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by 2nd Lt. Matthew Bates 90th
Space Wing Public Affairs
(EXCERPT) 11/28/2001 - F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFPN) -- It is
always fitting to remember the sacrifices of America's veterans, but for
World War II vets, it has never been more appropriate to remember
them than now.
World War II vets are in their twilight years. Many fear their sacrifices
will be forgotten unless others perpetuate their memories for them.
For the National World War II Glider Pilots Association, that purpose has
gained a heightened sense of urgency in recent years. It is becoming
harder for the veterans of his organization to make it to the annual
reunion, much less the various regional reunions they hold across the
United States, said George Theis, treasurer of the association.
"So many have passed on, or their spouses aren't in the best of
health to do it anymore," he said. "Every week I find out
another glider pilot has passed away."
Faced with the reality that fewer veteran glider pilots will be around to
tell their story, the Glider Pilot Association is doing all it canto
establish a Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock, Texas, to capture their
memories.
"We flew in airplanes made of plywood and canvas, we had no engines,
so it was a one-way ticket into combat," said veteran glider pilot
Thaddaus Wagner of Cheyenne, Wyo. "I flew across the Rhine during
Operation Varsity. I landed in an orchard with one wing gone and my tail
shot off.
"We pioneered what they now call special operations," he said.
"In Normandy, if you jumped (with the paratroopers), you'd land a
couple of blocks away from the other members of your unit, that is unless
you
held hands on your way down. Because of the gliders, units didn't have to
wait for hours to regroup."
Curtis Cameron, a veteran now living in Fort Collins, Colo., made his way
across Europe as a glider mechanic. He still has a picture of himself
posing proudly in front of a CG-4A glider he maintained. "Hittler's
Revenge" is painted on the nose.
"I didn't get the spelling right," he said. "But that
glider was only supposed to make it 15 minutes in combat, instead, it made
six missions."
Because of the danger involved, many people considered glider missions to
be suicidal. But ask any glider pilot, and he would probably disagree.
"We were better pilots than the others because we had less to work
with -- no engines, hardly no instruments, no way to turn back around. We
had to be the best," said Wagner. "We were well trained and got
our jobs done."
Even so, glider pilots are quick to point out that the "G" on
their wings did not just stand for "Glider," it also stood for
"Guts."
(Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service) |
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last revised 10/18/2020