We're the Ones That Came Back' from the Muncie (Ind.) Star and Scrapburks
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THE AIR FORCES ESCAPE & EVASION SOCIETY FaIl L996 Communications VOI-UME 9 _- NUMBER 5 WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS SEPTEMBER 1. 1996 'We're the ones that came back' From the Muncie (Ind.) Star and scrapburks. magazine of the American Society of the Press, Wednesday, June 19, 1996 Her husband. Gus. was shot down French t-egion of Honor, and we were By MIRIAM BALES over the province of Normandy in given permission to reprint it in booklet (Our Neighborhood Columnist) occupied France in May 1944. Over the florm. Thel gathered from near and far. next 3 months he would be hidden, first Gus then asked me to translate the Thev came from both sides <lf the in a hedgerow, then in a hole in the story into French so that Mama and Papa Atlantic Ocean, from Holland, Belgium, ground, next in a cart I'ull of hay and could know the gratitude he felt. Copies France, Canada and manl' states o1-the finally in an attic or a cellar, being of both books were carried to Savannah United States. moved clandestinely each time the enemy and sold, along with crthers, to people There u'ere 225 of them attending the came too close or tumors spread who had similar tales to tell, no two meeting in Sar annah, Ga., of the Air c<lncerning the whereabouts of evaders. exactly alike. Force Rscape and Er asion Srxietv, Collaborators were known to exist, so An added bonus in Savannah was a aviattrrs dot'ncd ovcr encm)' territorf in not everyone could be trusted. Gus had visit to the newly-opened Mighty Eighth _ World War II and their helpers, those whcr more than one narrow escape from Heritage Museum on the outskirts of f,ded-..... them in escaping and evading the capture. town. The Eighth Air Force was formed \Prmans' The helpers we oame to know best in Savannah in January 1942. Of an These hclpers hid the dovu'ned were the couple Gus was to call Mama estimated 200,000 combat personnel, aviators. fed and sheltered them at the risk and Papa for the rest of their lives, until 26,0m were killed and 28,ffX) became of their lives, knowing they would be their deaths in 1980s, and Rclger, the POWs. shot on the spot il caught. It is school tcacher who helped to make Gus's Three video theaters in the museum estimated that three Dutch helpers lost false ID card. He kept meticulous records bring to life, without idealizing, the most their lives for each flyer saved, two of names, addresses, dates, places o[ dangerous air battle in aviation history. Belgians and one French helper lbr each landing and activities. The exhibition is worth a detour and one saved. On the Memorial Day Mama and Roger were leaders in the possibly a lX)O-mile trip to Savannah. n,eekend in Savannah, those who Resistance movement in their area, and At the end of the third [ilm, when the survived were reunited with those they though it was a difficult and hazardous plane of the main character has been hit hadrescued. time, we sensed in our visits with them and blown to bits, the young volunteer, We were with them, not out of rn both this country and theirs, that this too young to have known that time, said personal experience, but because we have was their finest hour. he hoped we had enjoyed the film. No friends on both sides of the Atlantic Both helpers were decorated by the one moved. We were riveted to our seats. whose interwoven stories we know well. Allied countnes, and Roger later received Then a voice barely audible from the back These men and women were among the the medal of the Legion of Honor as row said softly, "We're the ones that lucky ones who lived to tell their tales. well. Although they are no longer came back." In the lall of 1977 a mature woman living, we know their children and Noel Coward said it best. He said it had enrolled in my French class with the grandchildren, and we still visit back and was a strange feeling we had during the explanation that she wanted to learn forth. Our most recent visit was in war, a kind of splendid carelessness that French so that she could speak with the Normandy in 1994 to celebrate the 50th drew us all tclgether. people who had saved her husband's life anniversary o[ the Liberation. It was a fitting way to spend more than 30 years earlier. I encouraged Gus to write his story, Memorial Day. which he finally did, simply and with sensitivity. With the help of a friend, a native Hoosier who taught French at Note: 'Gus' is Gus Bubenzer, E&E Harvard, it was published in Laurels, the 1795, 9AF, 4098G, of Anderson, Ind. Page 2 ATR FORCES ESCAPE & EVASION SOCTETY Communications Volume 9 -- Number 5 September l,1996 PRESIDENT DICK SMITH CTIAIRMAN: . on thejob at Savannah *Ralph K. Patton, 5000 Alden Drive, pittsburgh, pA 1522o-1023;4r2-343-as,7o Dick PRESIDENT: Smith made x*Richard M. Smith, Rt. 2, Box 222,Battle Lake, MN 56515-9458; 2r8-4gs-2ro6 first Plouha boat VICE PRESIDENT: x*Russel s. weyland, l l 17 w. Northeast shore Drive, Mcl{enry, IL 6@50-921 1; Phone (o) srS-459-2O7! (FI) 815_385_4378 TREASURER: **t<Paul E. Kenney, 54oo post Road pass, Stone Mountain, GA 300gg;77o-469-1g57 MEMBERSHIP & CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: xclay'ton c. David, 19 oak Ridge pond, Hannibar, Mo 6340r; s73-2zl-o441 RECORDING SECRETARY: x#Warren In 1939, he entered Notre Dame E, toring, PO Box 2&1, Monument Beach, MA 02553; 508_759_3 146 OTHERDIRECTORS: Office: 81 15 Preston Rd., Suite 240, Dallas, TX 75225; 214_373_1670 xEdward J. Spevak, 1025 N. park St., Watertown, SD -57201; 605-g86_3396 assigned to the 95th BG. REPRESENTATIVE IN FRANCE: s Irslie A.G. Atkinson, 2 rue Alfred de Musset, 6665o Banyuls Sur Mer, France LEGALCOUNSEL: R.E.T. Smith Esq., PO Box 38, Wahpeton, ND 58074; 7Ot_&2_2666 C OMMUN IC A?IONS EDITOR: *'k*Larry and Plauha. He made the Grauerholz, PC) Box 250r, wichita Falls, 76307-25or: first TX ari-692-6ioo boal olf Bonapafte Beach and. tClass of 1997 **Class of l99B {.{.xclass of lggg AFEES coMMtNrcATroNs rs rHE oFFrcrALJouRNAr, oF THE ArR F,oRcEs ESCAPE & E\TAsroN socrETy. AFEES rs A TAx-EXEr,{pr vETERA}rs ORGA}IIZATION UIIDER IRS CODE 501 (C) (19). IT WAS FOI]NDED IN 1964 A}ID IS CHARTERED IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. t THE SOCIETY'S PURPOSE IS TO ENCOI'R,AGE MEI,IBERS HELPED BY THE RESISTANCE Valley, had three children in ORGA}TIZATIONS OR PATRIOTIC NATIONAIS TO CONTINUE EXISTING FR,IENDSHIPS seven years,lost his wife in an OR RENEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE WHO HELPED auto THEIT{ DURING THEIR ESCAPE accident. Married again in oR sVAsIoN. 1953. Retired the ELEGTBTLTTY REQUTRES IHAT oNE MusT HAVE BEEN A frorn .family u.s. ArRr{A}r, HE agricutturitl busineis tn igZS. ITIUST HA\TE BEEN FORCED DOWI.I BEHIND ENEMY LINES A}ID AVOIDED CAPTIVTTY' oR ESCAPED FRO!,I cAPTrvrTy To RETURN To ATLTED coNTRoL. a rN ADDrrroN To F\]LL I'{EMBERSHIP, crrIIER cATEGoRTEs oF MErrBERsHrp ARE: th HELPER. MEMBERS, AIiID FRIEND MEMBERS. in Page 3 \-/ 'i.\ tt 'fl st { C= HELPER FUND The '97 target: Dayton, Ohio \- Raffle Winners (As drawn at Savannah Reunion May 26, l ggi) FIRST PRTZE ($sOO1 Robert Wilson, You can expect details in the next issue of Communications. Peoria, lll. sEcoND ($2s01 G. W. Temple, Monroe, La. THIRD ($100): R. Smathers, Mlami, Fla. FOURTH ($501: W. R. Patterson, Hot Springs, Ark. FrFrH ($2s1: KW: E-r'S Ray Vitkus, - Las Vegas, Nev. Paqe 4 FOLDED WING MEMBERS Capt. Frank C. Griffiths, England, RAF, March 23, 1996 #91 9 Joseph Gross, Cherry Hill, N.J., g6BG, May 2g, 1gg6 Charles L. Gurney ll, Buffalo N.y.,37gBG #333 Carroll F. Haarup, Jackson, Miss., 1OOBG, April 17, 1996 #1017 Theodore J. Krol, Crown Point, lnd., 4O1BG, May 10, 1996 #2591 James A. Luton, Nashville, Tenn., 422TCG, Jan. 22, 1996 #2265 gAF, Dave O. Snowden, Marietta, Ga., 31 sTCG, October 1 995 H ELPERS Mme. Eileen Le Bihan, Triel Sur Seine, France Mr. Claude Le Febure, Ramboulliet, France, May 20, 1996 Mr. Roger Poix, Lassigny, France, May 24, 1996 Mr. Job Mainguy, Binic, France, June 24, 1996 Mme. Janine Tovignon (LERAT), Loos-Les-Lille, France Mr. Jan H.C. Voges, Nunspeet, Holland, May 19, 1996 Frank Griffiths, RAF Grp. Capt. Frank C. Griffirhs, RAF, died March 23,1996. His Halifax went down the night of Aug. 14, 1943, while dropping supplies f#"1:T'J:ft:r;#fiJ3i1*. a border, crossed into Switzerland to be treated for injuries, then returned to l France to evade through Toulouse and Spain with AFEES member Joe Manos. Griffiths put in 41 years with the I RAF. He earned the Air Force Cross while working with an experimental squadron developing a blind landing system. Jeannie atrl Job Mainguy in 1975 at Bonaparte Bectch French Helper dies Russell Cotts of DePere, Wis., Job Mainguy was part of Operation Bonaparte reports the death of Mc'rnsieur Claude Job Mainguy, age 93, of Binic in gunboat picked up 94 American airmen. LeFebvre on May 20, 1996. Russell westem France, passed away peacelully In later operations Job and Pierre Huet wntes: "Claude on June 24, 1996. Job was one of the were responsible for lcrcating and and his mother lived in Ram- French patriots who made Reseau identifying the land mines along the route boulliet, France, during the war and helped many airmen S helburne's "Operation Bonaparte" a to the beach.