I want to share a cool thing with you my friends on the 914 world site. As many of you know, I am restoring Dads car.. a '74 2.0.. my Dad bought it when I was 6. It was his midlife crisis car, and I was his midlife crisis kid.... as he had me at 53.

Today in the mail I received a book written by the historian of the 31st Bombardment Squadron of WWII. I'm grateful for her work and dedication, as so many heroes history have gone undocumented and are lost... but thanks to her some are not lost... particularly now.. my Dads.

My Dad never talked about the war, so little was said, I wasn't even sure he was there... let alone where, what, or when. However, when he died, we found the picture below.

Years later, in the middle of the night, I woke up thinking about my Dad. I walked out into our kitchen (Jeff Bowlsby's old house) and saw the picture of my Dad and his crew. Unexpectedly, an internet search led me to his exact same B24! but strangely it had a different crew. That's where it ended though, no one had heard of my Dad or his crew.... despite the picture.

I left my information hoping for anything. You see, I don't have my Dad's military record either, as a fire at the government storage facility where it was kept, was destroyed decades ago.

The book author / historian contacted me from seeing the website. She asked for rights to the picture and any details. I agreed, but I had no details.

More years later, out of nowhere, she called me excited wanting to introduce me to a man I had never heard of.. turns out, he was the pilot of my Dad's crew. Somehow she recognized my Dad's name from our brief exchange. I agreed to talk with him by phone. We chatted as best we could, and he outlined the story in the book I just read. He called my Dad "the best damn navigator in the whole war.." but I didn't really understand the full story.. until I read it just now tonight.

In the book, the pilot of my Dad's B24 tells the story their survival... an experience which rendered him unable to fly for 3 days after.... when faced with the end of their lives, they did their jobs, including my Dad.

After reading it, it all hit me, he WAS a hero... so many were and are, but now I know, and its in print, he was there and he barely made it through.

He was my hero too. Long before tonight. I hope as my days pass, I can live up to his example.

So when you see my Dad's car around, look past me, look past a car, and know that a hero, my hero "enjoyed it like a little go cart"... and live your life to the fullest too...

Thanks so much to all of you out there who have had a hand in helping me restore my 914 (you know who you are). Thanks to this site... and thanks to my family and friends for putting up with this pathetic addiction, so that I could preserve my Dads spirit.

That's a GREAT story Rob!
Kudos to you for restoring your Dad's 914, & a salute to him for his service!

Maybe you could take his old B24 Captain/pilot out for a spin in Dad's car when your done, if he's anywhere you can get to him.

Would you mind posting the book, author, ISBN, etc., for those of us who like that stuff.

It will get on my "list" because I grew up with an interest in aviation & had wanted to be a Vietnam era jet jock myself (but for eyesight), & have always had a keen interest in WWII Aviation History for a similar reason as you - someone close involved in it.

Cheers!
Tom
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Rob:
I am so pleased to read about your restored car being your dad's. I can relate a bit to the joy these cars can bring as we drive them in honor of a loved one.
I was involved for a few years with the b24/b29 squadron of the Commemorative Air Force. I would encourage you to look up their schedule, and if they are ever nearby check out 'Ol 927, formerly known as Diamond Lil. These guys would LOVE to hear about your dad. And take the car, and get that photo op of it parked next to the b24!
Their website: http://www.cafb29b24.org/a/B-24.htm

I think you should duplicate the planes art and name on the car.

From someone who spent 23 years in the military and knows why we don't talk about "that", my salute to your dad. Thanks for sharing Rob...

It appears again that the world ties us all togeater. The photo, the author, the book, the car, your passion to share the story with your internet friends. They all link togeather in pattern that has reason.

Thats a remarkable story Rob. Its great to see you honor your dad in this way, I am sure he would be very proud of you.

You have the best 914 Rob. Especially because of the story behind it.

Thank you for sharing that story Rob.

Thanks for sharing. Your dad is a hero!

what a man! You are a lucky son. How did your dad pass away and when?

Great story. Keep that car in the family as a tribute to your Dad and his memories. My dad was in WWII also. He passed on his mechanical skills and his love of cars to me. Three years ago I completed a 64 Cobra replica and and now restoring my 914. I imagine he is looking down with a big grin on his face. My only regret is not spending more time with him. You get married, have kids and work you ass off trying to provide the best for your family, life is too short. Never save anything for a special occasion, treat every day like it is a special occastion as tomorrow is promised to no one.

Thanks for sharing Rob. Post the name of the book please. I had the privilege of knowing a pilot in a B24 squadron and always enjoyed "pulling" stories out of him about his experiences in WWII.

From the stories I have heard from him and others it is easy to understand why they call those that lived and fought then..."the greatest generation".

Kudos to you for appreciating your dad and his car.

Jim

Awesome

Cool!

Rob,
That's some wonderful family history that you can take great pride in.
A fantastic book titled "Wings of Morning", by Thomas Childers chronicles the journey of a B-24 crew in combat. That book was one of the most moving narratives of WWII aviation that I've read. If you've not read it, I highly recommend you add it to your reading list.

That book is amazing. IMO the B24 is one of the best looking planes ever made.

Thanks folks..

Here's a link I found to the book, COURAGE BEFORE EVERY DANGER, HONOR BEFORE ALL MEN by Joanne Emerick:

Book Order Form

Cool story Rob. My grandfather "flew" gliders in WWII, flew and successfully walked away ( rare ) on 3 missions. Unlike your dad however, he ALWAYS talked about it

Yes, your father was a hero Rob! The thing with a lot of heroes is that they never thought they were.

The world is in some way a better place that your dad spent some time on it. Thanks to him and other veterans! This is not something to do once or twice a year, I like to remind people when they see a vet with a hat or a jacket on that says they are a Vet...just stop and tell them thanks.

My grandfathers story was pretty close to that. He never said anything, until a book (The Rock of Anzio) that covered part of his story came out.

Thank you for sharing Rob!!!

Some more deatail:

My Dad died 13 years ago at 79.

He had an extraordinary life. His roadmap for living included: being true to yourself, understanding WHY things are the way they are, working for your dreams, respecting life, and always doing your best. He had a massive curiosity about everything. He lived simply on a farm in Nipomo but didn't need to, he lived simply, by choice. He fished, golfed, and wandered CA "discovering" things. He put all of us through college and encouraged us to do more with our lives. We did.

You could have a conversation with him for 4 hours and not know where the time went. He was unconventional, and wore whatever he felt like, sometimes nothing. If he wanted a new room on the house, he built it. It saw something on TV he could visit, he did. He was a depression era cook, pretty much eating the whole chicken and then making soup from the bones. We had pipes leaving the house to water the garden.

With the 914, he drove it slowly when he wasn't in a hurry, getting passed by the world, and he drove it 90 mph + when he was in a hurry, most likely college football. He never had a favorite team, but enjoyed watching two good teams play hard. He didn't have cable.

He never traded in cars.. if they broke, they would get parked. If someone said something to him on the golf course he didn't like, he'd walk away. We got held up on a 3 par in front of a lake once, and he took a swim in his boxers.

He was fascinated by airplanes and missiles. We spent many good times on the beach at Vandenburg. He was left handed at birth but was forced to be right handed in grade school. He once threw 2 bowling balls down the lane from each hand at the same time.

He had his heart broken from a girl back home in WWII, who didn't tell him until he got home. He lost his first wife to heart disease leaving him with 3 girls. He then met the trainwreck of his life.. my mom, had a 3rd date baby, and never tied the knot again. Most of his dates came from parents without partners whom he recruited women for square dancing.

When I was 10, he told me sex was great...beautiful and natural and to wait until I found a special girl. He made drugs seem like the dumbest thing on earth a person could do.

He was spiritual but not religious. He talked his way over to our house when I was a kid (no cable) to see "Cosmos". He never wanted to die, but wanted to be set out into space. The most touching moment of my life with him was when I lifted him off his wheelchair and put him carefully on a CT scan table.... it hit me that the man who cradled me as an infant, and danced with me standing on his shoes, was being cradled by his son. His 6'1" frame only weighed 150 or so. I wish I had held him longer.

We had to bulldoze the house after he died. He never applied for codes, especially for the basement he dug out for 7 years that I couldn't tell my mom about. The 914 was buried under carpet remnants and various eccentric trinkets (aka junk). The tires were flat, it was a safe haven for black widows, gophers had dug a lair under the engine, and a dead 1 foot lizard was later taken out of the engine tin. You could drop a volleyball through the hole where the battery used to be.

I haven't been back to Nipomo for a long time. Somehow 120 low cost houses can't replace what I still see in my mind. He planted 100 trees perfectly symmetrical 10 feet apart on a hill. He never bought a tree unless it promised fruit, but would drive down a "no trespassing missile road" and dig up a young tree as the MPs arrived. He was saved by the coast guard many times while out fishing, usually because the engine died.

He had the world's ugliest RV.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea...

Thanks again.

I'll bet you could get a graphics shop up there to reproduce a B&W, Color or colorized version of it as a decal you could put in the window (rear behind the headrests works well without blocking vision), so you don't mess up your paint job!

You could start a new trend - "914 Nose Art"

PS - so the above was actually written yesterday but the world-outage prevented me from posting it until today, after which I read your "more about Dad" post.

Rob - I've to say that your Dad sounds like a real character who would've been a real hoot to know! ... although I was torn between giggles & tears as I read through it!

He's a bit of a cross between my Dad & his youngest brother Merrill, & my Dad was a Korean War Vet you passed away a couple of months before I found 914world (Dec. 08), but I was the eldest so at the opposite end. My wife's Dad was a WWII Vet too, & Ops Officer (non-pilot support) for a PBY Squadron stationed in Iceland amongst other postings on ASW patrols. He probably told me more stories from WWII - not about it, if you get my drift - than did my Dad about his escapades.

My Dad & Uncle Merrill taught me about cars, had a broken down 18' cabin cruiser together that they went fishing on, & for the last several decades of his life Merrill had a beat up RV he lived in & drove somewhere else when he got tired of that place!

I too was switched from a lefty in Kindergarten, but didn't retail the ambidextrous skills (now a dork with the left), I've never had cable nor satellite - in fact there's now foil on the rabbit ears awaiting me to crawl up in the attic to install a dtv antenna, only plant fruit bearing trees, had a similar talk with my daughter & son about sex & drugs & life, & a few others are similar. So I can relate!

BTW - I love places like Nipomo, even if they have grown a bit since our youths. San Diego was small when I lived there 6th grade on in the 60's, so things change, but hopefully we can still find kernals of what was in those old places, or in others like they used to be.

Thanx for sharing, & glad to hear you got the lizard out of the engine tins - she should run much cooler now!

Cheers!
Tom
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Great Story!

Funny thing is I think he is still living in it! He created such a wake from his life that it continues to live today. The feelings of love and the memories which remain vivid in your mind can never be taken away. It should be the goal for all parents to do that with their children.

Congrats to you for such an amazing HERO in your life.

I do agree with the art from the plane be painted or created on that car......seems like it should just happen. Maybe a layer of clear with some metal flakes just so that the image is just hinted when those who "look" can "see".

Mark

My father was also in B-24's. He was shot down over the Med. Bailed out. Swam in the Med. for 3 hours. Spent 34 months as a guest of the Third Reich. He always said the "heroes" where the rest of his crew that didn't get out and died in the plane.

Cheers, Elliot

Something like 1 in 2 B-24s were lost in WWII.

My Dad passed away a few years back. After things settled down we learned more about him, his was always kind of a quiet, stern guy.

We knew he served in Vietnam. He always said he was Corporal (Spelling?) doing simple payroll tasks in Germany. When we sorted through all his old military items, he had a 5th armorment and a couple of badges my brother (Navy) said he most likely could not have recieved unless he was on the front lines.

So did he simply hide stories from his kids? At this point, we'll probably never know, Mom won't breath a word about any of it.

Very cool stories everyone, thanks for sharing. I think about my dad often. He was a great man, good father to us (3 boys) and missed.

Rob, great story. I was thinking the Nose art on the car myself! Lets get together and make the Vinyl sticker for it, the sticker machine is just collecting dust!

Great and inspiring stories and humbling as well.


I encourage you to honor your father and his brothers-in-arms with the artwork and name of his plane carried on on his car.

There were 18,000 B-24's built. At one plant, a new B-24 rolled off the assembly line EVERY HOUR. Sadly, I think there is only one or two left capable of actually flying.

Cheers, Elliot

I believe the plant in Seattle was used primarily for B-29's by the time they decided to add the roof camo, still pretty cool:

Super story. Thanks for sharing. there is so much family history to be shared. Love it!

http://www.b24bestweb.com/fourfanfanny1.htm

Interesting about "the other crew" of Four Fan Fanny.

I found this online:
http://aloneonalimb.blogspot.com/

Root - I was told by the VFW Honor Guard guys at my Dad's funeral 12/08, that you can research your kin's military records with a request to the Branch, & there is a lot available online - all you need is time, patience & perseverance.

You should be able to get info on everything EXCEPT "Black Ops" - such as "the war that never happened" in Laos, etc. A HS classmate of my Mom's was a Navy F-3, F-4 & Vigilante (A-6?) pilot who flew in the Laos bit, who told me that they won't even acknowledge his service & 2 downings there (fortunately both rescued).

Eric - I think that was the Willow Run plant in MI - largest single assembly line under one roof & largest building in the world at the time- built by Ford specifically for the B-24. IIRC that was the plant that Henry Kaiser (WWII Liberty ships, Kaiser Steel, K Aluminum, Kaiser Permanente, etc. fame) boought to produce his Kaiser autos after WWII through the mid/late-50's.

Despite the focus of attention on the B-17 in the ETO bombing campaigns (Memphis Belle, photo junkets, etc.), there were far more B-24's in Ops, but according to what I'd read in several sources the Flying Fortress guys got more attention because they were based closer to London & easier to get to than the farther flung B-24 Bases. Afterall, they chose the B-24 Liberators for the dangerous Ploesti Raids!

They also had the PB4Y-1 & -2 Privateer for the Navy (-2 was single vertical stabilizer), which is the one that Joe Kennedy Jr. was killed in on a WWII mission.

RobW - underthetire has you set for nose art decals! I had a guy send me a 3x5 size full color nose art decal from a US aircraft that he had made or gotten somewhere in Germany IIRC - nice size for a 914. IIRC he had put one like it or maybe the same one on his 914-6 resto over there, on its back window behind the pass. headrest & it looked sweet!

You may need to change Dad's car name to "Four Fan Fanny" (if I read the nose art in 1st post correctly), with the decal on it - but stick with the original CA blue/gold plates if you still have them!

Cheers!

Looks like that B-24 bomber "Four Fan Fanny" has quite the heroic war history of her own!

Four Fan Fanny

I think that is now their Boeing Air Museum - correct?

Just for fun, inspired by your Dad's WWII plane nose art:
http://www.b24flak.com/the_girls/FFF_Design.html

Be proud. My dad never talked about WWII either. he died in 1965 from war related causes. Last year, the Australians honored him and his men from the Small Ship division in New Guinea. The said that if had not been for him the Australian would be speaking Japanese/
Hail and hardy salute to all the WWII heros, all several million of them who sacrificed it all so we could live better. Your dad was the real thing.

Be proud. My dad never talked about WWII either. he died in 1965 from war related causes. Last year, the Australians honored him and his men from the Small Ship division in New Guinea. The said that if had not been for him the Australian would be speaking Japanese/
Hail and hardy salute to all the WWII heros, all several million of them who sacrificed it all so we could live better. Your dad was the real thing.

Cool stuff...

Thanks Gwen! Yes, these are THE pictures that confused me further about my Dad. I always assumed one crew / one plane. I emailed one of the persons in the other crew and he had not heard of my Dad, but he was there early on.

My Dad was a trainer but was pulled into the war between 1944-45. It wasn't until the author of the book found a record of my Dad joining the 31st, and then later linking me up to his pilot that I ever got confirmation.

The Four Fan Fanny was a lucky B-24 to have survived the war...

I have no idea how to tastefully create some art on the 914. I have a spare top and perhaps that can be used to make something cool.

How does vinyl work?

PS - thanks to everyone who serve and served. Thanks also to those who have fathers / grandfathers / family in the military - its very cool to know there are others out there with a similar family history.

Rob, IMHO I'd avoid the vinyl on the bodywork or top & stick with the glass application of smaller decals - so you won't mess up the paint on a later removal, & since you're doing Dad's 914 as a stocker.

The vinyl is just like the vinyl racing numbers you've used - same stuff, but after working to remove the vinyl racing decals off of the ex-racer 74 parts donor shell I have, it's a PITA even with a heat gun & still leaves residue & can nick the paint.

Between Gwen's post 34 pic in color & her #36 with the full noes art, you should be able to create the entire artwork in color using the #36 one to fill in the bottom, then silkscreen or whatever process they use to print the full color logo onto white (white will probably give brighter & more vibrant colors), silver (like the fuselage), or clear vinyl.

Fantastic way to honor your father.

My hat's off to all who served in the military. I have extreme admiration and awe for those who fought for our country.

Because of all who served, I have been able to live a life of peace. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to shoot people and be shot at. Thank you to all who have served our country.

My dad was also a WWII vet. He spent Dec 1944 in Bastogne surrounded by the enemy. He too never talked about the war. My mom and dad would decorate the house very nicely every Christmas. I learned after his passing from my sister that he swore if he ever got out of Bastogne alive, he would cherish each and every Christmas. And he did.

I love history and historical research.

Here is some more interesting info about the "Four Fan Fanny" (aka B-24 L 44-41669)



Also: http://www.b24bestweb.com/fourfanfanny2.htm

Seems it was part of the 31st Bombardment Squadron (31st BS) in the 5th Bomber Group (5th BG) of the 13th Air Force (13 AF)
http://31stbombers.org
http://www.b24bestweb.com/fourfanfanny2.htm

CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY: THE 31ST BOMB SQUADRON 1917-1945
http://31stbombers.org/brief_history.htm

Also found some patches that may correlate. The skull & bones is for the 31st BS. The B B character is for the 5th BG "Bomber Barons" & I love the Daffy Duck insignia for:
AAF School, Navigator
Navigator School
Selman Field, Monroe, LA
..but don't know if that's where your dad trained.

More about the 13th AF here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Air_Force

Wow... Gwen, you rock! I've never seen the "palm tree" picture before... THANK YOU!

Gwen's got both a knack & love for it,for sure!

Being old school Rob, your Dad's story Has me digging out all my books on WWII Bombers, etc. & reading avidly, to the detriment of sleep!

It's always interesting to find out years later who had served in WWII and how they had kept it low key.

My next door neighbor (who passed away years ago) was a battlefield doctor during the Battle of the Bulge. I didn't know that until I was talking to his son at my own fathers funeral. My junior high school janitor (who was a distant relative) was disabled and we never knew why. Turns out he had been in a glider as part D-Day. He was so badly injured during landing that he was put in the "dead" pile for awhile before someone realized he wasn't dead. My mothers uncle was a P-51 pilot, but was shot down and killed (MIA) while strafing a German supply train.

I love this kind of historical detective work.
Wonder if there are decent paying careers in Genealogy?

Gwen, I don't know if they're great paying - esp. at the CA cost of living, but there are professional genealogists out there. Look at the genealogy websites - esp. at the free volunteer one run by the locals in each state/county (http://usgenweb.org/).

Some genealogy is far more difficult than others, due to the lack of old records, e.g.: for Afro-Americans & Indians/Native Americans where records just weren't kept early on. I've had a heck of a time with my Cherokee/Seneca side of the family because they just didn't keep good records, didn't care about them for Indians back in the early 1800's & before, & some key courthouses burned down. Too time consuming to pursue until I retire & have more time to travel back east & research primary source records & talk to family more widely.