My daughter and I stopped at the Wings of Freedom display at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport last Saturday. There we saw some WWII-era planes and had the privilege of hearing some veterans of that war talk about their experiences. The men talked about stripping off the paint from the planes to lighten the load, fighting from the air while the planes' contrails would announce their exact location, landing with the nose straight up all the way down the runway (a no-no), and bailing. The men in the gunners' turrets would be so stiff, the other men in the plane would have to lift them from under the arms and help him straighten out his legs before jumping. The men were in uniform, proud of their service, and crystal-clear in their recollections. They told the many children there that anything is possible, and making it possible begins with going to school and listening to teachers--even when their cranky.
My World Tuesday
30 Comments
Fascinating post and great photos! I grew up in a town where there was an air base during WWII, these brought back a lot of memories. Terrific! Hope you have a great day, Sandy!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
That sounds like a wonderful day trip which would probably make a good field trip for the school kidlets.
ReplyDeleteveterans do have their stories. I was able to capture my stepfather's experiences in WWII before his death and learned to appreciate him so much more.
ReplyDeleteThis is a rare treat for children to hear stories from men who have been there and done that.
ReplyDeleteI think it is also very therapeutic to have soldiers tell their stories so it is not kept inside. Children are the best listeners. This was a good message for soldiers to give about teachers.
Teachers have their hands full and are instrumental in building a future so their role in life is special as well. :)
"Anything is possible."
ReplyDeleteNice post. Brave men. So proud.
That must have been a fascinating visit. It is always interesting to hear the stories from the people that really lived them...
ReplyDeletexo
Most interesting post Sandy, and love the shots too, but I love theat 1st capture.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the last sentence :D
ReplyDeleteMust have been really wonderful to hear it straight from them what and how and why.
Have a lovely week.
So interesting to have the veterans at this display. Nice photos...your first shot speaks volumes....
ReplyDeleteIt is a fascinating post! I love to hear story like this, so real, and your pictures are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteNice trip with your daughter. I enjoyed the post and the photos, Sandy!
ReplyDeleteFascinating post, Sandy! I have studied certain aspects about WWII in some depth but knew NOTHING about scraping the paint off! That's amazing information.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post and you took some great shots. I love the last one with that brilliant blue sky.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos.,thanks f0r sharing this w0nderful event!
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots. What an amazing experience to here from people who have actually experienced it.
ReplyDeleteA great experience for your daughter.
ReplyDeleteGreat shot.
Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteNow that is a good lesson to pass onto kids.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by the gnarled nails of the man in the first shot. Wonderful!
When we were in the concentrationcamp we were always glad when we heard the sirens wailing, for we were told that the Americans came to liberate us. I don't know if the planes were actually bombing. The first allied plane we saw was in August 1945. It was a Royal Airforce plane which circled over our camp and dropped leaflets saying that Japan capitulated. We were so happy and grateful.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to share real history with your daughter. There have been similar events here in the UK recently to comemeorate 70 years since the Battle of Britain.
ReplyDeleteHumblewd by Reader Will's comment.
indeed they died so we can live. Watch on TV the celebration in England.
ReplyDeletea wonderful experience for your daughter. my grandfather told us stories about WW II--i realized at a young age how horrible war is, and how much those brave men sacrificed.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been quite inspiring to see the WWII planes and hear the Veterans war stories, Sandy.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful thing for children to see and hear also.
somehow related to my next post on war remnants museum in vietnam. may the souls rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fascinating experience. Not only did you get some wonderful pictures, the veterans had a great message for the youngsters.
ReplyDeletewe can't really fathom what it was like for those men, most of them young men, boys really.
ReplyDeleteThere was a WWII reenactment here at the Military Museum this past weekend. We didn't attend this year due to being out of town. It is interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm such an aviation fan and love the war birds....
ReplyDeletecool
Warm Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
Sandy: Neat post with the cool aircraft.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and your girl learned a lot of interesting things from the veterans.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.