Paul LeDoux

Paul LeDoux

Active Member
I have not seen anywhere on the net a reference to Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941.
I was a young child during that time and had a family member with the 8th Airforce in England. It is so sad that the people of today do not stop to give thanks to those who fought and died for our freedom on this day.
If the ending had been different we would probably not be able to build and fly our airplanes.

Thank you to all of you who have worn the uniform.

Paul
Slow RV-8 QB
 
Yearly History Lesson

Paul LeDoux said:
I have not seen anywhere on the net a reference to Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941.
I was a young child during that time and had a family member with the 8th Airforce in England. It is so sad that the people of today do not stop to give thanks to those who fought and died for our freedom on this day.
If the ending had been different we would probably not be able to build and fly our airplanes.

Thank you to all of you who have worn the uniform.

Paul
Slow RV-8 QB
Click to expand...

My mother was preparing for her 9th birthday party when the news came in via the radio. Her friends still came, but the day was spent listening to the radio, and the parent's speaking of far away places such as Japan and Hawaii.
When I was a child, as we celebrated Mom's birthday each year, she would always remind us about the events of Dec. 7, 1941.
 
My mother in law's birthday is December 6th.

She was a small child living in Honolulu at the time of the attacks. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she vividly remembers being put under the bed and hearing the sound of bombs.
 
Today as our family returned home from church services, I noticed a flag at half-mast at a Chick-Fil-A restaurant. Chick-Fil-A's are closed on Sundays, but someone lowered their American Flag to half-mast. I have to believe it's to pay respect for the memory of December 7, 1941. At least, that's what I thought when I saw it.
I reminded our family yesterday that this year December 7th fell on Sunday just like it did in 1941 and they should not forget this day as the years go by. I'm sure more Americans did the same.

Don
 
Just watched two hours of Peal Harbor on the history channel; painted my plane with invasion stripes as well as stars and stripes; and regularly fly to Wendover, Ut (on the Utah/ Nevada border and near the Bonneville Salt Flats), which was home for the B-29 operations including the Enola Gay. There is still a lot of history at that historic airfield, although it diminishes year after year.

I was born shortly after WWII, and my father took me frequently to the airport as a young kid, that still had a lot of surplus WWII planes around. I'm sure this spured my interest in flight, as well as history.

Pic: Wendover these days (as taken from my RV). It still looks much like a 1940's pic I have, except for the newer runway down the middle. Hangar for the B-29 which became the Enola Gay is the larger rust colored one to the left of the hangar row.




L.Adamson --- RV6A

edit: changed "Idaho" to Nevada as pointed out..
 
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Wendover, UT

L.Adamson said:
Wendover, Ut (on the Utah/ Idaho border and near the Bonneville Salt Flats), which was home for the B-29 operations including the Enola Gay. L.Adamson --- RV6A
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This photo brings back memories of a deployment I did to Wendover in the summer of 1994 with my Colorado ANG ground RADAR unit. The Utah Guard maintains a bunch of small huts / barracks (which is where we set up shop) and they can be seen in the picture just down from the main hanger. While there for our two week "summer camp", a buddy and I rented a C-172 from the FBO and flew out to the bombing range where the crews trained prior to deploying overseas...lots of history out there for sure.

Not wishing to be picky here, but if I remember right, Wendover is on the border with Nevada vs. "Idaho" since we walked a short distance across the state line to a casino for some "real" food vs. MRE's!

Doug Lomheim
90116, 13B, FWF
 
dlomheim said:
Not wishing to be picky here, but if I remember right, Wendover is on the border with Nevada vs. "Idaho" since we walked a short distance across the state line to a casino for some "real" food vs. MRE's!
Click to expand...

Oops.............I'll see if I can fix that! Afterall, I only live 100 miles away, and go there often to gamble! :D Idaho doesn't have casino gambling unless perhaps it's a casino on an Indian reservation.

Must have had Jackpot Nevada on the mind. :) It's Nevada and the Idaho border, and we go there too.

L.Adamson
 
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Pearl Harbor Survivors group in Fredericksburg TX

The group had their annual gathering in Fredericksburg TX this weekend. (from what I understand, it is usually in Hawaii, but hard for them to travel that far now) There were lots of war birds there. It?s not advertised much, but a gathering of the survivors who can still travel and their families.
I can't even begin to give this ceremony justice so I won't try. It is a 4 day event for them. They had a memorial service at 12:15 today with F16 missing man flyover and various war birds over flying. Today, it all took place on main street Fredericksburg. Very nice. Tonight they have their dinner and banquet to wrap up the event.
If any of you ever get a chance to attend a WWII veterans gathering, I highly recommend it. I was fortunate to twice attend the Stalag luft III reunion with my wife's grandfather and family (he has since passed on) and today the Pearl Harbor survivors gathering in Fredericksburg. I took a WWII vet that lives near me and he really enjoyed it. I can't say the Pledge with these people w/o tearing up. ?Taps, gun salute, National Anthem; it?s all there and awesome. My 4 year old did not understand it, but I will explain it to him again and again. He did however, understand 4 F16?s at treetop level coming straight down Main St. toward and over us!

These 3 events are by far the most awe inspiring and patriotic events I have ever attended. (I saw the changing of the Guard at Tomb of Unknown Soldiers when I was little so that is up there also but I can?t remember it well) These men and women of that time period and all our veterans deserve more gratitude and respect than we give them.

Sorry if I ?butchered? this up or misspelled something but I am just trying to say THANKS to all who have served this country and let people know about these events.

Jeff Harrell
Austin TX
 
Pearl Harbor survivors - not many left

My father was at stationed at Schofield Barracks on 12/7/1941. He survived the straffing and bombs. He's been to the "Survivors Summit" memorial hosted by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association at Pearl Harbor many times over the years. 2006 was his last trip due to my Mom's current poor health. The national PHSA 67th Reunion was held in Texas this year. The famous memorial platform over the Arizona is being replaced right now because it too was sinking.

I've heard some estimates that only 4,200 survivors are still living. And that number is dropping by 15% or more each year. Tom Brokow was right, they are The Greatest Generation....

Albert Thomas
RV-8A
N880AT
still wiring......
 
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A salute

Nice post(s). Here's a pic of the USS Arizona Memorial...just a way to salute those that fought and died that day, or fought and survived that day to fight on.

azmemwy5.jpg


Many Americans still do not forget (as evidenced in this thread)...went to a buddy's USNR Change of Command yesterday, and this day was mentioned and honored.

And I proudly wore my stars and stripes tie with my airline uniform today!

A salute to the Greatest Generation!

Respectfully,
Bob
 
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