About a week ago, the day after I went flying with a friend, I was bagging groceries for an elderly lady while talking about flying with the cashier. This lady then started telling us that she she hadn't flown for a long time but used to a lot. The then told us that she was a flight instructor during WW2 and wanted to be the next Amelia Earhart

I also see a LOT of veterans come through our grocery store. Today, I was bagging groceries for an elderly man who was wearing a hat that said '82nd Airborne' on it. I jumped at the chance and I found out that he was indeed in the 82nd Airborne Division during the Korean war!

Also, one of the girls I work with is married to a guy who works in the Forest Service and helped with the shuttle recovery a couple months ago

anyway, since I had nothing else to do at the moment, I thought I would share some of this with you guys

Btw, there used to be a former member of the original Blacksheep squadron who was a friend of my Grandfathers, but i'm not sure if he is still living in the area anymore or even if he is still alive. I would have loved to spend hours talking to him!

I have the perfect job for this topic. I work in a nursing home.  One of the ladies (she has passed away since) was a "Rosy the riviter" . She built B-17's, however she worked out of a Douglas aircraft factory. I was in doubt until I found out that during WW2, companies like Douglas did in fact subcontract to built  planes other than their own

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Couldn't agree more Mark. If you ask these guys about anything, they will talk your ear off and it is so interesting to hear stories like these from the people who were there fought in these wars. Any time I see a veteran, (because they love to wear their hats), I always will say "thanks", and you can tell that they don't hear that often these days, especially from today's generation. They are the reason that we are free!. When you just say "Thanks", you can tell that you have made their day!
If anybody can engage in conversations with any vets, try it.......soon enough the only stories you will hear about those wars are the one's out of textbooks.
Like Mark said, "They are living history books".

Oh and Andrew,...glad to hear you are finding your new job interesting. I bet ya didn't think you would be talking "shop" while "bagging the broccoli"!! HAHAH

Dave   

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It's sad to hear how many of our heros are passing away daily

I love to hear war stories first hand. My mom works with a lady whos husband was a flighter pilot during Vietnam. His father was a PBY pilot during WW2. Once on a mission while flying over hundreds of miles of nothing but water, he saw something and when he flew over it, it happened to be a B-17 and crew that were floating in the water. He took a picture and called for rescue, and they were rescued within a few hours.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this picture.

Also, i've heard there's a WW2 veteran who lives down the street from me that loves to talk of nothing less. I've heard stories ov people who just happened to mention WW2 and couldn't get away for hours!

I doubt it's possible

I had a woman in my office with her 88 year old father. He noticed my collection of Model airplanes and asked if I was a pilot. I told him that I wish I was,....but I am not...aviation is a "hobby' of mine. As his daughter was talking to me, I saw her elderly father look at me and he held up 4 fingers and was making these "weird" gestures that I could't quite make out behind his daughter's back. His daughter and I finished talking and she asked if she could use the bathroom, I then took the oppertunity to ask the elderly man what he was trying to say. He was saying that he shot down 4 of "the bastards" and looked so proud to be telling me. "Don't let my daughter know", he said with a chuckle!!

Dave 

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Just lacking one aircraft to becoming an ace

Too right Loomex.  I vaguely remember my Grandfather, he died when I was 5, was born in 1899 and fought from 1915 through to the end.  He lied about his age to join the "West Kent Mounted Yeomanry" when he was sixteen and was transferred to the 6th Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot, "The Buffs". 

Will