Docents Corner

Summer, 2005

The hierarchy of the Palm Springs Air Museum was so impressed with our 390th museum that they made a second group visit in two weeks.

The Group was headed by General Ken Mily, Vice Chairman and Sharon Maguire, President and Museum Director. The comments were most positive: the displays, the stories and the cleanliness of all displays were mentioned. They were very impressed with the 390th operation and said to give “Kudos” to all here.

Bob Jones & Randy Hannon

Editor’s Note:
The Palm Springs Museum is among the largest WWII aircraft museums with most of their collection in flying condition. Their B-17G is 44-85784, Miss Angela. Their museum is also rich in artworks, enormous murals, artifacts, graphics and video documentaries.

One Wednesday in April a gentleman came in to visit our museum.

We, Vern Hutt and I, asked him to sign our guest book after he finished his tour. We asked him where he was from and he said Holland.

We made a comment about the food drop in 1945 over the Netherlands to feed the starving people and he said that yes he knew of it and thanked us for our display.

This man was about 50 years old and told us this story: He and a friend started a similar “Drop” about 20 years ago. They fly a Cessna 172 and every year on or about the first week of May they drop candy canes, candy sticks and suckers attached to little parachutes. They do this over the same drop area as the 1945 drop. He said: “I wasn’t born yet but my father was one of the starving children. We want to honor and commemorate those men who risked their lives in 1945 to make the drop.”

We thanked him for his tribute to the crews of the 390th and the other bomb groups.

Don Confer

I was on duty as docent the day that General George McKee visited our museum.

I was also in the 569th and also flew our common airplane, Geronimo, for 14 of my 28 missions. We did not overlap on our times in the 390th. I finished my tour on the 13th of April 1944 and General McKee flew his first mission on April 27, 1944.

It was nice to meet and talk with General McKee.

Richard Bushong

Editor’s note:
Lt. General George McKee visited our Museum unannounced on the 19th of May 2005. The general flew 35 combat missions as pilot with the 390th, 569th squadron. His missions included flights in “Geronimo” and “Anna”.
Richard Bushong, also served with the 569th squadron flying Geronimo. Richard retired as a Colonel after flying 45 different airplanes at airspeeds from hover to mach 2.1. Richard and I are the only 390th veterans now active year around at the museum.

Andy Anzanos