[Professor]

On my way to the RFTW last year, I rode from Northern Nevada to PCH and took Highway 1 south. I took a break near San Simeon.  A man walked up to me and we started chatting about RFTW as I was wearing my vest. He told me his father died in the Korean War, that he was a pilot and flew the A26. My wife’s uncle was a 19 year old B-17 copilot in WWII and then flew 150 missions in Korea, in, the A26. Thinking there weren’t that many A26 aircraft in Korea in 1950 I asked him his father’s unit. The 452nd. I called my wife’s uncle who is nearing 99 years old and very sharp. I got his daughter who lives with her father and asked her what unit he flew with. The 452nd. I asked the man what is father’s name was and relayed it to his daughter. I heard in the background, “we lost him”.  Turns out my wife’s uncle was the lost pilot’s commander. I handed the phone to the man and said, he knew your dad….Lesson: Wear your vest enroute to the run, you’ll never know how you might impact someone. This man was a small boy when his father was lost in Korea. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke with my wife’s uncle…..just unreal

Professor

Remember Our Fallen ’21

FNG ’22

Army Veteran

[Author]

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