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RedBedroom
Shale
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    Ruffing It On The Web

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    • Post n°1

    Ruffing It On The Web Empty Ruffing It On The Web

    Post by Shale Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:48 pm

    I am using my little travel computer (Acer Aspire one) for the first time and it is soo difficult to type I may ditch it and hope the hotel still has a rental computer. IDK where the keys are on a keyboard by sight but my fingers do and this one is not made for touch typing.

    Anyhow, I am doing this on a wifi network that I found in North Beach, so the thing does connect me to the Web.

    This is tiring. Is being connected that important? Will think about it.

    BTW,I was running on battery and the thing just shut down - black screen. I plugged it in and started again and it had saved what I was doing including stuff I had on my clipboard. Smart little computer.

    Rob
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    Post by RedBedroom Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:13 pm

    Enjoy your trip, Shale. I don't think I remember you saying you were going out of town.
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    Post by Shale Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:33 pm

    RedBedroom wrote:Enjoy your trip, Shale. I don't think I remember you saying you were going out of town.
    Yeah, I am going to a reunion of WWII Bomber crews. I will be a young man there. Blue Cool

    You can see how this came about by scrolling down to Findind Uncle Bob here:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~roboyte/robssite/id31.html

    After all these years I found ppl who flew on the same missions as my namesake uncle, so I thot I'd go to their reunion outside Wash. DC and meet them. Hopefully I will meet the last guy left who jumped out of the plane that my uncle was shot down in. (8 of the 10 man crew, including my uncles survived that)
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    Post by RedBedroom Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:52 pm

    I read that whole page Shale and I have to say, it was an awesome read. I am so glad you are on this trip. Do you speak to any of his daughters?
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    Post by Alan Smithee Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:41 pm

    Have fun and may the four winds blow you safely home.
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    Post by CeCe Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:05 pm

    Hope you enjoy your trip Shale Smile
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    Post by CeCe Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:11 pm

    Alan Smithee wrote:Have fun and may the four winds blow you safely home.
    Ruffing It On The Web Wendy-blank-stare-o
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    Post by Kral Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:32 am

    Enjoy yourself.
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    Post by RedBedroom Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:24 pm

    How did it go, Shale?
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    Post by Shale Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:36 am

    RedBedroom wrote:How did it go, Shale?
    I haven't gone yet. The reunion is on the Sep 26. I'll be staying until the 29th.

    That is - if a tropical storm doesn't hit right on the dates or if American Airlines doesn't go out on strike or belly up. I have two things to watch over the next three weeks.
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    Post by RedBedroom Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:40 am

    Oh, Wow, you have a long vacation, then! Cool. Enjoy, Shale. I will probably forget to ask, so be sure to fill us in on the event.
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    Post by Shale Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:33 am

    Well, this is the day that I'm off to a reunion with WWII bomber pilots.

    http://www.485thbg.org/

    These guys (those remaining) were young men in 1944, about the time I was born. Anything to make myself look younger. Blue Cool

    I hope to meet some who actually knew my uncle Bob.

    Oh and that little computer I was gonna take - decided not too. Small as it is it was really heavy in my backpack. The hotel lets me have 15 minutes of computer time on their computers so I can still be connected for a while thruout the day.

    (And, it is only for 3 days - how we get so used to being connected all the time on the WWW)

    Anyhow, will be leaving for the airport in about an hour heading to DC.
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    Post by Alan Smithee Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:36 am

    May the four winds blow you safely home.
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    Post by Tony Marino Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:25 pm

    Have a great time Shale!
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    Post by Shale Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:49 pm

    Just a quick note from the hotel computer. Made it with no problems and spent the evening talking with heroes from before I was born. The guy who flew with my uncle was in his room so still waiting to see him. He is using oxy for COPD, but hope we can talk. I just looked at some fotos from the day and these old guys were just boys. Really some were only 18. My uncle was 22 at the time, piloting those big war machines with wings. Getting stories from other pilots about how hard they were too fly, explains why my uncle wrote that after a mission he could hardly get out of the cockpit. Anyhow, this is really a different trip to DC. I may get over to the War Memorials tomorrow.
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    Post by Shale Fri Sep 28, 2012 9:37 am

    Yesterday I visited the National Mall and the WWII memorial. Got there by Metro train from Pentagon City Va. This is the first time staying outside of Washington. Got lost in the African Art Museum - it is laid out with stairs like being in a pyramid with 3 chambers all underground.

    Haven't met the guy who actually knew my uncle (He is not in best of health at 90+) but talking with other old vets and learning about the B-24 bomber that they flew. There are mostly ppl my age or younger here connecting with others where this war played big on their lives as they lost or lived with the participants in that massive effort. You can see the need for closure or in my case, rediscovery of lives past.
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    Post by Shale Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:40 pm

    Finding Uncle Bob

    Meeting George Chaplin
    September 28, 2012

    I lucked out today. Was on the waiting list for the tour going to the Air & Space museum when Jim Eamon told me his wife Gail was not feeling well and gave me her ticket. On entering the tour bus I saw a man in the second row using oxygen so I knew it had to be George Chaplin and introduced myself as Robert Lynn’s nephew.

    He knew Robert and I asked if he could tell me about my legendary uncle whom I never met. He said Robert was defiant and didn’t like to take orders. He really knew how to fly but was a risk taker. George said he was the engineer and right waist gunner. The day before they were shot down they were on a mission in their regular plane they took flak in the front, damaging the wheel. George told Bob not to land on the flat tire but he did anyway and the landing gear failed and the plane was damaged beyond repair. George was pissed. That was a B-24 G model and the replacement plane they flew the next day was a B-24 H, slightly different.

    On June 23, 1944 the plane was hit from the front and a hole was blown into the flight deck behind the cockpit. That is where Uncle Bob, the co-pilot, navigator and radio operator got out of the plane. George said each of them from the flight deck was wounded but he didn’t know if Bob was injured. The nose gunner, Ray Meech was shot and went down with the plane and Jack Robbins, the left waist gunner jumped out but was never found. It is possible he went into the Danube and got carried away by the current. The ball gunner, Wilbur Mattison got burned and his chute got burned but he and the tail gunner, James Bright bailed out using one parachute. They jumped out late and were too low but landed in mud and survived.

    George said Uncle Bob was a good looking man about 6 feet 2 inches. He said he was a “P-Shooter” (flew a P-38 fighter) and did things with the B-24 it was not designed to do. I asked George if he knew any personal stuff about my uncle and he said they did not socialize because Bob was an officer and he was enlisted.

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