Can You Believe She's Eight!

I wish we could have a year full of days like we’ve had this weekend. It has simply been great to be outside!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JENNA! Tuesday was Jenna’s eighth birthday. Because Easter fell so close to her birthday this year we have only celebrated with family, but I think she and Vicki are planning to do something with a few of her friends.

Tuesday night, after her soccer practice, we all went out to eat at the Catfish House to celebrate. It was a slow evening for them which was good for us. Jenna was really impressed with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when she saw it in the theatre and had been talking about using her birthday money to buy the DVD. That made our shopping very easy and she was really happy to get the movie. We also got her a CD player to replace the outdated tape deck she has in her room. Mom got Jenna a really nice Minnie Mouse watch. She had looked long and hard because Jenna had said she wanted a watch with all the numbers (not just numbers at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 positions) and G’Anne came through for her granddaughter.

FOREVER LOST. I am really glad I do these newsletters as it has been nice to look back from time to time and read about things we have done over the past 2 1/2 years. Somehow this came up in conversation when we were eating at the Catfish House and Mom mentioned that she had written down all sorts of cute things I had said when I was a toddler. Now Mom, being the good secretary, wrote it all down in shorthand. The problem is that she has since forgotten how to read shorthand!

STUPID HUMAN TRICKS. I can wiggle my ears. Vicki can wiggle her nose. Jenna can touch her nose with her tongue. Jenna brought this up one night at the supper table asking the boys what they could do. Ben thinks he can wiggle his ears but I’m not convinced. He also thinks he can wiggle his nose but there is too much upper lip action going on for that. Nate can really wiggle his ears as long as you let him use his hands. We sure did enjoy watching them try to do these things. I guess this should tell you not to expect much in the way of dinner conversation around us. So, who can roll their tongue?

EIGHT BELOW. If you don’t get to see this movie in the theatre you need to put in on your rental list. We saw it Friday night and really enjoyed it. The film was inspired by a true story of a sled dog team of eight dogs that were part of an expedition in Antarctica. An approaching storm at the end of summer caused the people to have to evacuate their base leaving the dogs behind. The drama plays out in the story of the dogs’ survival on their own and the man responsible for the dogs attempting to return to rescue them. It was a well told story.

The funny part for us happened during the previews. Ever since she saw the IMAX 3-D version of The Polar Express Jenna has been a bit squeamish about watching a movie in a theatre (I think the scene where the train’s cowcatcher stops just inches from your nose sort of did her in). When we sat down Jenna had Ben on her left. She grabbed hold of Ben’s arm and settled in. Evidently this wasn’t good enough because she swapped places with him pretty quickly to be next to Vicki and her arm. She tried to cover this up when she whispered, “I think Benton can see better now.” Vicki replied, “I know what you’re up to,” and Jenna grinned sheepishly. Ben must have known too because he asked her several times, “Is this the scary part yet?”

THOUGHTFULNESS. I think I have mentioned this before but Will Ed Osborne has sort of become the candy man to some the kids at church (William, who I quoted in the tornado story last time, is his youngest son). For some reason Ben calls him Uncle Bud. As we were leaving for church today Ben showed me a piece of candy and asked if he could take it. When I asked why (knowing he gets candy in Sunday school as well as from Will Ed) he explained, “Last week Uncle Bud runned out of candy and I want him to have some to give other kids.” How could I refuse that?

Joe

Catching Up on Family News

We can’t decide if we have skipped spring or not. Last Saturday it was cold. I took Jenna and Ben to their soccer games. When we left the house the temperature was in the mid-50s. It had dropped to the mid-40s when we got home at lunchtime. The last few days have seen highs in the mid-80s. Regardless of the temperature the spring season is truly here. When I drove to Memphis I was treated to a real show from the red bud trees. Now the dogwoods are putting out their blooms and the tree frogs have awakened from their winter sleep. And of course, our yards are full of dandelions (Nate calls them “candylions”.)

TORNADOES IN TENNESSEE. All this warm weather belies what can happen when the atmosphere becomes unstable. Last Friday a storm system pummeled several communities around us with tornadoes. One tornado hit the hospital in Ashland City (close to where the Bradleys and the Dees live), skipped a few miles to the Goodlettsville area where it came back down and demolished a boat factory where a friend of mine works and a church across the street. The twister picked up again and traveled to Gallatin where in came back down at the Vol State campus where William Osborne attends school. William works in the school’s radio station. When the tornado warning was announced he left the control room to warn people in the building to take cover. One professor got mad at him for interrupting the class. After the tornado destroyed the building and they all came out of their places of refuge William told that professor, “If you want to continue your lecture now I have no problem with that.”

EASTER ACTIVITIES. Last Saturday and Sunday the choir at church presented the musical Eyes of Faith. I didn’t have anything to do with the technical end of this one but Vicki sang in the choir and in an ensemble feature during one of the songs. They all practiced really hard for many weeks and did a great job in both performances.

This week the kids have been to several Easter egg hunts. Ben and Nate attended one at their Mom’s Day Out and Jenna had one at her school. Our church had one for the younger kids this afternoon (the older kids hunted their eggs by flashlight tonight). And we plan to have our own small egg hunt for the kids at Aunt Mar’s tomorrow evening.

Vicki is trying to get ahead of the game tonight by getting everyone’s clothes ready for tomorrow. Nate thinks he and Ben look like teachers with their ties on.

A FAMILY VISIT. We had a small family reunion last weekend. Aunt Margarette’s older brother, Everette, had three children, Ben, Jack and Martha. They and some of their children and grandchildren came and attended church with us and then we had lunch together. After lunch all of the younger relatives left but Ben, Jack and Martha stayed to visit with Aunt Mar. They even got to go back to the old home place and see the house and yard as it looks now. They came back for another visit on Monday and also stopped by several cemeteries. Aunt Mar sees Ben a once or twice a year but this was the first time in 60 years that she has seen Jack (it had been at least 10 years since she has seen Martha). I think she was really glad to get to visit with them.

BOYS AND THEIR BEARS. I have mentioned before that Ben and Nate both have bears they are very fond of. Occasionally those bears get a little ripe and they get a bath. A few days ago Vicki was putting the boys down for a nap and remembered the bears were in the dryer. She told the boys to go find them and the sounds she heard made her follow them to the bathroom where she witnessed a truly joyful reunion as the boys opened the dryer, found the stuffed animals among the towels, and pulled them out of the mesh bag they wear for their bath time. Ben was enthusiastically commenting throughout (“Oh, here they are,” and “Nate, they’re still warm!”and Nate was beside himself with squeals of delight.)

Ben’s bear had been a good friend for four years now and we’re not sure how much love is left in that bear and Nate’s bear is quickly catching up in this regard. We know that one day all to soon the boys will move on to other things and their bears will be long forgotten. But for now there’s nothing like a good warm bear to go to sleep with.

HIDE AND SEEK. Yesterday morning Ben ran in to where Vicki was and said, “Mom, it’s hard playing hide and seek with God.”

Vicki replied, “Oh really! Well, did you find Him?”

“No! I can’t see him. Jenna says He’s invisible.”

“Well, you feel God in your heart.”

“I don’t feel Him either.”

“Well, did He find you?”

Looking incredulous Ben replied,“ Yeah, He always knows where I am.”

Vicki adds, “Yes, He even sees you when you are running to find your hiding place.”

Sort of put out with the unfairness Ben says, “Yeah, He need to close His eyes.”

A bit later Ben came back saying, “I found Him, Mom. I found Him!”

CONGRATULATIONS to the Arnold family (our friends in Sevierville) on the birth of their new daughter, Emory Elizabeth (we aren’t sure of the spelling). She was born last Sunday.

Have a blessed Easter,

Joe

Beyond the Last Issue

Well, it seems like Vicki was in good company with the April Fool’s Joke! I chuckled about that on the way to Memphis on Monday. This edition is going to be a slight departure from the normal format as I would like to tell why I took my personal days and went to Memphis.

My father passed away on December 2, 1967. I was 15 months old. Needless to say, anything I know about my dad is second hand information. In World War II Dad enlisted in the Army and was accepted in the Army Air Force (the USAF was not its own service as it is today). He was trained as a B-29 gunner and assigned to the 73rd Bomb Wing. This took him to the island of Saipan where his records show that he flew 32 bombing missions against Japan. For most of my life all I really knew about Dad’s war experiences came from what Mom told me, Dad’s journal and pictures and what I read in books.

Back in 2000 I talked to Mr. Bill Lind on the phone. He was the pilot and aircraft commander of Dad’s crew. We had some great conversations and I learned a lot. During Christmas Break of 2003 Jackie Swann stuck a section of the Clarksville newspaper in my door. They had interviewed a couple of WWII veterans and one was Mr. James Krantz. Mr. Krantz flew as a side gunner like Dad. Those of you who were getting this newsletter at that time will remember the story of him being blown through his window when his plane got hit and he dangled above Tokyo at 29,000 feet for 15 minutes while they were on their bomb run. He was secured to the plane by a harness he had made himself just days before. I don’t get to see Mr. and Mrs. Krantz as much as I’d like. They are both extraordinary people and my life is richer for knowing them.

I have corresponded with a few of Dad’s other crewmen but until this week Mr. Lind and Mr. Krantz have been the only living, breathing B-29 vets I have ever talked to. On Monday I went to Memphis to attend a reunion of the 73rd Bomb Wing. I came home Wednesday. What an incredible experience!

Mr. and Mrs. Krantz were there along with two of their daughters and they sort of adopted me. I also met lots of new and interesting people. I took my camera and a notebook (I left the video camera at home because I wanted to live the trip, not watch it through a viewfinder). I took a few pictures but never bothered to get out my pen and paper. It was so special to just sit and listen to these men swap stories, and I just didn’t want to break the spell.

I spent a lot of time in the memorabilia room. One of the first people I met was Bill Copeland. Bill is a very quiet, soft-spoken fellow--the kind of person who makes you feel you’ve met a genuine friend at the first handshake. He is not a WWII vet but does fly Fifi (the only airworthy B-29 in existence today). He knows that plane inside and out and told me a lot about its operation. Fifi is scheduled to come to Tullahoma next month and I hope to get down there to see the plane and meet up with Bill again.

Another fellow I met was Mr. Bill Agee. He was a gunner like my father. He spent a lot of time talking to me and answering my many questions about life as a gunner. Mr. Krantz also introduced me to Mr. Ray “Hap” Halloran whose plane was shot down on his fourth mission. It was quite a moving experience to sit across the table from him as he related his experiences as a POW.

I have read quite a bit about what these men went through in their service to our country in trying to find a way to get to know my dad. But hearing these stories from the men who lived through it has had a profound impact on me. I am at a loss for the words to describe it. These men may not be comfortable with the title of “hero” but they deserve it.

To give you a taste of what I heard this week I’ll leave you with some selected entries from my father’s journal.

Joe

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December 3, 1944 [This was Dad’s first mission.]
We started out today and we bombed a town northwest of Tokyo. A good deal of flack and about seven fighter attacks. I claimed one damage and Hanks claimed another. We lost one plane by ditching. I am afraid the crew is lost also. [Dad confirmed their loss on December 12.]

December 20, 1944
We hit Tokyo at 2:00 a.m. and started fires in the shape of a “T.” Their search lights caught us for just a little time: anyway, long enough to scare us half to death.

January 3, 1945
We bombed Nagoya today. Take off was at 7:30 am. There were 12 planes but only 10 reached the target. Bombs away at 3:45 p.m. We were over land 1.5 hours and we had several fighters but little flack. All planes returned safe. We were in the air 13 hours, 55 minutes.

January 23, 1945
We went to Nagoya again today and to beat all we couldn’t drop our bombs because the racks were frozen up and had to wait until we got down to warmer weather to drop them.

January 27, 1945
We were supposed to go out on another one today but our ship was out. They sure did have a rough one. Their losses today were 75%. [Hap Halloran became a POW on this day. He was freed 8 months later.]

March 11, 1945 [Dad’s second fire raid mission.]
We went on another night raid to Nagoya. This was not near as rough as the other [on March 9]. We were picked up by lights but saw no flack. We lost an engine at landfall but we kept going. When we got back here [Saipan] the weather was bad. We had to land at Tinian [another island 3 miles away] and stayed there about 3 days.

March 18, 1945
We went back to Nagoya tonight. We lost another engine over the target and as we dropped our bombs another went out. We thought we were gone but made it okay. We were so late getting back everyone thought we went down and almost did.

April 21, 1945
We bombed another air field near Tachiarai on the island of Kyushu. We really hit it too. Fighters hit us after we dropped our bombs. I think we shot several down but was too busy to watch. We had No. 3 engine shot out and No. 1 [propeller] off.

April 24, 1945
We took off to bomb Tahikawa Airplane Engine Plant west of Tokyo. We went over at 10,000 feet. There was plenty of flack and a few bakas. There were some fighters. Take off: 2:30. Land: 16:55. [The baka bomb was a rocket powered guided missile launched from a Japanese bomber. The guidance system was a kamikaze pilot.]

May 23-24, 1945
We bombed Tokyo again. The lights picked us up several times but we were not hit. We hit the smoke and really got a ride. This was a really large raid. Take off: 21:23. Land 10:45. [Mr. Lind has told me these convection currents were so strong he couldn’t keep his feet on the rudder pedals. Keep in mind that among the Japanese civilians on the ground were POWs like Mr. Halloran.]

May 25-26, 1945
Our second straight on Tokyo. These were the largest fires yet. You could see them for 230 miles. There were plenty of lights but we were not picked up. Take off: 18:10. Bombs away: 0:57. Land: 7:40. [On a later daylight mission to Yokohama Dad reports the smoke rising to 19,000 feet.]

June 1, 1945
We were to carry fighters to Osaka but ran into bad weather and had to return. Lost 27 planes due to weather.

[Dad’s journal shows that he flew his last mission on June 10, 1945, but, like others who serve in times of war, he carried these experiences with him for the rest of his life.]

The Last Issue

Well, it’s been a good run. I have published 130 editions of this newsletter--far more than I ever thought I would when I began the project. But it is just getting to the point where it is more and more of a chore to sit down and write this thing. So, this is the last edition of the Swann Family News. I hope you have all enjoyed it.

Our landscape is starting its spring transformation from brown to light green as many of the trees have begun to put out this year’s new leaves. And while I am running a bit behind most of my neighbors our yard has gotten its first mowing today. I wish I had worn sunscreen.

TIME AND TEMPERATURE, it is an obsession with Jenna. We have one of those digital clock/thermometers in our back hall. Every morning she checks this when she comes downstairs and then finds me and Vicki and informs us of the current conditions. She goes by that clock (and heaven help her if it fails to synch up with the atomic clock in Colorado Springs and has the wrong time).

Of course, it is next to impossible to keep ALL the clocks in your possession at the correct time. I figure I’m lucky if the fleet is all within 10 minutes of each other. One thing that irritates Vicki every day is that Jenna knows the van clock is two minutes fast. When they get in the van to go anywhere Jenna will say, “Momma, it’s 7:23! Well, not really. That clock is two minutes fast so it’s really 7:21.” This will wear on you after a few weeks and Vicki was complaining about this last night when we were going out to eat. I reset the clock to solve this problem and sure enough Jenna started in when she got in the van that night. It sounded like Vicki really enjoyed telling Jenna the clock was no longer running fast.

BETTER MEAN WHAT YOU SAY! Mom and Aunt Mar invited Ben to spend the night with them last night. They also offered to take him out to eat at the restaurant of his choice. When they made this offer he got this gleam in his eye and said, “I want to go to Hollywood’s!” Ben really like Hollywood’s because they have games like air hockey and skee ball.

I had to laugh because I always tease Mom that when I was growing up she would let me pick where we would eat out as long as I picked Shoney’s. She really didn’t want to go to Hollywood’s but she was good to her word. I think she’ll be a little wiser the next time she let’s Ben pick where they will go eat.

NOW HOW DOES THAT GO? We were having our family bedtime devotion the other night and it was Nate’s turn to pray. His prayer was an enthusiastic roll call of family and friends. When he got to the end of his list he paused. We thought he was trying to think of someone else but he was simply hung on that word you typically use to close a prayer. Since “amen” had escaped him for the moment he simply ended his prayer with “The End!”

SOCCER SEASON. Jenna and Ben are playing soccer at the YMCA again this year. We like both of their coaches (Ben got the coach Jenna had last year). The only bad thing is that we didn’t get our request to have both kids practice on the same night.

Ben tagged along with me and Jenna when Jenna had her practice. We took his bike and he rode beside me as I walked the trail the Y has around part of its property. A new feature of the trail is about a half dozen benches scattered around the 0.6 mile loop. After completing one lap Ben said, “Hey Dad, there’s a bench. You want to sit down and rest?” I told him I was still good to go for a while and we moved on. When he asked me this the fourth time I was about to decline yet again when I asked him if he wanted to stop and rest. “Yeah,” he replied, “this bike is making my bottom hurt.”

Their first games were today. We had perfect weather...sunny, low 70s, slight breeze! Ben had a pretty good game. He scored one goal and came close to getting a second (but when he was the goalie he let one get by him). I was right proud as last year he would stop in the game to watch a plane fly over or pick a dandelion. He’ll turn out to be a good player once he gets a good grip on the mechanics of the game.

Jenna had a good game as well. The other team had several very good players but Jenna held her own. We enjoyed cheering for the kids.

OH, BY THE WAY, that bit about this being the last issue--HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY! (Don’t feel bad, Vicki fell for it when she was proofreading.)

Joe