"Brian Colwell" wrote in message
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"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
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"ArtKramr" wrote in message
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Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "Dudley Henriques"
Date: 2/4/04 6:22 AM Pacific Standard Time
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"ArtKramr" wrote in message
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Subject: New Story on my Website
From: "John Keeney"
Date: 2/4/04 12:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
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"ArtKramr" wrote in message
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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

I guess you know he was shot down and spent time in a POW camp, And in one
of the very few examples of compassion during WW2 ( and maybe respect) The
Germans gave safe passage to an RAF plane to drop a pair of artificial
legs,
as his had been damaged when he baled out !

Regards, BMC


Sorry, Correction , He wasn't shot down, it was a
air to air collision with a German a/c

BMC