B-24 Bomber Pilot of World War Two

Veterans from World War Two until recently did not have an all encompassing Memorial to their efforts in winning the War. That changed on May 29, 2004 with the dedication of the completed tribute on the Washington Mall between the Lincon and Washington Memorials in the nation’s capital.

Coming so late after the war, there is an urgency to get as many Vets to the Memorial before they fad into history. Sadly, many vets have already passed like Ed Torossian.

Thankfully, there is something called HONOR FLIGHT which is an organization dedicated to getting WW2 Vets to the Memorial at no cost to them. Honor Flight relays completely on donations of money, generous pilots, and aircraft owners to make this happen.
There website currently reports 8000 Vets waiting for the chance to see the Memorial in person. It also reports that 1000 Vets die everyday due to their old age. The urgency is clearly now. Please consider some way that you can support this cause.

“The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio.”

Honor Flight Michigan is just one of the satellite organizations throughout the country. TO find the organization nearest you click on this LINK.

Fallbrook’s Burt Risser remembers his family’s shock and grief when the telegram came to its door in Coffeyville, Kan., 67 years ago with the news his uncle had been declared missing in action during the World War II battle with the Japanese for the South Pacific island of New Guinea.

The message said U.S. Army Air Corps Staff Sgt. Claude “Bud” Ray and 11 fellow crewmen aboard a B-24 bomber had disappeared while on a reconnaissance mission.
“It was enormous grief because we had gotten letters earlier that month saying he had completed all his required missions and would be home soon,” Risser recalled Thursday. “He wrote he was dreaming of a white Christmas in Kansas.“