He was promoted to Sergeant on June 18, 1942 and proceeded overseas on June 29, 1943 to #434 Squadron. He was commissioned on April 28, 1944 and promoted to Pilot Officer
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My dad served in the 454th air squadron
After the war, he attended several summer reunions.
I’m glad you got to spend so much time with your dad & I respect his service
I noticed one of the pins on his cap was a maple leaf. So there had to be some canadian airmen attending??
“it’s morning in America” with Biden’s America video
https://twitter.com/i/status/1723634471382241687
My Dad never went to reunions and only accepted government aid after he was 100 years old and really needed it.
I doubt any other airmen were at his celebration of life. Many church members and friends and neighbours and what family he had left in Ottawa were there. It was a remarkable outpouring of respect and affection.. Even daughters of neighbours and old friends of him and Mom, people we hadn’t seen nor heard of or from for over 50 years, showed up.
We’ve lived thousands of miles apart since I escaped Ottawa in 1972, though we visited mutually when we could. When he got ill last year I spent nearly two months at his bedside trying to take care of him, but it wasn’t really quality time, nor was I competent to give the type of help he needed (nursing, etc.). Fortunately we got him the care he needed in a Veterans’ long term facility and he lasted almost exactly one year more.
It still feels weird not phoning him every day.