Memorial Day

Posted by Roie R. Black on Tue 31 May 2016

This is a day to remember those who gave everything to preserve the freedom we all get to enjoy. Those we lost cannot share in this day. It is our duty to enjoy it for them, and thank them for what they gave for us.

We owe a lot to far too many who have fought and died to preserve our freedom. No where else on this planet is that message more clear than in the cemetery at Omaha Beach in France. Cheryl and I visited that place on our Honeymoon trip, and it was a sobering experience.

Omaha Beach

Look closely, you can see the fields covered in crosses where those who died trying to take the beach are resting. The French do an amazing job of protecting this place.

Who are these people, who feel that freedom is worth the price they ended up paying?

Those who fight on the front lines of a battlefield are special people. They get up each day knowing it might be their last. Still, they head out to do the job they trained to do. They fight down the fear they surely must feel, and face an enemy who would take their freedom away. We must pray for them, and hope they succeed.

Some are opposed to this kind of confrontation. They say we should not fight. I am one of those who think such an approach to our enemies is naive. All you have to do it look into history, and recent events, to see what that approach can lead to. Would you rather live in a world led by people like Hitler, Stalin, or ISIS? Those folks feel that they are the only ones worthy of living in freedom, everyone else should be subservient to their rule.

Sorry, I side with the fighters, and that is why I served this country. To help preserve our freedom, and our way of life.

What about you, what are you willing to do to achieve that goal?

Sadly, many folks never give that a thought, except on a day like today, when that topic is pushed in front of them. It is not part of their day to day lives. Instead, they rely, silently, on the others who will fight for them. Often they never even say thank you. I am hugely happy when I hear someone thank a veteran for their service. We all should do that, every day.

Around Austin, many stores offer discounts to veterans. I show my retired USAF ID card and often take advantage of that. Most of the time I get a thanks for my service from the person checking me out. I am pretty sure that is not required, and I I acknowledge that. We all should.

I tried to buy dinner for two young men in National Guard Uniforms sitting in a restaurant one evening. They had just finished their training for the day. The manager of that restaurant beat me to the punch. That is one restaurant I will visit many more times!

I wore my Air Force Retired shirt yesterday and had several folks thank me for my service. I never fought on the front lines, but I did what I do best. I worked to advance the technologies our fighters use to defeat our enemies. I was not risking my life as others do, but my contributions helped make sure those who did fight would live to fight another day, and hopefully win the battles they faced.

Andy Tarapchak

I have written about my second dad, Andy Tarapchak, who flew over 70 missions in a B-26 over France and Germany during World War II. Yesterday, I had something happen that was a perfect compliment to Memorial Day.

Andy's co-pilot, Edward Ochen, also survived the war, and ended up having a family back home. His daughter, Christine, a retired VA nurse, reached out as a result of reading my blog yesterday. Her dad is still with us, one of far too few left from that time. We exchanged emails about Andy and that war, and I would love to hear some of her stories told by her dad as well.

In my post on Andy (Andy's Story, I promised to tell a story Andy related to me during one of my Christmas visits Here it is:

Bomber Missions

Andy flew an airplane known as the "Widow Maker" in the war. It was a small twin engine bomber, not one of our big heavy bombers like the venerable B-17 (which I got to ride in as a birthday present from my wife, Cheryl, several years ago!)

B-26C

I wore my B-17 flight jacket, bought after my ride, during my next visit to see Andy, and that started him on this story:

Andy and his crew were stationed at St. Quentin in France after D-Day, and flew missions over Belgium and Germany. On one mission, Andy's crew succeeded in getting to the target and dropping their bombs and returning to the base. These missions were always dangerous. The Luftwaffe attacked them, and the ground guns fired flak into the air to bring them down. Facing all of that had to be extremely hard on the crew, staring out the windows at the flak bursts, and watching those fighters swarm around them. Each bomber had several gunners who did their best to shoot at the fighters attacking them, all the while hoping those fighters would miss when they fired their guns at their plane. After each missions they counted the bullet holes on the airplane, then patched them up for the next mission.

On this particular mission, several dozen bombers left the base, flew over Germany to their target, and returned late in the day. Andy told of making the landing and taxiing over to a parking spot in the grass. As his crew climbed out of the ship, they saw another B-26, engine smoking from battle damage, approach the field. That plane had been attacked by German ME-109 fighters, and was shot up so badly, they could not release their bombs. Worse yet, the landing gear was damaged as well. The plane was able to stay with the group and made it back to the base.

Andy and his crew were watching as the plane approached for the landing. The landing gear was not fully down, and when the plane touched down, it collapsed, and the plane slid to a halt in the grass. The plane was on fire, and those on the ground started running toward it to try to put out the fire, and get the crew out. But before they could do that, the bombs on board the ship exploded, creating a huge crater in the ground and showering debris all over the field

The entire crew and several on the ground were all killed in that explosion. Andy remembered running in the direction of the plane, but he was far enough away that he survived the blast. Still he watched as all those men died in service to this country. They were friends he knew well, and it obviously hit him hard. Like many who survived the war, such memories made it very hard for them to talk about their war experiences. I was lucky enough to hear a story Andy kept buried for most of his life.

Stories like that were told by many of those airmen. Far too many! In World War I, a pilot's life expectancy in air combat was measured in days. Fortunately, during World War II, that time was much longer, but still, thousands lost their lives in air combat missions. War is brutal, never forget that! We all must do our part to make the price of war far too high for any rational person to consider. We must also be prepared to deal with the irrational people who will wage war nonetheless!

Remember the Fallen, Thank the Living

I have met many veterans of WWII, many of them amazing people. I try to make sure they know their sacrifices are appreciated. There are others who should be thanked as well, even though they never wore a uniform. My mother dedicated 31 years of her life to working in the War Department after Pearl Harbor, then for the U.S. Army in the Pentagon. Many others did the same back then, we mobilized an entire nation to support those who fought! Many of the stories I remember most were told by men who served in that war, and were working with my mother in the Pentagon years later as I was growing up.

In my family, we have our share of veterans. My nephew, Tim Keesecker is currently serving in the U.S. Army, and my cousin Bill Hickman is a retired veteran of the Wyoming USAF National Guard. They heard the call, and decided to dedicate their lives to this country!

Thanks to All

Today, we should remember those who gave the Supreme Sacrifice in service to this country. Thanks to all of those for the freedom we enjoy as a result of their efforts.

For those serving today, or those who served in the past. Thank you for that service as well. Our mission is to keep you alive, to provide you with the resources you need to do your jobs, so you can protect us all.

Roie R. Black, Major, USAF (Retired)

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tags: Veterans, Stories