Great words and what a bad-assed machine. I imagine that there were many who left this world with the sound of that engine roaring overhead being the last thing they heard. Good on Jimmy Stewart. A wonderful life indeed.
After WW2 Jimmy Stewart could have left the military behind and focused strictly on Hollywood, he stayed in the Air Force until 1968 after serving 27 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart#Military_service Stewart continued to play a role in the Army Air Forces Reserve following World War II and the new United States Air Force Reserve after the official establishment of the Air Force as an independent service in 1947.
Stewart received permanent promotion to colonel in 1953 and served as Air Force Reserve commander of Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, the present day Dobbins Air Reserve Base.[44][56] He was also one of the 12 founders and a charter member of the Air Force Association in October 1945. Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service, but did appear in January 1974 in an episode of the TV series The World At War, "Whirlwind: Bombing Germany (September 1939 – April 1944)", commenting on the disastrous mission of October 14, 1943, against Schweinfurt, Germany. At his request, he was identified only as "James Stewart, Squadron Commander" in the documentary.[57][58]
On July 23, 1959, Stewart was promoted to brigadier general. During his active duty periods, he remained current as a pilot of Convair B-36 Peacemaker, Boeing B-47 Stratojet and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress intercontinental bombers of the Strategic Air Command.[59] On February 20, 1966, Brigadier General Stewart flew as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on an Arc Light bombing mission during the Vietnam War. He refused the release of any publicity regarding his participation, as he did not want it treated as a stunt, but as part of his job as an officer in the Air Force Reserve.
Stewart, however, often did his part in publicizing and promoting military service in general and the United States Air Force in particular. In 1963, for example, as part of the plot in an episode of the popular television sitcom My Three Sons, Stewart appeared as himself in his brigadier-general's uniform to address high-school students about the importance of science in society and about the many accomplishments of the select group of so-called "eggheads" being educated at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.[60] Five years later, after 27 years of service, Stewart officially retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968.[61] Stewart received a number of awards during his military service and upon his retirement was also awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. On May 23, 1985, President Ronald Reagan awarded Stewart the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Where are those actors today is all I ask? Not many left in Hollywood from the looks of it. At least those famous enough to come out about it. Not necessarily Military service just conservative.
Vince Vaughn Tom Sellack Clint Eastwood Gary Sinese Jacky Mason Chris Pratt Those are about the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. This should and maybe already does deserve another thread. Sorry for the hi-jack OP.
I had the good fortune of being on a flight crew of N51EchoHotel. He named her Anastasia after his daughter. We stripped her down to bare metal and put Stars and Bars on her while the owner did an overhaul on the engine. He flew a number of shows and always Oshkosh where they'd put him at the head of the line "because he was running hot" and then they'd ask for a fly-by which he was more than happy to oblige. At the local air show he did a number of passes with a Tomcat with her wings unswept. 2 sexier planes you'll never see. My favorite though, was Sunday mornings over the country club and Lake Michigan you could hear that engine coming in low only to pull up and do a victory roll to the heavens. RIP EH.
I've mentioned this before. My wife gave me a flight on a P 51 (Little Sandra) for my 55th birthday. Spent about 20 minutes in the air doing climbs, dives and strafing runs. Unbelievable experience. I raced all sorts of cars for 30 years, but nothing compared to that short flight.
I always made it a point to arrange my sales schedule to be in and around Oshkosh for a few days during the EAA Convention in August. A big flexible packaging Curwood plant was just west of the runway over highway 41 and it was a big kick just to be in their parking lot during the days that the war birds were flying. That convention should be on every airplane enthusiasts bucket list at least once.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
An outstanding story.....thanks for posting. Everytime a story like this is posted is reminds me of my friend John who flew Hurricane's and Spitfires for the Royal Canadian Air Force. John was 84 and his wife would bring him to my office and he would tell me war stories. John flew from the Dieppe raid until the end of the war, his last wing commander was Johnny Johnson, the highest scoring RAF ace.in the war.
John loved flying the Spitfire often spoke of his missions yet never spoke very much on his aerial kills.
John brought me a limited edition poster drawn up of Johnny Johnson downing a BF-109 over France. John lost two brothers who went down in Lancasters in 1943 and 1944, four brothers from Ontario went to war and only two came home. John was one of the lucky one's
Where are those actors today is all I ask? Not many left in Hollywood from the looks of it. At least those famous enough to come out about it. Not necessarily Military service just conservative.
Vince Vaughn Tom Sellack Clint Eastwood Gary Sinese Jacky Mason Chris Pratt Those are about the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. This should and maybe already does deserve another thread. Sorry for the hi-jack OP.
Mack
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
While reading this I was carried back about 4 years ago to a little trip with my brother in law to a small airport where he kept his small plane. As we arrived we spotted it at about the same time sitting there being fueled. A P51 in all its glory. We just watched in awe. The pilot was an older gentleman who after fueling did his walkaround and climbed aboard. When that engine roared to life it was breathtaking. He taxied to the far end of the field and turned towards us and just like the story above took off to the amazement of 50 or so gathered admirers. The roar rattled windows it seemed. When he was airborn he went almost vertical and about out of sight. We then saw him turn and circle around. My BIL said, He’s going to do a flyby. And here he comes down out of the sky to about treetop high as he roared down the runway wide open. Then with a wave he was up and gone. I don’t care for flying too much but have never wanted to be in a plane so bad in my life. Without a doubt the most amazing plane I’ve ever seen.
When Jimmy Stewart was the air operations officer for the 453rd Bombardment Group they got a complaint from the British that they shared the base with. Someone had stolen a keg of beer from the British and they weren’t happy about it. There was apparently one ground support group, mechanics etc, that had a reputation for having the best stove, more than the normal allotment of coal etc. Jimmy Stewart paid an unannounced visit to their quonset hut, bid them to be “at ease” and said he wanted to warm himself by their fire since it was so much warmer than the other ones. The missing keg of beer was poorly hidden under a blanked. Stewart spotted it and grabbed one of the men’s empty glasses and poured himself a glass and then drank it. He told them that the British had complained about some stolen beer but he had assured them that none of his men could have been responsible. When he left he said over his shoulder that even if one of his men had stolen it he was sure they wouldn’t be foolish enough to steal another one.
Last edited by BeanMan; 04/09/18. Reason: Grammar edit
