Jamming with a WWII B-24 pilot

[SprintBob]

That was heartwarming. Thanks for sharing.

[The Growler]

That's great. Thanks for sharing.

[Ricketts]

As an Air Force retiree, I so appreciate this video, and the happiness you brought to this wonderful Veteran. On this Thanksgiving day - thank you for serving others.
Shalom

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by devellis

He has a kind face. Bet he was a handsome devil in the day. Thanks for sharing.

He undoubtedly charmed a few young women along the way, too, especially if he sang to them (rumor has it that I might have personal knowledge of that courting technique, as well, though ever since my wife and I married in 1984 I've been struck by a remarkable case of amnesia regarding any of those stories....)

Nice clip, 815C. I noticed that you don't have the same regional accent as this gentleman: are you native to the region or a more recent transplant?

Anyhow, he doesn't have much sustain left, but I"ll bet he had a nice baritone voice in his day. I'm equally sure that church choir directors have tried recruiting him many times, then assigned him bass parts whenever they could talk him into it.

He isn't a true bass-baritone, but not many people are. That's why so many bass parts are actually written with the (inevitable) baritones that will actually have to sing them in mind.

Speaking of jamming with WWII Army Air Force veterans, my father was the radio operator in a B-25 bomber crew. He wasn't a musician, but in his last years when I'd visit it him back home in KC, on a couple of occasions he was there when I was visiting and jamming with musician friends from years past. One time I said: "Here, Dad - play some percussion" and put a small hand drum in his grasp. "Keep time!" I told him, in exactly the same tone of voice that he'd use when he took me hunting as a kid: "All guns are loaded. Watch where you point that muzzle!"

"Keep time!" I told him, and by God he did! This big grin spread over his face, and he kept perfect time. He was digging it, and so were my friends and I. When we finished playing, he said in a surprised tone of voice:

"That was FUN!"

"Well, YEAH, Dad - why do you think I do this?"

He just kind of shook his head, tucked his chin and said more softly: "That was fun..."

I think he was around 86 or 87 when that first command hand drum performance took place, and while it's not as though he took to wearing a beret and dark shades and taking a set of bongos along with him wherever he went, we had a few more impromptu song sessions with other friends of mine we'd visit. Always enjoyable, and he was always kind of surprised that he did have such a good time.

So, again, 815C, thanks again for sharing the video.

Momentary acoustic guitar content: what kind of archtop guitar are you playing in there? My first thought was perhaps one of those Godin Fifth Avenue archtops, but the sunburst I could see didn't look like any of the Godins I've had a chance to play.

What it did remind me of was of the Loar brand early 1920's L-5 copy that one of my musical partners just acquired. The burst on his Loar is quite similar to what I could see of your guitar.

Just curious.

Thanks again.


Wade Hampton Miller

[MCDEMO1]

Thanks for posting that 815c. My Dad was an Army Air Force Purple Heart side gunner in a B-24 that flew missions from Italy into Russia, but as others have mentioned he also did not speak much about his experiences. We pieced together what he must have went through from scattered scrapbook b&w pictures taken during his service time.

I seldom saw him happier or more animated though than the few times when a former crew member dropped by or made phone or letter contact. His crew was from all over the USA, that I do know.

A few years before he passed away we went to a small local airport where some renovated WWII aircraft, including a B-24, had been flown in and were on display and opened to the public. Again, he had little to say. I was surprised how small the plane actually was after seeing pictures of them in a book of WWII aircraft and gluing up a model of one when I was a very young boy.

After reading the book on the B-24 crews by Stephen E. Ambrose, "The Wild Blue" I came to understand that my father was probably just happy to survive going up in the B-24 and having a good pilot that got the crew home. Each mission must have lasted "a long, long time", even for the brave young men of that great generation.

My father enjoyed music, but wan't a singer. I doubt you could have cajoled him into covering that tune like your pilot buddy ! Good job.

Mark

[815C]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Nice clip, 815C. I noticed that you don't have the same regional accent as this gentleman: are you native to the region or a more recent transplant?

...what kind of archtop guitar are you playing in there?

Wade Hampton Miller

Cool story Wade! He is a native of Tennessee. I was an Army brat that moved every year all over the place....

I'm playing a 1967 Guild A-50.

Originally Posted by MCDEMO1

My Dad was an Army Air Force Purple Heart side gunner in a B-24 that flew missions from Italy

Mark, this pilot, Walt, flew B-24 missions out of Italy. If you want to let me know your dad's name (PM me if you like), I'll ask Walt if he knew/remembers your dad.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by MCDEMO1

A few years before he passed away we went to a small local airport where some renovated WWII aircraft, including a B-24, had been flown in and were on display and opened to the public. Again, he had little to say. I was surprised how small the plane actually was after seeing pictures of them in a book of WWII aircraft and gluing up a model of one when I was a very young boy.

My father was a skinny 18 year old kid when he started serving as the radio operator on B-25’s. All crew members were issued with parachutes and sidearms, but the space was too tight for him to wear either - part of his job was to continually go from his duty station toward the middle of the plane forward up through the catwalk to the flight deck to consult with the pilot and copilot, then return to the radio compartment to communicate with base. He had a standard parachute, but his issue sidearm was one of those huge Smith & Wesson Military & Police model revolvers chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, the ones that fit the cartridges into three round crescent shaped brass clips, a pair of which are then slotted into the revolver’s cylinder.

Those are very effective weapons when used against targets within reasonable pistol range, but the entire pistol in its holster was very bulky and heavy. Dad couldn’t get through the tunnel up to the flight deck when he had it strapped on, so that stayed with his parachute beside his radio set. He told me he always hoped dear God he never needed to use them, and fortunately he never did.

The B-25 was an underpowered death trap, prone to crashing into mountains and laughably easy to shoot out of the sky, and everyone who served on one knew it. Oh, and the gyroscopes on them didn’t work, either, which made the navigator’s job viciously difficult. That and the lack of lift generated by the too-short wings and underpowered engines were the reasons why so many of them crashed into the Sierra Nevada mountains that ringed the base they trained out of.

A couple of years before Dad died a long-lost B-25 crash site there in Northern California was discovered and the human remains recovered and identified. When I heard about it I called him about it. Yes, he’d heard the news, and he knew the men who’d died: he’d played poker with a couple of those crew members the night before they flew away and never came back.

Dad had ZERO nostalgia for the B-25. He considered himself very fortunate to have avoided dying in one.

whm

[gfspencer]

Thanks so much for posting that and thanks so much for spending time with that pilot! Very cool!!

[Pinetreebob]

This is a great thing you do. That veteran is a national treasure.

[Goodallboy]

The next time you see him, tell him I enjoyed that and that I appreciate his service.

[Guildman]

https://www.amazon.com/Wings-Morning.../dp/0201407221

This reminded me of a book I read many years ago that any would appreciate on this thread.