Comments for All I can say is...

All I can say is...

2005-03-24T15:48:44Z

...*only* a Distinguished Flying Cross? I've always honored my Dad's service - but if this is a DFC and not Medal of Honor... then my Dad's DFC (and him not an Aviator) takes on a whole new meaning to me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I say to you: Glenn Rojohn, Captain, USAAF.

Captain Rojohn died in August 2003.

I got this in email. An excerpt:

He felt a huge impact. The big bomber shuddered, felt suddenly very heavy and began losing altitude. Rojohn grasped almost immediately that he had collided with another plane. A B-17 below him, piloted by Lt. William G. McNab had slammed the top of its fuselage into the bottom of Rojohn's. The top turret gun of McNab's plane was now locked in the belly of Rojohn's plane and the ball turret in the belly of Rojohn's had mashed through the top of McNab's. The two bombers were almost perfectly aligned -the tail of the lower plane was slightly to the left of Rojohn's tailpiece. They were stuck together, as a crewman later recalled, "like mating dragon flies."by Ralph Kinney Bennett

After some hunting, I found where this came from: An article by Ralph Kinney Bennet on the RAAF Marine Section short stories webpage. You should click the link and read the rest.

Comment from Barb on 2005-03-24

2005-03-25T05:02:36Z

I couldn't read that story until I got home - for some reason the site was blocked at work. What a story. The town he was from is only about 20 miles from where I grew up, too.

Comment from SangerM on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T22:12:05Z

Wow. Commemorative Air Force. That's a shame, really. It's not like the confederates were Nazis, for cryin' out loud. [sigh] That really sucks, to be sure. I LIKED the name. Phooey on PC. As for the old guys and their stories, I told you all once about my visit to the Bataan-Corregidor reunion a few years ago. A day to remember, to be sure. Old guys, telling tales. A great way to spend an evening. Fortunately, not all of that history will be lost. In addition to what has ended up on the web in gerneral, the Library of Congress has the Veterans History Project at this site: www.loc.gov/vets/ A worthy way to spend MY tax dollars--I don't care how they spend anyone elses.... :-)

Comment from John of Argghhhh!!! on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T20:05:13Z

Sanger - in a burst of PC-speak, it's now the Commemorative Air Force. I kid you not. (check under the tail) I kinda understand, and I kinda wish they'd stood up for it, too. Damian - I'm sorry, but they can only not be replaced in terms of their memory. Just as with the Greatest Generation, so to with this one: By Their Deeds Shall You Know Them. Click each word. This generation's fighting men and women have proven they can Stand and Deliver just as well as their Grandfather's and Great-Grandfather's did. *I* will brook no argument on that subject. Your mileage may vary - but there is No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great for these kids - and it puts great pressure on their leaders to be worthy. A Good Thing. Duty First, People Always. Or these guys...

Comment from Damian on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T19:46:56Z

Ah, Damian - all Real Soldiers I know are sentimental saps. We just cry on the inside! Well, since I'm hardly a Real Soldier, I mist up on the outside when I read stuff like that. I know I can't do a damned thing about the passage of time, but it bothers me that we're losing these gentlemen - with their stories, their wisdom, their devotion, their heroism - at an ever-increasing rate. While I have all the respect in the world for those who do the fighting today, The Greatest Generation simply cannot be replaced.

Comment from SangerM on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T19:12:01Z

BTW, at the Confederate Air Force Museum in Harlingen Texas, they had an AF Medal of Honor section in which one could read the citations for all the AF/Army Air Corps Medals of Honor awarded. As amazing as Capt Rojohn's actions were, some of the M-o-H citations I've read describe heroism that to me is just beyond imagining. Also BTW, this story was helped in my mind by the excellent movie, Memphis Belle, which I still watch at least once a year. wow...

Comment from SangerM on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T19:05:06Z

What Damian said! "These men shall never die!"

Comment from AFSister on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T17:47:34Z

Holy COW! What a story.... I am at a loss for words (I know- you all find that REALLY hard to believe, but I am!)

Comment from cw4billt on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T17:28:39Z

John - The only criteria for an award of the DFC is "for heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight." The reg doesn't say a thing about having to be an aviator. Just a hero. Nuff sed.

Comment from John of Argghhhh!!! on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T17:27:05Z

Ah, Damian - all Real Soldiers I know are sentimental saps. We just cry on the inside!

Comment from Damian on 2005-03-24

2005-03-24T17:00:04Z

I can't believe I get choked up more often reading your tough-guy milblog than I do anywhere else on the 'net. And at work, too. Thanks for posting this one.