Atlantic via Ascension Island, then north through Africa to Sardinia. I flew many missions against the Germans in Italy. Certain missions stand out in my memory as being especially important to the effort to force the Germans out of Italy and thereby end the war. We thought the bombing of Monte Casino would be very important. Even though it was demolished, the Germans were able to dig in and survive. With the invasion at Anzio, we flew missions in support of our infantry against strong enemy resistance, causing a lot of damage to aircraft and wounding crew members. The war progressed through Italy, finally ending in Dijon, France. With sixty-five missions my combat tour was over. After this, I made my career in the U.S. Air Force flying many different types of aircraft and serving for twenty-eight years, retiring in 1969. David E. Fletcher B-17s leaving contrails at high altitude David E. Fletcher attended Weber College in 1942. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps serving in the 452 Bomb Group, 731 Squadron, with the rank of first lieutenant. He served as a copilot on a B-17 bomber, completing 35 bombing missions over Germany. Every mission was different. We didn't know what was going to happen each time we took off. England wanted us to bomb at night; but at 2,500 feet, the night temperature was 40 to 50 degrees below zero. If we flew during the day, it was easier to see targets, etc. So, we flew our missions during the day. On one trip, we were with a group of other planes heading for a bombing mission over Germany. The #3 engine got hit, and so we had to feather it and continue on with three engines operating. As a result, we couldn't travel as fast as the other planes and started getting far behind. We started having trouble with #4 engine and had to feather it, also. Of course, this made matters worse. We were now only operating on #1 and #2 engines on the left side of the plane. We were getting farther behind and could see that we could not complete the mission. We were even worried about getting back to the airfield in England. We called in to headquarters, told them of our situation, and asked for an alternate place to land so everyone could be safe. We could see that we could possibly go down in the English Channel. They gave us the name of an airfield closer to the Channel. The pilot and I were trying to hold the two engines down. It took both of us to make the turn and get to the airfield. As we got closer, we could see that there was a forest with a lot of huge trees right at the end of the airfield. We couldn't land until we made a turn. We could see that unless we did something, we were not going to make it over the trees and would crash into the forest. I decided to start up #4 to give us the lift we needed to clear the forest. With the help of #4 engine, we just barely went over the forest. I told the pilot that with three engines working, we would be all right. With the two of us working hard, we made a 360 turn and landed the plane. It kind of tickled me that after we left the plane, the crew came running up to me first, giving me hugs and thanks for the great job of landing the plane safely It was quite an experience. After we finished our 35 bombing missions, we were given a 30-day leave. We had flown over Iceland and Ireland to England for our bombing assignments but when we went home, we were put on a ship and sent home. When the 30-day leave was up, we were to go to California where we would have a new assignment of dropping bombs on Japan. While in California, the atomic bomb was dropped, our assignment cancelled and I was released from the service. I wasn't very old, 22, when I was serving in the service. I look at my 22-year-old grandkids and think of what a happy life they are living here. I am grateful that they haven't had to go through what I did. George Arthur Ford George served in the Infantry, then in the Air Force where he held the rank of technical sergeant. He served from July 1943 to October 1945 in the European Theaters. He received three Battle Stars, Air Medal with 28 three Oakleaf Clusters (same as four Air Medals), Good Conduct Medal, and Gunners Wings. He flew in B-17 bombers, bombing Germany as the radio operator and waist gunner for 50 caliber machine guns. He served 25 bombing missions and four food missions to Holland as the war ended. He was invited in 1985 by the Netherlands government as one of the 21 U.S. Air Force representatives to commemorate the dropping of food on Holland. He was chosen to receive the Medal of Liberation for the United States. At the celebration, recognition medals received were the Medal of Liberation, Operation Manna Food Drop Medal, and the Erasmus Medallion. There were 284 individuals invited from six nations, United States, England, Australia, Canada, Poland, and New Zealand to attend this celebration. He took a number of classes from Weber in conjunction with his work at Hill Air Force Base. Winslow G. Gardner - KIA Winslow Gardner moved to Ogden from Cache County in 1939. He attended Weber College, graduating in 1941. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and received his training at three different air bases in Arizona, California and New Mexico. Gardner flew 40 missions in the South Pacific and was eligible to return to the States in 1943. He chose, instead, to continue serving and volunteered for a reconnaissance mission in a B-17 over the island of New Britain, off the northeast coast of the present Papua, New Guinea. Ten crew members were aboard the flight when it was attacked by Japanese fighter planes June 1, 1943. Two crew members parachuted to safety and a third survived the crash in the tail section of the plane. The remains of six of the crew who died in the crash were eventually recovered, but Gardner's were not among them. It was assumed he was blown up in the explosion of the gas tanks. Gardner was a religious man. In letters to his family, he said he dreamed of becoming a missionary for his church. He had a premonition he might not return, however, and he instructed his mother that if he didn't come back, they were to use his savings to send others on missions. Two missionaries benefited from his post mortal generosity. In 1987, the nose cone of the B-17 was found by a logger, and in 1990 the remains from it were identified as those of Lieutenant Gardner. Lt. Gardner was finally put to rest May 4, 1991, with military honors at Ft. Douglas in Salt Lake City and interment in the Hyrum City Cemetery, where a grave site had been reserved for him for almost 50 years. Winslow Gardner's odyssey, covering half the world and half a century, had finally ended. The above story was taken from newspaper accounts furnished by the Alumni Association and by classmate Loyal Nye. Wayne L. Garfield Wayne enlisted in the Air Corps in July 1943. He was a graduate of Weber County High School and attended Weber College. He graduated from Victorville, California, as a bombardier. 2nd Lt. Garfield served as a navigator on a B-17 until 1946. 29