Combat Missions
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 crew's 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. Harmon's 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 Harmon's "Combat Missions" captures a young boy's 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 veteran's eyes.
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ISBN:
9781667856971
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | a71e6828-fdff-c57d-8f15-fd936be790db |
---|---|
Grouping Title | combat missions |
Grouping Author | burl d harmon |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-01-26 15:04:47PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-05-18 22:47:03PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Harmon, Burl D.
author2-role
hoopla digital
author_display
Harmon, Burl D.
display_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 crew's 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. Harmon's 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 Harmon's "Combat Missions" captures a young boy's 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 veteran's eyes.
format_category_eh
eBook
format_eh
eBook
id
a71e6828-fdff-c57d-8f15-fd936be790db
isbn
9781667856971
last_indexed
2024-05-19T04:47:03.399Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_time_since_added_eh
Year
primary_isbn
9781667856971
publishDate
2022
publisher
BookBaby
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Electronic books
Military
Military
title_display
Combat Missions
title_full
Combat Missions [electronic resource] / Burl D. Harmon
title_short
Combat Missions
topic_facet
Electronic books
Military
Military
Solr Details Tables
item_details
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT15414400 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/15414400?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT15414400 | eBook | eBook | English | BookBaby | 2022 | 1 online resource |
scoping_details_eh
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hoopla:MWT15414400 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | false |