Apparently in "Arts war" the rear areas ( England for instance) never got
bombed and those cowardly ground crews always "live to see the sunrise
tomorrow morning". Pitty those cowardly fitters and loaders didnt hitch a
ride on the outside of Arts plane and throw hammers and spanners at nasty
old "jerry".

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: Future military fighters and guns - yes or no ?
From: "Pete"
Date: 3/2/04 4:48 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:


"ArtKramr" wrote

They also serve who stand and wait. How would they have done in
combat?.
We
will never know will we?

Art, it seems your dividing line between glory and those of a lesser
caliber
is combat/no combat. i.e. being shot at counts. Everything else somewhat
less worthy.

You know as well as most reading this that military personnel don't get
to
choose their war, or often even their job. No matter how many people
volunteer for the Green Berets, the military *still* needs supply troops,
bomb loaders, crew chiefs, etc, etc, etc.

Of the many thousands of bombs I loaded in my career, none was dropped in
anger. Not a one. Yet I served during several combat actions. Libya,
Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Iraq. How did THAT happen? Why didn't I
'volunteer' for El Dorado Canyon, or Desert Storm? Because that's not the
way it works anymore. My mission was elsewhere. Why didn't the F-16
pilots
at Ramstein 'volunteer' for Desert Storm? Because that's not the way it
works anymore. They had their own mission with the 86th FW in Germany.
Not
everyone gets to go, no matter how bad they want it.

What would you say to Willie the Wolfs' crew chief? Or the bomb loaders?
Or
the supply troop that ensured you had good tires? Or the logistics
officer
ensuring the entire 8th AF had fresh tires?

Would you call them a lesser caliber of men, simply because they were not
shot at?

No. You would shake their hand, buy them a beer, and thank them for
helping
you in *your* mission. They had theirs, you had yours. At least, that's
what
I hope you'd do.

Now please extend the same respect to all those others who did serve
honorably, volunteer or draftee, in war or in peace.

Pete


Yes. Everything you say is correct. But I must be totally honest. As we
rushed
down the runway and lifted off and Willie's wheels came up I would look
down at
those on the ground that we were leaving behind and I would think how they
will
still be alive tonight. And they would go home after the war and live a
full
rich lives with families and friends. And I didn't know for sure that I
would
ever see this airfield again or live to see the sunrise tomorrow morning.
These
are thoughts I had. And these thoughts create a thin line that
separates
those who were with me and those who stayed behind on the ground. And I
can't
deny in good conscience having those feelings. And I think many who flew
with
me had exactly the same feelings whether they admit it or not. It's a
very
thin line of separation. But a very line it is. Can you understand that?


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer