The wings of history will make a brief layover in Hollister
today, tomorrow and Thursday as a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24
Liberator land at the Hollister airport.
The wings of history will make a brief layover in Hollister today, tomorrow and Thursday as a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator land at the Hollister airport.
The old planes look as good, if not better, than the day they rolled off the production line and it’s an event not to be missed. World War II planes have become a rarity in the skies of our modern world. Only a few B-17s can still take to the sky and Hollister will see the only air-worthy B-24 left in existence.
However, underneath the polished steel lies a more subtle decline equally as worthy of our attention. As America loses these beautiful pieces of engineering, so too do we say farewell to the people who manned them in the greatest war of modern history.
Our brave veterans of World War II are also passing, at the alarming rate of approximately 1,000 vets a day. In Hollister, the obituaries often tell of another vet who has found his or her peace. With their passing also comes the loss of their knowledge and experience. Soon all that will be left of those television news anchor Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation will be what is already written in the history books or remembered by their loved ones.
In fact, of the 464 Congressional Medals of Honor given to courageous soldiers in World War II, only 50 of those soldiers are alive today, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Even that number has undoubtedly dwindled over the short months between now and last November – when the society last reported the number of living recipients.
Yes, the bright-eyed youths who fought a war for the freedom of the world are now fading faster than ever before.
By the end of the war, 406,000 Americans gave their lives to the world, but more than 16 million returned home to create the country we now live in. Approximately 10 million are already gone and the remainder are nearing their time of rest. Soon, like the planes headed to Hollister, we will have no more veterans from this defining era of history.
And with the World War II Memorial planned for unveiling May 29 in Washington, D.C., there is no better time to pay tribute to our war heroes now grown old.
If you have the time, take a moment and see the planes our veterans used to defend not only our nation and way of life, but the rest of the free world. If you don’t, simply take a moment and ponder the awesome sacrifice that generation made to create our country and defend our world. Whatever you do, be thankful for their contribution.
It’s the only fitting tribute to the brave Americans who fought in the greatest conflict of mankind and are now themselves fading into the annals of American history. As Winston Churchill so eloquently stated, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
May we never forget them.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or fax to 637-4104 or e-mail to editor@
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