This has nothing to do with illustration or web design. But it has everything to do with respect and gratitude.
This unassuming gentlemen said very little during the July 15th vintage WWII airshow at the Lawrence Municipal Airport in Lawrence, KS. He could easily have been mistaken for one of the many bystanders who shuffled around and through perfectly restored and completely flight-worthy WWII era bombers. But through casual conversation, one friendly visitor chatted with him long enough to discover that this man, Mr. D.B. Dickson, flew over three dozen missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress nearly identical to the one we were admiring.
"One time, I had to release the bombs by hand because the catch was stuck. I stood in the bay with the doors open on a walkway that was only ten inches wide, and we were 25,000 ft up. I wasn't tethered, and there wasn't room to wear a parachute. The air temperature was 40 below. We had to unload the bombs because we were headed down, and they're set to go off at 150 ft. whether they were in the plane or not."D.B. Dickson, Engineer and B-17 Top turret Gunner
Some of us tried to impress him with our limited knowledge of WWII airplanes, but Mr. Dickson (rank unknown) would softly reply with a smile, "Yeah. Tell me about it." And after some prodding, he relayed the above story to me and about a dozen others who stood by with wide eyes and a deep sense of admiration and respect.
Thank you Mr. Dickson for your stories and your service.
