Description: Combat Missions by Burl D. Harmon Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Paperback Condition Brand New Description In his memoir, "Combat Missions: Flying the B-24 Liberator Bomber Out of Manduria, Italy, 450th Bomb Group, 720th Squadron, WWII.," Burl Harmon, 78 years later at the age of 97, describes the impact of WWII on him, a 19-year-old from Boone, Iowa. After being drafted in 1943, unable to even drive a car, he found himself the Flight Engineer of a B-24 Liberator Bomber, responsible for the mechanical safety of an "Ugly Duckling" on 38 combat missions from March to October 1944. Twenty of those bombing missions in Ploesti, Romania were so dangerous that the U.S. Army Air Corps counted each of them as two missions, increasing the crews tally from 38 to 51.Harmon vividly describes the severity of problems caused by the wounding of his navigator and the danger of his B-24 separating from formation to return home alone. He praises the P-51 escorts flown by the intrepid 332nd Black Squadron, Tuskegee Airmen, who accompanied his squadron. Their "Red-Tailed" presence raised crew morale and led him to avow, "Without a doubt, I am alive today because of their heroic efforts". Returning home, the author confronts civilian life, learns of his parents impending divorce, the loss of his longed-for girlfriend, and enters a new entanglement initiated by his mother after she proudly placed one of his letters in a newspaper. Months later, he enters college and begins his new 40-year trajectory as a high school teacher and administrator. Harmons anecdotes and details move far beyond a simple initial story to a story of momentous transition confronting millions of Americans. Harmon captures the resilience, responsibility, and acceptance of war and its implications. As he writes in his "Introduction," "even though the implications of WWII tested our democracy... Our task ahead is to continue to integrate those left out, the marginal among us, into the fullness of American life." Years later, as the narrative moves to an end, Harmon reflects on ten memorable characters from his missions. He lists their acts of brotherhood and sadly reports that two died (one in combat and one in a possible PTSD-related accident), and another spent the remainder of the war in a series of Nazi prison camps after being shot down. One, whom he considered his closest brother, he sadly lost contact with him and "never connected after the war".Burl Harmons Combat Missions captures a young boys growth to adulthood under dramatic characters shaping circumstances. He gifts us all, especially his family, friends, and former students, with an engaging memoir that depicts an insecure time through a thankful senior veterans eyes. Author Biography Burl Harmon grew up in rural America, served his country through 31 months in the United States Army Air Corps, WWII, and went on to a teaching and administration career in the Kansas City public school system. Once retired from teaching, Burl moved to Bellingham Washington, serving as minstral for seniors in nursing homes and other facilities. Burl lives in Bellingham with his wife, Nanette. Details ISBN 1667856960 ISBN-13 9781667856964 Title Combat Missions Author Burl D. Harmon Format Paperback Year 2022 Pages 114 Publisher BookBaby GE_Item_ID:139189538; About Us Grand Eagle Retail is the ideal place for all your shopping needs! With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and over 1,000,000 in stock items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! Shipping & Delivery Times Shipping is FREE to any address in USA. Please view eBay estimated delivery times at the top of the listing. Deliveries are made by either USPS or Courier. We are unable to deliver faster than stated. International deliveries will take 1-6 weeks. NOTE: We are unable to offer combined shipping for multiple items purchased. This is because our items are shipped from different locations. Returns If you wish to return an item, please consult our Returns Policy as below: Please contact Customer Services and request "Return Authorisation" before you send your item back to us. Unauthorised returns will not be accepted. Returns must be postmarked within 4 business days of authorisation and must be in resellable condition. Returns are shipped at the customer's risk. We cannot take responsibility for items which are lost or damaged in transit. For purchases where a shipping charge was paid, there will be no refund of the original shipping charge. Additional Questions If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Us. Categories Baby Books Electronics Fashion Games Health & Beauty Home, Garden & Pets Movies Music Sports & Outdoors Toys
Price: 18.24 USD
Location: Fairfield, Ohio
End Time: 2024-11-17T04:21:58.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
ISBN-13: 9781667856964
Type: Does not apply
Book Title: Combat Missions : Flying the B-24 Liberator Bomber Out of Manduria, Italy, 450th Bomb Group, 720th Squadron, WWII
Number of Pages: 114 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: BookBaby
Publication Year: 2022
Item Height: 0.3 in
Topic: World, Military
Genre: Biography & Autobiography, History
Item Weight: 5.3 Oz
Author: Burl D. Harmon
Item Length: 9 in
Item Width: 6 in
Format: Trade Paperback