THE HIDDEN HEROES AFTER-WAR MEMORIAL AT TALLY HO FARM WINKFIELD SL4 4RZ ENGLAND
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THE HIDDEN HEROES AFTER-WAR MEMORIAL AT TALLY HO FARM WINKFIELD SL4 4RZ ENGLAND |
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Why families should give thanks for their
history-makers |
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| Returners and their memories | ||
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BEFRIENDING
FLY2HELP & ROSIE
SCHWEINFURT RECONCILED 1943-2014
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 This
is a short page to thank and pay tribute to
those who return from war -
often physically or mentally damaged - and to
those who care for them in whatever way: in families,
communities, and veterans' and other
associations.I KNEW THAT JAMES STEWART had served as a pilot in the USAAF in England. In fact, he had qualified as a private and commercial pilot in the 1930s, so the basic skills were there. But on volunteering to join the USAAF, he was really too light and at 33 too old. Somehow he was allowed to train as a bomber pilot, and flew many missions on B24 Liberators from based in East Anglia - many of them uncredited. James Stewart was one of the few Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years - and later became a Brigadier General in the Reserve. But it was what happened when he went home that came as news and a surprise to me. It's not we expect with Hollywood.The book American Legends: the Life of Jimmy Stewart by Charles River sets ou what may have been a common experience. "The bashful youthfulness that had defined his star image during his earlier years had virtually disappeared, and even though he maintained his wholesome, approachable nature, Stewart was very much a hardened man. Years later, his son noted that Stewart refused to divulge any significant details surrounding his war experience, just like James' father Alex. "My father's experiences during World War II affected him more deeply and permanently than anything else in his life. Yet his children knew almost nothing about those years. Dad never talked about the war. My siblings and I only knew that he had been a pilot, and that he had won some medals, but that he didn't see himself as a hero. He saw only that he had done his duty."  LINGERING MEMORIES So it was no surprise that I found an echo of Jimmy Stewart when I wrote to Vivian Lavaty, wife of the great-nephew of the pilot of the Winkfield B17, Richard Lyng. She showed that he lived a charmed life! Vivian said:
"Thank you for taking the time to reach out to Uncle Dick's family with this amazing story! Your taking the time to search for his family is touching and very much appreciated! There is indeed a personal story with each one of those cartridges found.
"Richard W. Lyng was the charmingly tall, kind, handsome husband to Rita and father to 2 daughters and a son; brother to my late mother-in-law Jeanne Lyng Lavaty; brother to Joe Lyng who now resides in Florida; great-uncle to my husband Tom Lavaty here in Charlotte; great-uncle to my brother-in-law Harald Gundersen who resides outside Chicago. "I recall he was a quiet force when he entered a room -tall, lanky, charming smile. Very humble man. I did not realize his war heroics until the eloquent tribute that was paid to him when he died several years ago." It has to be said that Rich would also be pretty proud of his part of the family. Vivian wrote: "I am truly honored to have served on the Board for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Carolinas for recent 12 years. This year, we will have distributed over 40,000,000 pounds of food to folks in need in our 19 county area through our agencies/pantries/mobile pantries/kids backpacks/kids cafes programs. So Rich and Jimmy would have much to give thanks about - for the good people in the USA who still think their best product is hope. |
 James Stewart in unfamiliar but classic form Clark Gable was another Hollywood star who served with the 8th Air Force. Aged 42, he was seriously old for combat duty, but wanted to do the right thing, and had several missions as an air gunner - standing up all the way there and back. He definitely could give a damn!  The charm-filled Richard Lyng with daughter in law Vickie |
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BEFRIENDING
FLY2HELP & ROSIE
SCHWEINFURT RECONCILED 1943-2014
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