Memphis belle Aircraft Commander Passing

These men, like all those who fought WW2, were heros to my generation. They showed that ordinary men can change the world. These days when anyone who can sing a little or has some skill on the sports field is accorded Celebrity or even Hero status it's good to remember men like Col Robert Morgan. Ordinary men who found extraodinary courage. .

In addition to flying the Memphis Belle, Morgan did a second tour in the Pacific and led the forst large B-29 raid on Japan.

I suspect, with the way society has evolved in the past 60 years, there will never be another generation of selfless, patriotic, brave and daring men and women like them.

" In walks the village idio and his face is all aglow;. he's been up all night listening to Mohammad's radio" W. Zevon

God bless and blue skies forever,Colonel!

"Stanley Parker" wrote in = message news:VOCpc.10289$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

With the possible exception of those men and women serving in the Armed Forces today and the police and fire departments all over the US. And, quite frankly, I believe that no matter how the youth of the US today act, if they were called upon to defend the things this country stands for as the result of overt or subvert acts by foreign entities, they'd be there. Its simply the American way.

Scott snipped-for-privacy@AOL.com

I don't know. There are a load of brave men and women fighting and dying in the middle east and in Afganistan and none of them faced the alternative of being drafted if they did not volunteer.

I'd need to agree. The Japs and the Germans thought we we soft and an easy target. Guess my dad's generation proved them wrong. Funny thing about America. We are all different till some asshole attacks us. Then we are just all Americans.

God I love it here.

I thought that the Smithsonian is the official guardian/owner of the AC and that it was on loan as long as it was being maintained?

Is this not the case?

F. Marion

What about Pat Tillman and the hundreds of other brave American men and women that have given their lives in the GWOT, Bill? AFAIK the armed forces are still meeting their recruiting goals, too. I think you're selling us short.

And let's not forget our allies in Afghanistan and Iraq either.

We were in the South Bay today and noticed the Collings Foundation's B-17G "Nine-O-Nine" overhead.

Someone near us made the comment that she was the "Mephis Belle" and how sad it was that her skipper had just died.

Normally I would have politely corrected the guy, but this time I was so taken aback that someone had actually known about the Colonel and the "Belle" from a newspaper article that I just nodded and gazed at the beautiful old bird slowly circling the area.

Who knows, maybe there was another pilot in that cockpit today, unseen, but there nonetheless.

Tom

From news articles the 2 groups claim ownership, actually as I understand it, the AF Museum owns all AF planes on display & has the righjt to take them back.

Stan parker

I thought that the Smithsonian is the official guardian/owner of the AC and that it was on loan as long as it was being maintained?

Is this not the case?

F. Marion

Americans helped in winning WWII.. you didn't do it single handed... Remember that and we'll get on fine.

Mitch

Absolutely. Without the Russkies it would have been tough. 8-)D

WmB

To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

Why do you even bring it up? The post you responded to didn't make a claim that the US won it single-handed.

ax.com>

Just another troll, I suspect, Al.

My home page:

" In walks the village idiot and his face is all aglow; he's been up all night listening to Mohammad's radio" W. Zevon

Who, you or me?

No trolling, just I know of the US isolationist policies of the 30's.... and quite aware of how Pearl Harbor changed eveything including your foreign policies and awareness of Communist/fascist dictatorships. Sure American involvement probably won the war - but I was more replying on the fact that it was not just you guys who were in the war. That was the feeling I got from the original post.

FWIW, the Japs were clearly heading OUR way (Australia), not the US, and all you have to do is look at the tonnage of merchant shipping lost to the fact that our armed forces were in the upper Pacific region under American command....

Mitch

I rather suspect he was referring to you, mate.

So, is our current policy of engagement more to your liking?

Then you inferred something that wasn't implied.

Are you saying that Australian maritime losses were the fault of the US armed forces rather than the Japanese?

Sure, and we also have the ANZUS treaty with you guys... We haven't gone testing nukes in your backyard though... using troops as Guinea Pigs. Sending troops to their peril in Gallipoli WWI and in the trenches knowing that there's mustard gas ..

The irony is you guys would know didley squat about Australia's war involvement or say, ANZAC Day - but we know more about your history than our own... and this is probably why I reacted.

Mitch

I'm sorry - I wasn't aware that Australia was forced to allow and participate in that testing. Anyway, I'd think you'd be a lot more upset with the French.....

Gasp! There might have been actual live bullets too!

You sure seem to have a thin hide - I thought Aussies were made of sterner stuff. I'm well aware of Australia's contributions in WWI, not to mention WWII, the Korean conflict, Viet Nam (your longest war, IIRC), the Gulf War, OEF, and OIF. I'm also well aware of the significance and meaning of ANZAC Day. You assume too much, and you overeacted to an entirely innocent statement. We Americans aren't the ignorant yokels much of the world makes us out to be.

The bottom line is that I'm thankful for an ally as faithful and staunch as Australia has been and still is, and I'm disappointed that you seem to think so poorly of your American and British allies.