Friday, August 15, 2014

B-17 Flying Fortress - A Mistaken Detail

Back in 1995,  I bought this framed print at Kennedy Studios, and presented it to my cousin, the Late Attorney John Nestor, in commemoration of the fact that he had flown 125 missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II... an amazing feat.
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He stared silently at it for awhile.
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First I though he was sizing it up and identifying inaccuracies, such as a turrent or gun not being in the right place.... but then I began to think that I had made a bad mistake, and that it was conjuring up memories that were best left dormant.
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When I finally broke the ackward silence and asked, "Is there anything wrong?", he replied... "There certainly is."

"What's that?" I said with a bit of anxiety.

"Those fucking Messerschmidts would have never gotten that close.",  John said.

He never hung that print in his office.  And he never forgave the Germans or the Japanese.
John was a great man for many reasons.  God rest his Soul.

(Thanks for Frank Iacono for placing the print on Facebook.)

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