. I
won't
reveal his identity. Let's call him Captain Johnson.
Captain Johnson's plane was badly hit over the target. He and his crew
bailed
out. But Johnson never liked to keep his chute harness buckled tight. It
gave
him cramps. So he wore it loose. On this occasion, as he bailed out he
slipped
out of the harness and it tangled around his foot. That meant that he
dangled
head down in his chute as he came to earth. He was badly shook up on
landing
and hospitalized with severe cuts and bruises and a good deal of shock.
After
he recovered he was returned to duty. At that time we needed 65 missions
to go
home. He had 62, Only three more to go. But he refused to ever fly again.
This
was serious business with a war on. He was sent to London and a staff of
psychiatrists worked on him, but he wouldn't fly. Then they said if he
flew as
an observer on the lead aircraft he could get 1½ missions credit for each
mission, He could fly two and get credit for three, and go home. He still
refused to fly. What was to be done? You can't really court marshal a man
with
62 missions for cowardice in face of the enemy. But he still wouldn't fly.
But
everyone else in the 344th damn well had to fly. Feelings were running
high.
The talk around the group was, "If I have to fly, then he has to fly. No
free
lunch. Her had a bad bailout? Too frigging bad. We all have our
troubles." My
pilot Paul Shorts said, "he was weak". When his name was brought up, the
universal response was disgust. Then one day he was gone. Fast forward 15
years
to a reunion of the 344th Bomb Group. Who should walk in but our old
friend
Captain Johnson. No one spoke to him. Many just turned their backs on him.
I
felt sorry for him. But while we were risking our necks over Germany and
losing
good men, he was curled up and whining under a blanket. He flew with us,
but
after that not a single man in the 344th considered him to be one of us.

Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Rick Folkers"
Date: 2/3/04 9:33 PM Pacific Standard Time

he sad part of the internet is the ease with which one man can villify
another.

62 combat missions and shoot down are not done by a coward. You are
entitled
to your opinion, but it is only that.


It is not just one mans judjement, It is the judjegment of an entire Bomb Group
of 4 squadrons, About 2,000 men in all.


I fail to see your experience, as valuable as it might be, allows you to
judge

Nor you. Least of all you who have no experience in the matter and no stake in
the issue.

Telling the history is wonderful and I thank you for those contributions.

Thank you


for one,
can do without the pompous judgments.


You take one with the other. Or don't read any of it. I gave you a true picture
of what happened. Do with it what you will. And I don't particulary care one
way or another. Have you ever served in a Bomb Group in a combat zone?













































Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

No, but I have spent two tours in Vietnam. I don't
give special credance to your expience over mine.
And I don't give my combat experince the right
to pontificate about a veteran who flew 62 combat
missions. Get over yourself.


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Rick Folkers"
Date: 2/3/04 9:33 PM Pacific Standard Time

he sad part of the internet is the ease with which one man can villify
another.

62 combat missions and shoot down are not done by a coward. You are
entitled
to your opinion, but it is only that.


It is not just one mans judjement, It is the judjegment of an entire Bomb
Group
of 4 squadrons, About 2,000 men in all.


I fail to see your experience, as valuable as it might be, allows you to
judge

Nor you. Least of all you who have no experience in the matter and no
stake in
the issue.

Telling the history is wonderful and I thank you for those contributions.

Thank you


for one,
can do without the pompous judgments.


You take one with the other. Or don't read any of it. I gave you a true
picture
of what happened. Do with it what you will. And I don't particulary care
one
way or another. Have you ever served in a Bomb Group in a combat zone?













































Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

I suspect Art has felt guilty about his behaviour towards a war hero and his
posting was an apology.


"Rick Folkers" wrote in message
...
No, but I have spent two tours in Vietnam. I don't
give special credance to your expience over mine.
And I don't give my combat experince the right
to pontificate about a veteran who flew 62 combat
missions. Get over yourself.


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Rick Folkers"
Date: 2/3/04 9:33 PM Pacific Standard Time

he sad part of the internet is the ease with which one man can villify
another.

62 combat missions and shoot down are not done by a coward. You are
entitled
to your opinion, but it is only that.


It is not just one mans judjement, It is the judjegment of an entire
Bomb
Group
of 4 squadrons, About 2,000 men in all.


I fail to see your experience, as valuable as it might be, allows you to
judge

Nor you. Least of all you who have no experience in the matter and no
stake in
the issue.

Telling the history is wonderful and I thank you for those
contributions.

Thank you


for one,
can do without the pompous judgments.


You take one with the other. Or don't read any of it. I gave you a true
picture
of what happened. Do with it what you will. And I don't particulary
care
one
way or another. Have you ever served in a Bomb Group in a combat zone?













































Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Paul J. Adam"
Date: 2/3/04 3:21 PM Pacific

elt sorry for him. But while we were risking our necks over Germany and
losing
good men, he was curled up and whining under a blanket. He flew with us,
but
after that not a single man in the 344th considered him to be one of us.


Remember that thousands of men were wounded, recovered and went back to
combat
duty. It was the norm. Same in the infantry. It was the norm there too.You
do
have some options in war, But not fighting isn't one of them.

Hanging by your ankle as you descend by parachute is not the norm
though and it really helps some times when you have the chance to
screw your courage up to face horrible but predictable things.

Jesus, between the blood rushing to his head, the realization that the
parachute harness was not designed to hold like that and is likely to
slip off at any second, it's wonder he ever stopped screaming.

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "John Keeney"
Date: 2/4/04 12:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Paul J. Adam"
Date: 2/3/04 3:21 PM Pacific

elt sorry for him. But while we were risking our necks over Germany and
losing
good men, he was curled up and whining under a blanket. He flew with us,
but
after that not a single man in the 344th considered him to be one of us.


Remember that thousands of men were wounded, recovered and went back to
combat
duty. It was the norm. Same in the infantry. It was the norm there too.You
do
have some options in war, But not fighting isn't one of them.

Hanging by your ankle as you descend by parachute is not the norm
though and it really helps some times when you have the chance to
screw your courage up to face horrible but predictable things.

Jesus, between the blood rushing to his head, the realization that the
parachute harness was not designed to hold like that and is likely to
slip off at any second, it's wonder he ever stopped screaming.



Wasn't there an RAF fighter pilot who lost both legs in a fiery crash,
recovered and went back to flying combat missions wearing artificial legs?



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Richard" rlmccannathotmail.com

suspect Art has felt guilty about his behaviour towards a war hero and his
posting was an apology.



We all felt fear But we kept it in a box and kept going. When he let his fear
come out of the box he showed us what might be the worst in all of us, and we
hated him for showing us that. Fear is contagious and spreads like wildfire.
Fear must be nipped in the bud, pushed out of sigh and dealt with harshly.. Did
I feel sorry for him. Yes to some degree. But I was in the minority. The vast
majority of the group wouldn't give him an inch. But after all, we were flying,
he wasn't. When one aircrew went down one guy who lost a best friend on that
mission said that if he had the chance he would blow Johnson's brains out, and
I think he really might have. Johnson never showed up at another reunion again.
Sad for all concerned.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "John Keeney"
Date: 2/4/04 12:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Paul J. Adam"
Date: 2/3/04 3:21 PM Pacific

elt sorry for him. But while we were risking our necks over Germany
and
losing
good men, he was curled up and whining under a blanket. He flew with
us,
but
after that not a single man in the 344th considered him to be one of
us.


Remember that thousands of men were wounded, recovered and went back to
combat
duty. It was the norm. Same in the infantry. It was the norm there
too.You
do
have some options in war, But not fighting isn't one of them.

Hanging by your ankle as you descend by parachute is not the norm
though and it really helps some times when you have the chance to
screw your courage up to face horrible but predictable things.

Jesus, between the blood rushing to his head, the realization that the
parachute harness was not designed to hold like that and is likely to
slip off at any second, it's wonder he ever stopped screaming.



Wasn't there an RAF fighter pilot who lost both legs in a fiery crash,
recovered and went back to flying combat missions wearing artificial legs?

Yes there was, and it was my pleasure to have known him for many years.
Douglas Bader.

Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt