John Hacker does it again

Well, Well.

Having looked at the Friday article in JoplinDaily, I didn't expect to see another piece today. It's fitting in a way that an article is published about the Jalopy on the 60th Anniversary of the article in the Globe (or News-Herald, I'm still not clear which).

Anyway, John Hacker published a short opinion piece about the Jalopy in the Sunday edition of the Joplin Daily news aka JoplinDaily.com today, 13th August 2006.

Memories of Joplin's historic bomber fading as greatest generation passes

And in it he says, among other things

It's very possible that some of the pieces of the Jalopy, taken by people while she was parked at the airport, are still out there today. These may just be scraps of metal, possibly a gauge from the cockpit, or some other memento...

The memories of that plane and that era are still alive, but they are fading fast. We need to preserve them before they are lost forever to the sands of time.

Well said, Sir.

11th August 2006

So, it was 60 years ago today that a certain B-24 landed in Joplin amid some ceremony, but 30 minutes late.

By another quirk of fate I wasn't in Joplin today - I was in Kansas City, MO interviewing for a job.

John Hacker of JoplinDaily.com did a fine job of writing up the story and which you can find at the JoplinDaily.com site. Good Job, John and thanks very much.

The story raised one issue again which I hadn't realized would be so difficult to resolve - where in Joplin was the Jalopy?

Hello John Hacker

I had a phone conversation with John Hacker of JoplinDaily.com about the Jalopy today. John says he's an aviation nut like me and a history nut too, by the sound of it. He seemed pretty interested in the upcoming anniversary of the Jalopy's arrival back in Joplin.

Pleased to meet you, John.

Contact with Jeanne Newby

I am pleased to tell you that I received an email from Jeanne Newby - historian, researcher and columnist of Webb City, Missouri. Jeanne kindly sent me a copy of another picture of the staboard side of the Jalopy with three boys (labelled as Merle, Dean and Marty) playing on the nose , and what looks like another boy in the cockpit. In this view it's clear that the starboard inner engine (and that part of he starboard wing) is still there, as part of the propellor is still visible. I'll try and post the picture when I work out whose picture it is and get permission.

She has also given me a lead on another person who remembers visiting the Jalopy in the salvage yard.

Thanks for getting in touch, Jeanne.

Eight days from today

Eight days from today, at around this time (3;30pm Central) it'll be exactly sixty years since "Joplin Jalopy" touched down at the Municipal Airport in Joplin for its last ever landing. In some ways that last landing was the indicator to its fate, since Captain Frank Wallower experience some wind-shear and slammed the ship down on the runway so hard he burst one of the mainwheel tires. Anyway, before we start dwelling on this and I get too maudlin, maybe it would be worth pausing for a moment to acknowledge the fact that a combat veteran B-24 did return home, unlike many of its siblings, and so many crews. It would be really nice if this could be commemorated in some way. But so far all I have heard from the Joplin end of the story is silence. The veterans themselves - Milton Parrish, Jerry Folsom, Perry Morse, Bob Vance, Sterling Dobbs, and the representatives of the 44th Bomb Group Veterans' Association are all happy to remember the part the Jalopy played in their lives and their parts they played in the Jalopy's story. And yet Joplin itself seems not to be unduly bothered. This is a little disturbing. There may be reasons that I just haven't found yet. I hope that in the next few days I can try and convince a few more people that they shouldn't ignore the contribution all the veterans made, and the people like Anibal Diaz who made the ultimate sacrifice.

And now it's August

I saw a post on another blog about the importance of regular posting in order not to drive away my reader. Hmmm. This is a little like the Chicken and Egg situation. At least I can say I have dome a couple of things and haven't been sitting idling away my time writing job applications all day.

Yesterday I emailed Joe Baugher and gave him a small correction to his mammoth and impressive site on United States Army and Air Force Serials from 1908 to the present

He had listed 42-50535 as lost on March 24 1945 with the MACR number relating to Sergeant Diaz' death. It's one of those emails I've been meaning to send but didn't work up the nerve for some reason.

I'm glad I did. I received a reply from Joe inside three hours thanking me for the update. I'm delighted I was able to help, Joe. Your site is a wonder to behold.