LATEPASS SPRING 2018 ISSUE
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449th BOMB GROUP ASSOCIATION
THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT BY RICHARD LAPHAM, VICE PRESIDENT
Sharing Special Memories of Reunion #24 –San Antonio
The Flying Horsemen 449th Bombardment Group (H) B-24 Aircraft Long Range Heavy Bomber WWII European Theater 15th Air Force, 47th Bomb Wing 449th Bombardment Group Bomb Squadrons: 716, 717, 718, 719 January 1944 – April 1945 Grottaglie, Italy Bombardment Targets Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia 254 Combat Missions In 475 days of combat, 111 B-24 bombers lost, 199 Axis fighters destroyed Personnel Loss/Interred or Evaded 393 KIA / 63 DED (other deaths) 359 POW / 186 Evaded / 9 Interred Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC) Bucharest, Romania, April 4, 1944 Ploiesti, Romania, July 9, 1944
I often think of our last reunion in San Antonio. Not only was it one of our best locations for the 449th reunion, but also quite honestly, it was one of my best personal vacations. An amazing experience with perfect weather, the beautiful River Walk only a few short steps from our hotel and a city with history galore. Exotic flowers planted among the century old trees lining the river, branches reaching out over the slow drift of the river with stone walkways on either side made the River Walk a true paradise. Along the river were many amazing restaurants and shops of all sizes and kinds. It was here that I purchased my $1,000,000 bill (for $1.00); I love pulling it out to set up the bar at the Elks Lodge, always gets a good laugh from the new members. The first day was our visit to Fredericksburg, originally founded by German immigrants in 1846. The main draw of the tour was the Museum of the Pacific War, and it didn’t disappoint. I have done some study of the ETO, mainly because of the 449th but didn’t realize how little I knew about the war in the Pacific (pretty embarrassing for a west coast boy). Pictures and stories adorning all of the walls in the Museum depicted every aspect of the Glory and horror of the war in the Pacific. Assorted armament, both American and Japanese, were strategically placed throughout the Museum; amazing what innovative ideas that man can conjure up to kill their fellow man during a war. I found the strange small submarine stationed outside the front door of the museum to be one of the most interesting contraptions at the museum. It would be interesting to see the psychological profile of the men that were willing to board such a vessel! I thought the town itself was of equal interest to the Museum. Amazing architecture dating back to the 1800s, small shops scattered up and down both sides of the street with all manner of gift items to haul home, and of course several great restaurants. We (and several other 449ers) ended up dining at an eatery with a beautiful shaded patio under a huge tree. I suspect that the tree might be as old as the town. I ordered a German dish of some type and a large frosty mug of
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ice-cold beer. In the background, was the sound of a guitar and smooth voice of a local musician singing ballads; just loud enough to enjoy the music but not so loud that you couldn’t have a good conversation. He was so good; we ended up buying one of his CD’s. As I lifted my mug of cold beer as a toast to another great day with Cynthia sitting across from me in the patio, I thought it doesn’t get much better than this! From all the smiling faces on our return, I think most of the group felt the same way. The Alamo was an altogether different experience. As I toured the buildings and the adjoining courtyards, I felt that I was literally going back in history. I could see Santa Ana firing the cannons at the Alamo, I could see Davey Crockett & Jim Bowie standing on the wall of the Alamo with all the other brave men standing up to a superior force, I could smell the odor of gun powder spiraling from the tips of their rifles. Of course I have seen the movie a couple of times, so maybe not everyone had the same feeling. Then there was the absolutely amazing light show projected against the face of the San Fernando Cathedral in the main plaza; the same Cathedral that purportedly holds the remains of the defenders of the Alamo, including the names Travis, Bowie and Crocket. The 24 minute show depicted the long history of San Antonio projected in vivid colors and phenomenal animation…a special experience not to be forgotten! We changed things up a bit in San Antonio and had our guest speaker for the Squad dinner; and what a speaker he was! Mr. Dennis Norton, one of the motivating forces behind the Willow Run renovation project gave a very informative and entertaining speech in regard to the plan to renovate the Willow Run facility. The room was completely silent and all eyes were glued to Dennis as he went through a power point presentation explaining each and every detail of the renovation. As Dennis mentioned during his presentation, many of the B-24’s from the 449th were produced at this plant.
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