New Story on my Website

Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Dudley Henriques"
Date: 2/4/04 6:22 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: . net


"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



There were men who bounced back no matter what, and then there were those that
didn't. Bader's courage and determination was a lesson for all of us. A man I
would have been proud to have known.


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

"Dudley Henriques" wrote:
"ArtKramr" wrote:

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.

And there was also Dick Bolsted, my Dad's best friend who was shot
down over N. Vietnam in his A-1E and spent 6-7 YEARS in the Hanoi
Hilton. When he was finally released from prison in 1973, Bolsted
later went on to assume command of one of the first new F-16 squadrons
in the USAF inventory. With all due respect to Bader, losing both legs
is *nothing* compared to surviving unimaginable torture for 6-7 years
in the Hanoi Hilton.

A post that indicated more compassion and human emotions than the
other. Thanks for that.


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
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: "Dudley Henriques"
Date: 2/4/04 6:22 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: . net


"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



There were men who bounced back no matter what, and then there were those
that
didn't. Bader's courage and determination was a lesson for all of us. A
man I
would have been proud to have known.

What endeared Douglas to me had nothing to do with his heroics in the air,
which were considerable to say the least. Many don't know this about him
because he did it quietly, but Douglas was singularly responsible for
bettering the lives of countless severely handicapped children and adults;
people with whom he spent untold hours of his time helping through his
unending wit and dominating personality. I can't even begin to count the
lives he changed by stumping into a paraplegic ward somewhere or anywhere,
then jumping up on a table and dancing on his tin legs!
He turned despair into hope. Then he stuck around and turned hope into
reality for these people.
Douglas was the epitome of what is possible through sheer guts and will. I
miss our late night inter-country phone conversations between Maryland and
Petersham Mews while we "re-fought" the Battle of Britain as I drove him
absolutely nuts eating my corn flakes dry from a cup; crackling in his ears
through the line as we
attempted to get "Keith Park and Lee Mallory together in the same room again
without shouting at each other!!!" :-)
I guess there are many ways to remember a man like Douglas. Certainly his
courage is one of them. Personally, for me, his memory goes much deeper than
that. Of all his many attributes, what will last in memory for me was his
unselfish love for his fellow man.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

Geoffrey Perret in his popular history of the Army Air Forces in World War
II - "Winged Victory" mentions several times that entire aircrews talked
openly about landing in Sweden or Switzerland just to get out of the war.
I'm sure there were less "gung ho" squadrons and wings than Art's where they
thought that they could get away with such talk. At the end of the war in
the ETO, there was about a division's worth of deserters in the US Army. I
wonder if some crews actually did desert in this way, and if they did, what
happened to them after the war.

Joe





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And there was also Dick Bolsted, my Dad's best friend who was shot
down over N. Vietnam in his A-1E and spent 6-7 YEARS in the Hanoi
Hilton. When he was finally released from prison in 1973, Bolsted
later went on to assume command of one of the first new F-16 squadrons
in the USAF inventory. With all due respect to Bader, losing both legs
is *nothing* compared to surviving unimaginable torture for 6-7 years
in the Hanoi Hilton.

But there is not really a need to compare one, or pit what happened to one,
against the other. We can admire BOTH, and countless others, for what they
endured, and how they overcome.


Ron
Pilot/Wildland Firefighter

"Mike Marron" wrote in message
...

With all due respect to Bader, losing both legs
is *nothing* compared to surviving unimaginable torture for 6-7 years
in the Hanoi Hilton.

Mike;

It's possible to make a point about the severity of the Hanoi Hilton without
this unfortunate comparison.

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

"Dudley Henriques" wrote:
"Mike Marron" wrote:

With all due respect to Bader, losing both legs
is *nothing* compared to surviving unimaginable torture for 6-7 years
in the Hanoi Hilton.

Mike;

It's possible to make a point about the severity of the Hanoi Hilton without
this unfortunate comparison.

Point taken. My apologies if I offended.

(Ron) wrote:
Mike Marron wrote:

And there was also Dick Bolsted, my Dad's best friend who was shot
down over N. Vietnam in his A-1E and spent 6-7 YEARS in the Hanoi
Hilton. When he was finally released from prison in 1973, Bolsted
later went on to assume command of one of the first new F-16 squadrons
in the USAF inventory. With all due respect to Bader, losing both legs
is *nothing* compared to surviving unimaginable torture for 6-7 years
in the Hanoi Hilton.

But there is not really a need to compare one, or pit what happened to one,
against the other. We can admire BOTH, and countless others, for what they
endured, and how they overcome.

For the same reason you should admire "Captain Johnson," NOT Kramer!

"Dudley Henriques" wrote:

What endeared Douglas to me had nothing to do with his heroics in the air,
which were considerable to say the least. Many don't know this about him
because he did it quietly, but Douglas was singularly responsible for
bettering the lives of countless severely handicapped children and adults;
people with whom he spent untold hours of his time helping through his
unending wit and dominating personality. I can't even begin to count the
lives he changed by stumping into a paraplegic ward somewhere or anywhere,
then jumping up on a table and dancing on his tin legs!
He turned despair into hope. Then he stuck around and turned hope into
reality for these people.

Interesting bit there about Bader (I've always had enormous respect
for Shriners and Masons who give out free prosthesis to handicapped
children and adults).

I don't know if he coined it or not and feel free to correct me if I'm
wrong, but one of the things about Bader I like was his saying,
"illigitimi non carborundum" (e.g: don't let the *******s grind ya'
down).