SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET

Sgt. Greigo's Flak Jacket

Emilio Griego was our engineer/tail gunner. He was short smiley fellow with a
shy grin and a shy manner. When you spoke to him he would look at the ground,
smiling but always answer you with a snappy "Yes Sir" and get to work with
great energy and dedication. He was a very good engineer and Paul (Paul Shorts
Lake Charles LA our pilot) depended on him a lot to work with the mechanics to
keep "Willie" in good shape. Very often he would be up all through the night
working with the mechanics to make sure all would be well for the morning
mission. He was a good soldier, a fine fellow and an asset to our crew that we
all appreciated. But he did have one shortcoming, he wouldn't follow orders. A
particular set of orders that is. He would never wear his flak jacket. He would
sit on it. We would scream at him to put the damn jacket on. He would smile and
say "yes sir, I'll wear it". But on the next mission it was the same thing.
Ordering, screaming, yelling, threatening could never get Griego to wear that
damn flak jacket. But he always said, "yes sir. I'll wear it next time". But he
never did. Then on the 24th of March 1945 we hit the Viersen commuications
center. Mallory and his crew were shot down. No chutes were seen to open. We
took some heavy flak hits but kept on going. On landing out came Griego holding
up his flak jacket for all of us to see. He had been sitting on it again and it
was imbedded with chunks of flak and the canvas cover torn to shreds. Griego
had a triumphant smile from ear to ear. Sitting on that flak jacket had saved
Griego's life. We never asked him to put on his flak jacket again.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

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
...
Sgt. Greigo's Flak Jacket

Emilio Griego was our engineer/tail gunner. He was short smiley fellow
with a
shy grin and a shy manner. When you spoke to him he would look at the
ground,
smiling but always answer you with a snappy "Yes Sir" and get to work with
great energy and dedication. He was a very good engineer and Paul (Paul
Shorts
Lake Charles LA our pilot) depended on him a lot to work with the
mechanics to
keep "Willie" in good shape. Very often he would be up all through the
night
working with the mechanics to make sure all would be well for the morning
mission. He was a good soldier, a fine fellow and an asset to our crew
that we
all appreciated. But he did have one shortcoming, he wouldn't follow
orders. A
particular set of orders that is. He would never wear his flak jacket. He
would
sit on it. We would scream at him to put the damn jacket on. He would
smile and
say "yes sir, I'll wear it". But on the next mission it was the same
thing.
Ordering, screaming, yelling, threatening could never get Griego to wear
that
damn flak jacket.

So you let a man deliberately and repeatedly disobey a direct order? Didn't
the officers on your crew have any balls at all?

Subject: SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET
From: "Ragnar"
Date: 3/2/04 7:08 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Sgt. Greigo's Flak Jacket

Emilio Griego was our engineer/tail gunner. He was short smiley fellow
with a
shy grin and a shy manner. When you spoke to him he would look at the
ground,
smiling but always answer you with a snappy "Yes Sir" and get to work with
great energy and dedication. He was a very good engineer and Paul (Paul
Shorts
Lake Charles LA our pilot) depended on him a lot to work with the
mechanics to
keep "Willie" in good shape. Very often he would be up all through the
night
working with the mechanics to make sure all would be well for the morning
mission. He was a good soldier, a fine fellow and an asset to our crew
that we
all appreciated. But he did have one shortcoming, he wouldn't follow
orders. A
particular set of orders that is. He would never wear his flak jacket. He
would
sit on it. We would scream at him to put the damn jacket on. He would
smile and
say "yes sir, I'll wear it". But on the next mission it was the same
thing.
Ordering, screaming, yelling, threatening could never get Griego to wear
that
damn flak jacket.

So you let a man deliberately and repeatedly disobey a direct order? Didn't
the officers on your crew have any balls at all?


No balls at all. At least not as much as you had when you flew all your
missions.. Tell us about it


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:

Subject: SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET


He was a good soldier, a fine fellow and an asset to our crew
that we all appreciated. But he did have one shortcoming,
he wouldn't follow orders. A particular set of orders that is.
He would never wear his flak jacket. He would sit on it.
We would scream at him to put the damn jacket on. He would
smile and say "yes sir, I'll wear it". But on the next mission
it was the same thing.

Ordering, screaming, yelling, threatening
could never get Griego to wear that damn flak jacket.



After all your postings about "we always followed orders without
question" you post this.

A while back you posted about the pilot who ignored repeated orders from
your CO until he finally broke a B-26.

Something does not fit here.
A Sgt. ignores direct orders with impunity to save his own skin, yet
officers would not break radio silence to save their squadron mates from
a flak trap.

Did people in your unit follow orders or not?

Dave

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET
From: "Ragnar"
Date: 3/2/04 7:08 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Sgt. Greigo's Flak Jacket

Emilio Griego was our engineer/tail gunner. He was short smiley fellow
with a
shy grin and a shy manner. When you spoke to him he would look at the
ground,
smiling but always answer you with a snappy "Yes Sir" and get to work
with
great energy and dedication. He was a very good engineer and Paul (Paul
Shorts
Lake Charles LA our pilot) depended on him a lot to work with the
mechanics to
keep "Willie" in good shape. Very often he would be up all through the
night
working with the mechanics to make sure all would be well for the
morning
mission. He was a good soldier, a fine fellow and an asset to our crew
that we
all appreciated. But he did have one shortcoming, he wouldn't follow
orders. A
particular set of orders that is. He would never wear his flak jacket.
He
would
sit on it. We would scream at him to put the damn jacket on. He would
smile and
say "yes sir, I'll wear it". But on the next mission it was the same
thing.
Ordering, screaming, yelling, threatening could never get Griego to
wear
that
damn flak jacket.

So you let a man deliberately and repeatedly disobey a direct order?
Didn't
the officers on your crew have any balls at all?


No balls at all. At least not as much as you had when you flew all your
missions.. Tell us about it

I don't have to fly missions in WW2 to know that deliberately and repeatedly
disobeying a direct order reflects badly on any officer who condones the
activity. That was as true in the AAC then as it is now in the USAF.

So why wasn't the man disciplined after deliberately and repeatedly defying
a direct order?

"Ragnar" wrote:


I don't have to fly missions in WW2 to know that deliberately and repeatedly
disobeying a direct order reflects badly on any officer who condones the
activity. That was as true in the AAC then as it is now in the USAF.

So why wasn't the man disciplined after deliberately and repeatedly defying
a direct order?


Haven't figured this out by now?...hell, it never happened, it's
a 'story' (sound familiar?). Art just thought it'd make a cute
little story that a few might believe that's all.
--

-Gord.

Gord wrote:
Haven't figured this out by now?...hell, it never happened, it's
a 'story' (sound familiar?). Art just thought it'd make a cute
little story that a few might believe that's all.

Are you telling us that Art is telling "There I was" stories? "Flat on my back
at 10,000 feet while trying to dive bomb the..."?

Rick

Subject: SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET
From: "Gord Beaman" )
Date: 3/3/04 8:13 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

"Ragnar" wrote:


I don't have to fly missions in WW2 to know that deliberately and repeatedly
disobeying a direct order reflects badly on any officer who condones the
activity. That was as true in the AAC then as it is now in the USAF.

So why wasn't the man disciplined after deliberately and repeatedly defying
a direct order?


Haven't figured this out by now?...hell, it never happened, it's
a 'story' (sound familiar?). Art just thought it'd make a cute
little story that a few might believe that's all.
--

-Gord.

Don't read what I write.


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:

No balls at all. At least not as much as you had when you flew all your
missions.. Tell us about it

More to the point, they allowed Griego to keep *his* balls by
using his flak jacket in a clever manner.

John Comer's B-17 memoirs (engineer/top turret gunner)
recounts their navigator having the equipment shop stitch up
protective armor for his crotch that laced elaborately over his normal
flight gear.

One day they were assigned several new crewmembers, who
arrived at the flight line jittery and gray-faced with worry. The
navigator launched into an elaborate tirade about the Nazi Flak
gunners trying to shoot him in the crotch, and how he wasn't going to
let them, etc - insisting the new guys help him lace up the crotch
armor while cussing the Flak gunners and every other German he could
think of.

The crew loosened up and flew a fairly tough mission where
they performed very well.

Sometimes a little improvisation with the body armor is just
the ticket. There are plenty of first-person accounts of Huey crews in
Vietnam who had Flak jackets on their floors; Cobra pilots, too (hard
to imagine in that tight space, but...)



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ubject: SGT. GREIGO'S FLAK JACKET
From: (John S. Shinal)
Date: 3/3/04 6:57 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote:

No balls at all. At least not as much as you had when you flew all your
missions.. Tell us about it

More to the point, they allowed Griego to keep *his* balls by
using his flak jacket in a clever manner.

John Comer's B-17 memoirs (engineer/top turret gunner)
recounts their navigator having the equipment shop stitch up
protective armor for his crotch that laced elaborately over his normal
flight gear.

One day they were assigned several new crewmembers, who
arrived at the flight line jittery and gray-faced with worry. The
navigator launched into an elaborate tirade about the Nazi Flak
gunners trying to shoot him in the crotch, and how he wasn't going to
let them, etc - insisting the new guys help him lace up the crotch
armor while cussing the Flak gunners and every other German he could
think of.

The crew loosened up and flew a fairly tough mission where
they performed very well.

Sometimes a little improvisation with the body armor is just
the ticket. There are plenty of first-person accounts of Huey crews in
Vietnam who had Flak jackets on their floors; Cobra pilots, too (hard
to imagine in that tight space, but...)



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News==----
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Newsgroups
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There is a term in the English language that describes that action. It is
called covering your ass. (grin)


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