8th Air Force Legend Thomas Jeffrey Flies Final Mission

One of the truly great men of the American air war over Europe in WWII is Thomas Jeffrey. Every man I've ever talked with that served under this gentleman loved him. I'm saddened to learn of Gen. Jeffery's passing. Mike Faley, one of the historians of the 100th Bomb Group, posted this post today:

General Thomas S. Jeffrey Jr. has passed away
by Michael Faley on Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:07 pm
It is my sad duty to inform the 100th Bomb Group Foundation the Gen Thomas S. Jeffrey has passed away at the age of 91. As Deputy Group Commander of the 390th Bomb Group he was instrumental in the formation, training, and deployment of the Group to England. He was the 390th's Command Pilot on the Schweinfurt mission "Black Thursday" October 14, 1943 for which the group received it second Distinguished Unit Citation. In May of 1944, Gen Jeffrey took over command of the 100th Bomb Group (The Hard Luck Group) and implemented procedures and discipline that made the 100th BG one of the best groups in the ETO. His leadership before during and after the War were inspiring to those who served under him and those who only had the pleasure of knowing him through our reunions. Our Condolences go our to Ann and Tom Jeffrey and we wish Gods speed. To read up more on General Jeffrey, please go to this page on our website. http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews6/jeffrey_t.htmhttp://www.390th.org/warstories/Jeffrey.htm. Below is a letter from Gen. Jeffrey to the 100th BG that he sent last fall:

"(September 2007)Greetings! Best wishes to the 100th Bomb Group reunion attendees! Wish I could be here to swap tall tales!We are still hanging in here. We're ALL hanging in here; we're all still here, some just floating a little higher than before. As the old song says “…You take her up and spin her, and with an awful tear, your ship folds up, your wings fall off, but you will never care, for in two minutes max another pair you'll find… and dance with Pete and the angels sweet, and you will never mind.” Well, never mind this old age stuff. We'll get through it, we always have. We're tough, made of strong fiber and all of my colleagues of yesteryear proved it – showed what they were made of. We're all steadily turning over the great 100th Bomb Group Foundation to younger members with new ideas, a fresh outlook, and a desire to be a part of it. And that is as it should be. The proud tradition carries on. And we are pleased.Thank you for carrying on, thank you for cataloging the history, and keeping the memories alive. I raise my glass to you all!Maj. General Thomas S. Jeffrey Jr.Commanding Officer100th Bomb Group (H)
---Michael P. Faley 100th Bomb Group Historian 100th Bomb Group Photo Archivist 13th Combat Wing Historian
Michael Faley

100th Bomb Group Holds Reunion in Nashville

A great-looking group of guys---veterans of the 100th Bomb Group, pose for a group photo at their annual reunion in Nashville, Tennesse last week.

The 100th Bomb Group (H) held its annual reunion last week in Nashville, Tennessee. Joe O'Leary, son of a 100th BG airman, took many excellent photos of the reunion, and I asked permission to share them on this blog. Joe generously agreed. Here is the link for this slideshow. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=gkuknur.4hr1s42n&Uy=d9i7tl&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=546196637268_654534144111

My friend Les Poitras also attended, flying to the reunion with a crewmate of his late grandfather. Les had a wonderful time.

My friend Les Poitras with Fortunato Carello, 350th Squadron Navigator, at the reunion.

After returning, Les got an email from the old commanding officer of the 390th and later the 100th, Thomas Jeffrey, who did not attend the reunion but was obviously with the vets and their families in spirit. Gen. Jeffrey writes:

Gen. Thomas Jeffrey, commander of the 100th Bomb Group, 1944.

"Greetings! Best wishes to the 100th Bomb Group reunion attendees! Wish I could be here to swap tall tales!

We are still hanging in here. We're ALL hanging in here; we're all still here, some just floating a little higher than before. As the old song says ".You take her up and spin her, and with an awful tear, your ship folds up, your wings fall off, but you will never care, for in two minutes max another pair you'll find. and dance with Pete and the angels sweet, and you will never mind." Well, never mind this old age stuff. We'll get through it, we always have. We're tough, made of strong fiber and all of my colleagues of yesteryear proved it - showed what they were made of. We're all steadily turning over the great 100th Bomb Group Foundation to younger members with new ideas, a fresh outlook, and a desire to be a part of it. And that is as it should be. The proud tradition carries on. And we are pleased.

Thank you for carrying on, thank you for cataloging the history, and keeping the memories alive.

I raise my glass to you all!

Maj. General Thomas S. Jeffrey Jr.
Commanding Officer
100th Bomb Group (H)"

Gen. Jeffrey with Glenn Miller before Miller's last concert of his life, at Thorpe Abbots, England. Miller perished shortly after playing this concert for the 100th Bomb Group.