After 70 Years of Waiting, WWII ‘Memphis Belle’ Gunner, 94, Revisits Britain. And Dies Quietly There

Washington Post ^ | May 26 | Travis M. Andrews

[nickcarraway]

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Melvin Rector long carried Britain in his heart after he helped defend it during World War II, but 70 years passed without him stepping foot in the country.

The 94-year-old finally decided to leave his home in Barefoot Bay, Fla., to visit Britain earlier this month. The National World War II Museum in New Orleans conducts a travel program through which interested parties can visit certain sites of the war. He signed up for one, in hopes of visiting the Royal Air Force station Snetterton Heath, in Norfolk.

He served there with the 96th Bomb Group in 1945 as a radio operator and gunner on B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, flying eight combat missions over Germany during the spring of the war’s final year. On four of these missions, his plane came under heavy fire. One almost proved catastrophic, and the plane returned to base with holes dotting its wings.

This excerpt is from a short film published by the Department of Defense in 1946. The film tells the story of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle," her crew and their 25 successful WWII missions from May 1942 to November 1943. (Department of Defense) At one point during his military career, he served as a gunner for the Memphis Belle, the first heavy bomber to complete its tour by flying 25 missions with its crew intact. It went on to have a post-war career in raising morale and money for the U.S. Army. Writes historian John Buescher of the warplane:

After both crew and plane completed their respective 25th mission, the crew received the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. They were then ordered in June to fly the Memphis Belle back to the United States for a cross-country tour,

[ops33]

Thank you for posting that link

[BiggerTigger]

My pleasure.

[4yearlurker]

My wife's uncle is now 93 and is a WW2 Navy vet. He served on a supply ship but still won't talk about it. He calls the ships "Tin Cans." He showed us some photos of when he was training on Lake Erie. He had his white Navy uniforms, Navy caps and some sheets that he gave us years ago.

[4yearlurker]

As a side note The same Uncle told me they were feed beans on the ships they called the “Whistle Berries!”

[4yearlurker]

Sheesh. I should say:"they called them Whistle Berries."