Descendants Corner

Fall, 2002

WITH THE VETERANS 
AT HARRISBURG

I had the great privilege of attending the reunion in Harrisburg recently with my parents, Will and Sherrill Richarz. I had been to one in 1988, but this was my first reunion as a 390th Bomb Group Descendant.

It is a truly amazing experience to just sit and listen at a 390th reunion. What wonderful stories I heard! There are many great narratives in both of the anthologies, but there are always new stories to hear, so I was “all ears”.

I sat next to my Dad’s pilot, Jack Bouton, and I asked him about what it was like to know they were “going down”. It was fascinating to hear new details about when Cocaine Bill (on their 21st mission) picked up a lot of flak, lost an engine, and went down in Belgium.

Another member of my Dad’s crew, Kyle Anderson, told me how they got the word from Jack to get ready for the order to jump. It sent chills up my spine to think about what it must have felt like to wonder “Is this it? Is this how I’m going to die”?

But, luckily, they never had to jump. My father had always told me about Jack’s skill as a pilot. He would say that Jack could “kiss the ground” with that B-17. His talent, combined with the efforts of the entire crew, enabled them to land safely, despite the snow, and a frozen steel mat that had been put down for photo reconnaissance operations.

They went down in an area that had just been taken from the Germans, so the crew returned to England the next day and quickly rejoined the air war. But, just a few days later, the Germans retook the area in Belgium where Cocaine Bill had made that very rough landing.

Another wonderful story involved two of our “table mates”, Susan Shadle and Robert Outman. Susan’s uncle had been killed when his B-17 and another one became locked together during an attack. They crashed, and only a total of seven men survived.

Susan wanted to find out more about her Uncle’s death, and had sought out survivors from that terrible incident. She found Robert Outman. He had been on the plane that collided with her uncle’s plane. Robert was able to tell Susan about those last moments in her uncle’s life. It must have been a very bonding experience, as there they were - together at the 390th reunion.

It was also Robert’s first reunion. I was lucky enough to share a dance with him. As he whirled me around the dance floor, I thought about what he had been through before I was even born. The whole room was filled with men who made it possible for me to be there that night dancing and laughing. I often think about what the world would have been like if they hadn’t sacrificed so much for their country and for us.

My mother, Sherrill Richarz, commented: “You know, these men have been through things we can’t even imagine”. What a powerful statement.

I also heard stories from my father, Will Richarz, that I had never heard before. He told me about a young man from their “hut” who survived being shot down, only to be killed with pitch forks by angry German farmers.

So many stories had tragic endings. Yet, some of the things I heard were funny. I laughed at the name of one plane, “Ice Cold Katy”. I wish I had asked if that plane had been named after a real woman. That would have to be a great story!

I also heard two men talking about the time they were “on the town” in London. Two young English women approached them in a park. One was a raving beauty, while the other, they said was “Well, to put it in the most charitable way possible—she was plain”. So, they flipped a coin to see which one got the pretty girl!

I could go on and on about the things I heard that weekend. And, maybe that is one of the most important things we descendants can do. We need to preserve these stories, so we can pass on the legacy that has been handed down to us.

They were just young men far away from home, and they experienced more in just a few years than we will ever experience in our lifetimes. They changed the world for us.

Now, maybe we can do something for them. We can keep the stories alive about the 390th Bomb Group Veterans for current and future generations.

Recently, I donated 390th Bomb Group Anthology I and II to my local library. I understand that the younger people who discover the books find them fascinating.

We, as descendants, can also write down the “new” stories we hear from our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and great uncles. So, whenever people sing the phrase “the land of the free, and the home of the brave”, they will truly understand the deep meaning of the words.

Melinda Richarz Bailey