Posted on 08/15/2010 10:56:14 AM PDT by WayneM
Edited on 08/15/2010 12:58:56 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
A member of my church earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic action in WWII, and his 90th birthday is coming up Sep 7th. I am asking all my friends here to send him a birthday card and to thank him for his service. Despite being the most highly decorated service man in our county, he is a quiet and humble man and I would like for him to know how much he is appreciated.
In order to preserve the privacy of his mailing address, please send your greetings to our local veterans museum instead of his home.
Lifford French c/o Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives PO Box 1500 Athens, AL 35611
I've spoken with museum staff and they will present the cards to Mr. French. Please note his name is is Lifford (rather then Clifford as some accounts are written).
Mr. French earned his Distinguished Service Cross by forgetting his own safety to save the lives of his brothers.
Here is an excerpt from his citation:
Although French saw a raging fire in the forward end of the aircraft, and saw the co-pilot, navigator, and bombardier bail out of the stricken ship, he refused to leave because the pilot’s parachute had been burned and it was apparent Putek could not get out of the bomber.
French fought the fire, suffering severe burns and cuts about the face and neck, and finally succeeded in extinguishing it. Putek got the big ship under control, and French, despite the pain of his burns, assumed the co-pilot’s seat in the virtually open cockpit for the remainder of the trip.
Through three fighter attacks, constant anti-aircraft fire, Touch the Button Nell made her way back to England with Putek and French in the cockpit and five heroic gunners at their posts. The condition of the Fortress when Putek landed made the trip almost incredible. There were gaping holes all over, the entire nose had been blown away and many of the controls were gone.
The heroic actions of Sergeant French, remaining with the plane, undoubtedly saved the life of the pilot and made possible the safe return of the airplane.
Here (taken from the 535th Bomb Squadron 381st Bomb Group WAR DIARY - http://www.381st.org/History/WarDiaries/535thBS/535thBSFebruary1944.aspx) is another account of his heroism:
“6. The squadron got credit for a sortie to an airfield near Nancy, France, although 10/10th undercast prevented bombing. No enemy fighters appeared but the Fort met with intermittent flak over the continent. The feature story of this mission was told by the crew of “Touch-the-Button Nell” when they landed a US Navy B-24 patrol base in southwest England, Dunkeswell.
With 1st Lt Hank Putek at the controls, “Nell” was eastbound with the formation when a blast over the fuel transfer pump completely shattered to top turret, broke or cracked all cockpit windows and started a fire under the top turret platform. Lt Putek’s chute was destroyed by the flames.
While top turret gunner S/Sgt Lifford E. French fought the flames, Putek gave the order to bail out, and the ship’s three officers, Lts Coffman, Blalock and Christensen, beside himself did so, while the gunners lined up at the waist door preparing to hit the silk.
However French brought the fire under control and signalled the others to return to their posts. Putek, determined to bring “Nell” home, at 4,000 ft altitude, her flares destroyed, oxygen system shot out and bomb bay doors open after the bomb lead salvo. Almost immediately the crippled Fort was hit from the rear by the ME109’s. Sgt George Vinovich, tail gunner, probably destroyed the first. The second sent four 20mm’s smashing into Sgt Herbert J. Burgasser’s ball turret, wounding him so severely about the face that he may lose his left eye. Radioman S/Sgt James Bomar destroyed the third Jerry.
During this time, “Nell” had no gun that would bear from 9 to 3 o’oclock. Coming over a city, believed to be Paris, most of the Fort’s instruments were left useless by the still unexplained blast, heavy flak batteries opened up on her, blew off the plexi-glass nose, jammed the bomb bay doors open for all time, and filled the big bomber with holes from stem to stern.
French rode as co-pilot, and both he and Putek were forced to protect themselves from the terrible blast rippling through the virtually open compartment by breathing through their oxygen mask. When land was sighted, “Nell” slid in low, bomb bay doors open, no radio or flares available, to be met by fire from a British AA battery when she failed to respond to the latter’s challenge. After a full circle sweep, Putek finally brought her in at the Navy field, near where French, severely burned, and Burgasser were hospitalized.
Pictures show the Fortress to be damaged beyond repair, the most battled-scarred ship in the squadron’s history since “Tinkertoy” took her unmerciful pounding last October over Bremen.”
The reason I would like to do this is that Mr. French’s 90th birthday is coming up in a few months (Sep 7).
Here is another article if you are interested:
http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/050302/french.shtml
Thanks, Wayne McMahan
I would be honored to send him a card.
Bookmarked.
Ditto
I am addressing a birthday card with honor to him at this moment and very proud to do so.
My honor and great pleasure to send this gentleman, a birthday card.
Bumping once.
Not only will it be an honor, but a special one since 7 September will be the 21st anniversary of my entry into the Air Force. I ended up in SAC.
Saved..What a great hero.
Bless his heart!!!
will do. Thank you.
Second bump.
I was hoping for 100 or so birthday/thank you cards for this gentleman. Please consider sending one.
Thanks!
“Touch the Button Nell” is a character in a Robert W. Service poem “The Ballad of Touch the Button Nell.
In it, she was the best-looking prostitute in some gold-rush Klondike town.
See http://www.robertwservice.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=304&page=1
Next-to-last bump
One final bump to catch the weekday morning crowd. Please consider sending your best wishes to a real American hero.
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