In This Issue of
Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time
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Welcome to the September 2021 Newsletter.
This is a somber issue. There is a lot of great information inside and we hope you will read through it all. However, the loss of 13 of our nation's finest overshadows many things. But this is what we do. We honor their service and sacrifice. Their stories will be written. They will not be forgotten. They were and are the best of us.
Thank you for your support!
Artifacts help tell the stories, money makes the engine run, please
We tell history! Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time.
Remember those that made the #ultimatesacrifice #mia #pow #kia #sonsofliberty. #patriots #army #navy #marines #aircorps #airforce #coastguard #merchantmarine; all those that have worn the cloth.
Join us on this journey.
In Their Memory,
Robert Coalter, Jason Weigler
Executive Directors
"Saving Military History One Soldier At A Time".SM
"Saving History One Soldier At A Time"SM
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13 U.S. service members supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, USMC
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, USMC
Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, USMC
Cpl. Hunter Lopez, USMC
Cpl. Daegan W. Page, USMC
Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, USMC
Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, USMC
Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, USMC
Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, USMC
Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, USMC
Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, USMC
Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, US Navy
Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, US Army
We will not forget.
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Missing in Action & Buried Unknowns |
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There are still thousands classified as Missing in Action or as Buried Unknowns. In our partnership with the MIA Recovery Network we have established data on our websites regarding MIAs. We are in the process of cataloging research materials instrumental to the researcher and families in this search. The quest to account for those of our nation's Missing in Action is one of the most noble of endeavors. There are also a large number of recovered remains that are buried in ABMC cemeteries where the identity is unknown.
The recovery of MIAs pose a number of challenges. For example, Navy or Merchant Marine ships that were sunk in are unrecoverable and thus ship manifests are the primary and often only source of names for those that have perished but are still accounted for as Missing In Action.
Each conflict has had its own challenges. At the end of World War II the military had established more than 360 temporary cemeteries, but the dead were being found continually, in farm fields, forests, small church cemeteries, and isolated graves and the shores of combat zones. These dead were collected and the remains consolidated into the fourteen permanent European, Mediterranean, and North African Cemeteries maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission, and two permanent cemeteries in the Philippines and Hawaii.
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Lt. Paul Mazal
513th Fighter Squadron
406th Fighter Group
MIA 19 March 1945
Recovered 27 August 2005
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Danny Keay remembers that his first contact with a German researcher and retired professor Horst Muenter was the seminal event leading to the recovery of Lt. Paul Mazal. Early in 2004, Danny, already well along in his passion as an aircraft historian and still on active duty with the US Army in Germany, learned that Muenter had information regarding a WWII lost aircraft. Horst Muenter was a young boy during WWII and had witnessed many crashes. In retirement he began to record a systematic archive of all the known crashes in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In that process he uncovered evidence of a P-47 crash near the town of Werl. Muenther began to cross check the known crashes and pilot’s status by using his now well vetted database. It was then that he became certain that it was the plane of Lt. Paul Mazal. Earlier, in 2002, he compiled his evidence and provided it to the US Army Mortuary Affairs Activity in Landstuhl Germany. They sent a representative to visit Muenther, collected sketches of the parts found, and his data. They promised to send this information to the parent organization in Hawaii, then known as the Joint Personnel Accounting Command, (JPAC) which was the parent organization for USAMAA. Urgency was an issue. If this was the crash site of Paul Mazal and indeed his remains were inside the wreck, the land was due to be developed both by state and local governments. Muenter’ s concern was real, and urgency was needed. The same information including the necessity for urgency was sent the following year, 2003, with no response.
In typical fashion Danny began to assemble a team of several specialists. There were issues requiring environmental permits. The landowners had concerns. This site was a crop field, and the owners had concerns that a dig would create a crater which would have to be filled in properly once the plane was removed. A police presence would be needed to determine that this was in fact a WWII event and not a recent murder. Heavy equipment was required, and volunteers needed to assist in the final phase of recovery after the plane was visible. German Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel (EOD) will be needed to secure the site if live ammunition or a bomb is found. It is a daunting task, but Danny has been through this before, and slowly everything falls into place under his coordination. The date was set. 27 August 2005.
Danny arose in the pre-dawn and began the three-hour drive from his home to the crash site. He arrived to find the team assembled and waiting. He had persuaded his cousin Ludger, the part owner of a construction company, to provide excavation equipment for the dig. The EOD personnel are already searching the wide ribbon of ground the excavator has scraped away. They are using a magnetometer. This device will record and visually display the representation of the ground and allow the technicians to mark the center of mass of the wrecked aircraft. The excavator will begin the dig based on their data.
To assist in the various tasks, Danny has enlisted the members of the local Technische Hilfswerk. (THW) THW are a group which assists in disaster relief efforts worldwide, but in this case, their first in an aircraft recovery, they will regard this as a training event. They have arrived with twenty volunteers and a truck with pumps. The pumps will be used to remove the water they expect in the crater as a result of several days of rain previously and the fact that the site is about twenty feet from a small stream. They will also need to dispose of soil contaminated by the fuel of the plane. Soon the excavation reaches the depth at which the plane would be found, and the first item to reveal itself is a part of the undercarriage, a wheel still in the locked position inside the wing. This reveals that the plane has indeed crashed in an inverted position, something that the members of the squadron had believed was the case. They are only about 6-8 feet into the dig. Ninety minutes later the parts surface which reveal that this is in fact the aircraft flown by Paul Mazal on the day of his death. The excavation continues until the depth reaches twenty feet. There is still no evidence of the pilot, and the team wonders whether their information is wrong. Could Paul have somehow escaped from the crash and was buried elsewhere? The team takes a break to discuss next steps. The dig continues. Then, the soles of a pair of flight boots appear. They have found Paul. The clay at the site has preserved the remains. The lack of oxygen assures that boots, uniform, and Paul are recognizable and preserved. The team take a moment to realize this. Quickly, they place a screen around the excavator, and pray for Paul. Reporters from a newspaper are warned that there will be no photos and the team assure them that anyone attempting photos will find their cameras deep in the crater. The team does photograph certain items from the plane which establish the identity of the plane and therefore Paul Mazal. These will be presented to JPAC to assure that this recovery is correct, and the remains are that of Lt. Paul W. Mazal.
In all of these recoveries there exists a very strong emotional component. Two of the THW volunteers are overcome by emotion and the police chaplain speaks with them. The local mayor approaches the team. He realizes that the remains are to be placed in a body bag. He directs one of his staff to call the local funeral home and provide a casket for Paul. “This young man has lain in our soil for sixty years and I will not allow him to be placed in a body bag.” It is a moving gesture, and one of great beauty. The hearse arrives and Paul’s remains are casketed and brought to the funeral home. The casket is placed in a room, and to the surprise of all, the next day the casket is surrounded by flowers. The excavator operator discusses next steps with the landowner. Together they decide that half of the crater will be filled in and allow the earth to settle overnight. The remainder of the crater will be filled tomorrow. It is about this time that Danny receives a call from a JPAC representative. The caller is furious. He instructs Danny to remove the remaining dirt from the crater so that a JPAC team can verify the work. Danny tells that him this will not happen. He is supported by the USAMAA leader. She backs him up completely. She had been aware of the two earlier attempts to convince JPAC to pursue the tasks and she was aware of the failure to do so. The JPAC leadership’s response was to institute a Judge Advocate General investigation into Danny’s recovery with the goal of pressing charges. Thankfully, this investigation was ended by cooler heads, and the Mortuary Affairs Activity came to the funeral home to begin the process of returning Lt. Mazal to America. There would be another event to temporarily cloud the process and JPAC would be responsible for this too.
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Excerpted from:
"Known But to God; America’s 20th Century Wars and the Search to Recover the Missing" by Kenneth Breaux.
Due out in mid-2021.
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In November 2020 we launched our own virtual cinema. Another way to describe it is it's our own Netflix.
We have started out with 130 combat films represented by 209 clips and 1436 minutes of footage.
We will continue to add to the cinema as we have a lot of material and we will be generating much more for you to see.
This is a subscription service of $14.95/month.
Take a few minutes and go see what's "Now Showing" and decide if you want to signup and start watching. Go now !
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Sons of Liberty Museum
The Sons of Liberty has hundreds of uniforms and thousands of other artifacts in our collection from the U.S. Civil War to Present day. Our web presence now numbers in excess of 325,000 pages. We continue to accept new material for education and research programs; a number of these items will make their way on to the website. Our collection includes memorabilia from the front line soldier to the rear echelon clerk. Drivers, infantrymen, pilots, tankers, seaman, medical, artillery, armorers, engineers, quartermasters and much more. Those that were drafted or volunteered; those that did a single tour or made it a career. Those that returned with all types of injuries and those that gave their full measure being killed in action (KIA). All MOS are welcome from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines. We are Saving Military History One Soldier At A Time. We are honoring the service of the Citizen Soldier.
#sonsofliberty
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Volunteers
We need volunteers to transcribe award and roster documents. You will place the material into a spreadsheet where it will be added to our database and website. We welcome new dedicated volunteers to work from home and help us with this project!
Interesting Links & Resources
Donations
We welcome donations of papers, books, photos, gear, uniforms, jackets, medals, ribbons, weapons, equipment, scrapbooks, biographies, diaries and more. Please Contact Us
Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Cold War, Gulf War and current conflict donations accepted. From small to large multi-item donations, they all tell a story.
We need you ! We need your help to further our mission of preserving and bringing this history to you and your families. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
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Army Air Corps Museum
The Air Corps Museum online presence encompasses over 225,000 web pages with thousands of photos and other materials. Our artifact collection contains hundreds of uniforms, albums, logs, medals and more from the Army Air Service, Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force.
World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Cold War, Gulf War and current conflict donations welcome!
Volunteers
We need volunteers to transcribe documents, placing the material into a spreadsheet. We welcome new dedicated volunteers to help us with this project! Work from home.
Interesting Links & Resources
Donations
We welcome donations of papers, books, photos, gear, uniforms, jackets, medals, ribbons, weapons, equipment, scrapbooks, biographies, diaries, letters and more. Please Contact Us
You can make monetary donations. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
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James Stitchfield
13th Air Force
307th Bombardment Group
370th Bomb Squadron
B-24 Liberator
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Items have a story, what tale do yours tell?
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Sixty years ago: The Berlin Wall
By Thomas Laemlein
Some walls are meant to keep problems out. Others are meant to keep things in. On August 13, 1961, the communist government of East Germany acted to prevent the embarrassing emigration of many of its people to the west through the "Berlin loophole", and to shut off the crippling brain drain of its educated young people. First came the human barricades, literally lines of East German police and militiamen. Then came armored vehicles and more troops. Then came the barbed wire and checkpoints. The flow of emigres to West Berlin was shut off and slowly the Berlin Wall (or "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart" if you were on the communist team) was built into a permanent structure--the physical embodiment of the Iron Curtain. Eventually, concrete walls and machine gun towers would cover the divide, with a wide "death strip" featuring mines, foot traps, trip wires and anti-vehicle barriers. From 1961 to 1989, about 5,000 people were able to escape across the Berlin Wall. Nearly 200 died in their attempt to reach freedom.
Photo captions:
1) East German militiamen create a human barricade by the Brandenburg Gate.
2) Before the physical wall, armed patrols and dog teams covered the border.
3) Day two: barbed wire entanglements and armed guards begin to show up.
4) through 6) East German motorized units stationed near the Brandenburg Gate.
7) An early East German checkpoint at Potzdamer Platz.
8 & 9) US troops prepare for the worst.
10) More fencing and barbed wire goes up.
11) By the autumn of 1961, the Brandenberg Gate could only be seen through the concertina.
12) Rising tensions: East German T-34/85 tanks assembled near the Warschauer Bridge during August 1961.
13 &14) The wall continues to rise: The Berlin Wall seen just a few months later, during early 1962.
15) Despite the barrier, families, and love, survives.
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We have rescued this website. It was available for many years. The creator passed in 2016 and the website disappeared. Fortunately, we had a copy of the site and have recreated it in his and all the other 32nd Squadron members memory. re-launched November 2020.
Read one story below and others on the website.
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GENE TOWNSEND joined the 32nd Bomb Squadron at Geiger Field in Spokane, Washington, shortly after the 301st Bomb Group was formed in February 1942. He had just completed training in engineering at the Boeing B-17 plant in Seattle prior to his assignment.
GENE HAD DONE art work before entering the service; so once we were all at our base in Chelveston, England, in September of '42, it fell to him to decorate the 32nd's planes. The first plane painted was "The Bad Penny." When asked why such a name, the whole crew replied "A bad penny always returns." (Sadly, this was not to be, however.) This was the beginning of nose art for the 32nd, and by the war's end, Sgt. Townsend had painted over 40 planes, with such names as "Hun Pecker," "Sleepy Time Gal," "Lead Foot," and "The Goon." The squadron moved to North Africa with the 12th Air Corps, and eventually to Italy with the 15th. During these campaigns there were many times that he did his work under adverse conditions and with very limited materials.
AIRCRAFT NOSE ART provided a way for both the air crews and ground personnel to personalize their "baby"; to make it different from other planes in the squadron, or anywhere else. It was all up to the talent and imagination of the men who flew and maintained the planes. Few 32nd Bomb Squadron crew members or ground personnel would know a plane as "42-1398" or "44-6180," but they all knew and talked about "Amazin' Mazie" and "Slick Chick." And nose-art inspiration came from almost everywhere: wives, girl friends, cartoons, movie stars, and even some from crew chiefs. It was a time when almost anything was allowed to be painted on a plane, and this kind of expression was seen as a way to boost morale and the squadron's efficiency.
And read more stories
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Preserve This History, Honor the Service, Provide Education For Future Generations |
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Thank You For Your Support ! |
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Thank You For Your Support ! |
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---- What is Liberty ? ----
"definition. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views."
Merriam-Webster defines it as " the power to do as one pleases, the freedom from physical restraint and freedom from arbitrary or despotic control.
---- So what is a Son of Liberty? ----
In our context and beginning these were the men and women in America who wanted the freedom from the King of England. They desired a right of self-determination for their lives. They fought for this liberty and codified it in the Constitution of a new country. To keep this liberty they created a military to ward off the any would-be belligerent. For 244 years the men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation's military are the Sons of Liberty. They have fought enemies in other nations, they have fought each other and they have stood as sentinels of the watch.
We celebrate the service of these individuals, we tell the historical story of these selfless patriots.
---- The Sons of Liberty Museum ----
Over a decade ago we chose a name for this organization and our sister the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We believe these names accurately describe these men and women who serve. We will not change any name to satisfy a radical viewpoint or computer algorithm, we don't allow for any revisionist history, we tell the factual stories.
We are Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time.
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Need a Good Book?
Check out these titles.
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I was a navigator in the 459 Bomb Group 758 Bomb Squadron flying B-24's from Torre Giulia Field, tower named 'Coffee Tower', a gravel airfield near Cerignola, on the Foggia Plains of Southeastern Italy during the period August 4, 1944 to May 16, 1945. I flew 50 combat missions over targets in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia and Northern Italy.
Project Option: 6×9 in, 15×23 cm
# of Pages: 386
IsbnSoftcover: 9781714032860
Publish Date: Dec 12, 2019
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Most aircraft of World War II had pictures of sexy girls, tributes to sweethearts, songs and home. The planes were fondly referred to in a feminine manor. That was not the case with this B-17 tail number 42-25233. He was Rigor Mortis.
This is the story of Rigor Mortis and his men who flew over 120 missions from North Africa and Italy in 1943 and 1944.
Project Option: 8×10 in, 20×25 cm
# of Pages: 382
IsbnSoftcover: 9781714727803
Publish Date: Apr 20, 2020
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A Novel of MACVSOG in Vietnam. By Gene Pugh a Special Forces Recon Team Member.
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Surrender Not an Option
Survivors guilt is not the only thing that is bothering Allen Purvis. He has to relive in his mind the battles in a denied area when he was assigned to MACVSOG the ultimate secret organization during the Viet Nam war. He is put to the test when he commands his friends to sacrifice themselves to save the others of the unit. Wendy Salas, nurse at the 95th Evacuation Hospital sees the horrors of the war everyday. Her pain is personal. A chance meeting on R&R in Hong Kong brings these two people together as soul mates in a hope that one of them can save the other. Purvis like the others wondered why they were saved and the answer was there all the time.
- Paperback : 312 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1539108333
- ISBN-13 : 978-1539108337
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
Gene is a member of our advisory board.
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By Tom Laemlein
Tom is a member of our advisory board.
Many of the photos and illustrations in this book, some of them in color, are strong enough to be displayed in full page format. The images deliver the gritty details of USAAF armaments’ use down to their nuts and rivets, and the high-velocity rounds they fired. This is a unique photo-study, with many of the photos never-before published.
U.S.A.A.F. Aircraft Weapons of WWII
This book focuses on the war-winning weaponry of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. With 144 pages containing more than 250 photos it offers stunning visual details of the machine guns, cannons, bombs, and rockets carried into battle by USAAF bombers, fighters, and attack aircraft.Many of the photos and illustrations in this book, some of them in color, are strong enough to be displayed in full page format. The images deliver the gritty details of USAAF armaments’ use down to their nuts and rivets, and the high-velocity rounds they fired. This is the first photo-history of its kind, with many of the photos never-before published.
Combat conditions dictated that many aircraft were adapted into roles for which they were not designed. As necessity is the mother of invention, aircraft were modified in both their roles and their armament. B-25s became ground attackers, A-20s became night fighters, and every wartime USAAF fighter was adapted to carry bombs.
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301st Bombardment Group DVD
Enjoy this history of the 301st Bombardment Group in World War II with this discovered archival film footage. The first footage is in North Africa where the 301st moved after a short beginning in England. From Maison Blanche to Biskra, Algeria in 1942-1943 then Lucera, Italy in 1944 and many missions in between. Watch the men on the ground and in the air with both black and white and color footage. There are also some scenes with sound. Listen to the commanders recap the North African Campaign and a crew interview.
Watch the mission to bring back repatriated POWs. View the destruction of war on the enemy at the various targets of the 12th and 15th AF heavy bomber units.
View some great color footage of General Spaatz and General Eaker in the desert of North Africa. Listen to Generals Eisenhower, Spaatz and Doolittle talk about the Tunisian Campaign. Watch the bombs drop on missions including the oil fields and production facilities at Ploesti, Romania. View destruction on the ground. Watch as liberated POWs of the 15th AF are brought back to Italy.
This DVD contains a mixture of black and white and color film footage.
There are a number of minutes that contain sound. Runtime: 218 Minutes (3 hours, 38 minutes). Price: $39.99
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MIAs - Missing in Action
We have information on over 90,000 MIAs. This includes most all the World War II MIAs and some from World War I, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War.
With our strategic partners, the MIA Recovery Network, we want to tell the last chapter in the life of these Citizen Soldiers.
We would also like your help in telling the first chapters of the lives of those still Missing in Action. Do you have service photos of a family member that is or was MIA? News articles? Service related material?
Material on Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines MIAs:
Air Corps:
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X-Files - Buried Unknowns
There are many citizen soldiers whose body was recovered, but they are unidentified. There are thousands of these unknowns buried in American Battle Monument Cemeteries around the world. They are also known as X-Files.
Material on Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines X-Files can be found:
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Awards, Rosters
Unit Documents
We need you ! A continued big thanks to our fantastic army of volunteers. We have much more so if you can type and have a couple hours each week we can use you !
Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force
We have received material on many units and are hoping to compile much more.
Unit Citations, Awards, Transfers, Rosters
Many groups received unit citations during their particular conflict. The paperwork, in triplicate, would include a roster of all assigned and attached personnel. We are seeking and requesting copies of those roster documents. Please search your papers, talk to your association and help us out with this information and get them to us pronto!
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Attention Website Owners &
Veteran Associations
Many WWII veterans organizations have shut. Many these organizations had developed some type of website, some with enormous amounts of data and history. Sadly, many had/have not made provisions for their website to be continued and thus when the bill stops being paid, the website disappears and all the work and information is lost. We want to help and we need you to help us. If you know of a disbanding group, please have them get in contact with us; we would like to bring their website and information under our wing. If they want to continue to maintain it we can give them access to continue that as well. One of our top goals for this and every year is to preserve this history not lose it!
Not a WW2 unit? That's ok. We are also interested in your history and want to help preserve it. Korea, Vietnam and all other conflicts.
If your organization has physical materials such as uniforms, patches, photos and other memorabilia do you have plans for them when you cease operations? We would be honored to be the custodian of your group's history.
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Contact
Sons of Liberty Museum
Army Air Corps Library and Museum
Directors' Line: 214.957.1393
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