Photos of Philly

Rodin Museum, the Thinker.

Love Park, downtown Philly.

Liberty Bell. I'd already seen it, so I didn't want to go through security, but got a pretty good shot through the glass.

Tun Tavern, birthplace of the Marine Corps. One of my life's biggest regrets is my physical disqualification during Marine OCS. I'm a Marine at heart.

Korean War Memorial. Great statue.

Holocaust Memorial. Lest we EVER forget...

Irish-American Memorial. This is an amazing piece of art.

The Pope was at this cathedral. And celebrated Mass in Philly in 1979. I may be one of this guy's biggest fans. Pope John Paul II, you are missed.

Skyline from Town Hall.

Independence Hall---where our Founding Fathers got us off to a great start. Now, can we do them justice?

Philly skyline from the steps of the Museum of Art. I felt like Rocky.

And speaking of Rocky....

I took some time to see Philly while there last weekend. Here are a few photos for those who are interested. Philly is a city packed with history. I love it. I walked all over South Philly on Saturday. The World Series was in town. The whole city was going crazy for the Phillies, who have since won the Series. I was in Philly to honor the memory of my friend Leonard Herman, who was buried at Mt. Sharon Cemetery on Sunday.

Rest in Peace, Dear Friend

Sadly, both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Jewish War Veterans failed to show at my friend Len's funeral despite their assurance they would be there. Very sad indeed. But Len did get a good tribute in the Philly Enquirer. And God gave us a lovely fall day to lay our good friend to rest.

Miss you and love you, my friend.

Honoring a Hero this Weekend

July, 2008. My best friend Len and me. Columbus, Georgia.

Readers, I will be off-line for the next three days so that I may honor an American hero, Leonard Herman.

Despite the economy, and my own economic problems, I am happy to be leaving tomorrow morning before dawn to fly from Idaho Falls to Minneapolis and then on to Philadelphia, PA, to attend the graveside services for my great friend, Leonard Herman. Len will be laid to rest Sunday at Mount Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, PA, just outside of Philly. Len was born and raised in Philly by parents who had emigrated from Russia, and lived in the Philadelphia area until a decade or so ago, when he moved to Columbus, GA to be with his daughter, Linda, her husband, and Leonard's grandson Jordan.

Somehow, from the reaches of rural Idaho, thanks to the internet, I was able to arrange for the Jewish War Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars to be present at the service, despite the fact that their annual conventions are the same weekend on the other side of the state. We also managed to get his obituary in the Columbus, GA paper. However, we failed in getting it into the Philadelphia Enquirer--despite the fact that they ran half a dozen stories about war hero Leonard Herman when he returned from World War Two with a chestful of medals.

My final honor to my friend is to deliver his eulogy at the graveside. It is humbling and an honor. It's also a tribute to Leonard Herman's own complete open-mindedness and respect for people from all walks of life. Where else would you find a Roman Catholic delivering the eulogy at a Jewish graveside?

Len, we love you and men such as you rarely walk amongst us. Thanks for letting us be your friend.

Rob

95th's Brad Petrella Flies Final Mission

Sad news once again. Brad Patrella, Sr., who served with honor in the 95th Bomb Group in Horham, England, during World War Two, flew his final mission . If you were to saunter up to the bar at the Red Feather Club in Horham today, you would find yourself bellying-up to 'Brad's Bar'. When he was in the 95th, Brad served as the bartender at the Red Feather Club.

I had the incredible honor of meeting Brad at the 95th Reunion in Tucson last spring. He was spry and full of memories of his time at Horham. His smile and his love of life was contagious. My condolences go out to Brad's family, including his son Brad, Jr. whom I also got to meet.

What follows is a tribute and obituary for our friend Brad Petrella.

Have a safe journey, Brad. We'll miss you, buddy.

Brad Petrella, 85, of Wintersville died Sunday, October 5, 2008 at Acuity Specialty Hospital. He was born February 22, 1923 in Mingo Junction a son of the late John & Felicia Petrella. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church; 95th Bomb Group Heritage Assn.; and Red Feather Club.

Preceding Brad in death were two brothers Tony & Rocky Petrella. Surviving are his wife Rose M. Thomaselli Petrella; children John (Deanna) Petrella and Nancy (Tom) Schloss both of Wintersville and Brad (Gail) Petrella of Avon, OH; grandsons Mark Schloss, David (Emily) Schloss & Nicholas Petrella; great grandchildren Sage & Ava Schloss; sisters Mary Stover of Steubenville & Rose Kenealy of Fresno, CA.Per Brad’s request, there is no visitation. Friends are invited to attend a funeral liturgy with mass 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Blessed Sacrament Church with Msgr. Kurt H. Kemo officiating. Entombment at Mt. Calvary. There will be a 1 p.m. reception at Shorac Family Center after the cemetery committal services.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to 95th B.G. Heritage Assn., Attention : G.I. Hammesfahr; P.O. Box 71, Metuchen, NJ 08840-0071.

Cottonwood Time on the Snake River Idaho

Photos speak for themselves. It was a good day to be alive!! So beautiful I almost could not stand it.

A Car Story

God works in mysterious ways. This was proven to me again this week. After sixteen years of driving my '85 Honda CRX, I decided one morning while shivering on the way to work that I didn't want to face another Idaho winter with a broken car heater and no rear window defroster. Scraping ice off both the outside AND the inside of my windshield at zero degrees, while peeking through a tiny thawed section of window, was not my idea of a good time and what's more, my seat was only attached to the frame by one bolt, meaning that if I were to get into a wreck, I would be hurled ejection-seat style out either the back or front window, depending on the direction of impact. Enough already. It was time to let go of my baby, my little blue friend who had carried me near and far and still could, for that matter, as it ran like brand new.

Not being a wealthy person, I visited my favorite used-car dealer, whose children I taught back in the early nineties. He runs a small used-car lot called 'Kelly's Screaming Deals' here in Ammon, and he's a good guy who's sold me three excellent cars in the past. There are several models of cars that have always caught my fancy. One is the CRX. The other is the Chevrolet Impala--a 1964 Chevy Impala to be exact. Well, Kelly didn't have a '64, not that I could have afforded on anyway, but he did have three Chevy Impalas on the lot. He's just bought them from the Weber County (Utah) Police Department. These cop cars have a 3.8 L V-6 that has tons of power but still gets fairly good gas mileage (20 in town, 30 on the highway). One of the three was pretty rough in some ways, cosmetically, so it was pretty cheap. It ran strong. It had cloth front seats and a plastic bench seat for drunken or bleeding arrestees. It had holes where the light rack and other cop stuff had been mounted, all patched with some kind of black resin. I bought it.

Now came the next question. What was I going to do with my little CRX? Granted, it was worth all of $400 to $500 and got 40 miles per gallon, so it would sell instantly if I listed it. But there was an inner voice in me telling me not to sell it. I couldn't quite figure out what I was supposed to do with it. My wife would kill me if I left it out front. Our driveway has almost as many cars in it as Kelly's Screaming Deal, what with my wife's car, my son's car, my daughter's car, and my daughter's fiancee's car. So, what to do?

I work at a high school for kids who have not succeeded in regular schools. For many of them, it's because life has been none too kind. I decided to give my car to the most deserving student at school. On Tuesday, I told my classes that I had a car that looked rough but ran great. It needed a new home. The requirement to get it was that the recipient had to have a demonstrated need and had to be a mechanic who could fix the problems, like the heater and the seat. One of my students approached me. He had a friend who had just gotten his license, but had no car. His father had lost his job because he was very ill and they were living on public assistance. The father, though blind, had until recently been a Certified Master Mechanic, and he was able to work on a car even without his sight. The young man, only 16, was taking on the responsibilities for the family.

It was a perfect fit. Here was somebody who needed the car, and who had the skills to fix it up.

Yesterday afternoon, I watched my little friend the CRX drive away for the last time.

This was a good example of how God uses different people to achieve an end. He directed me to give the car away. The student from school, also a Christian, instantly thought of his friend and interceded for him. The end result, a family that needed a car now has one.

And everybody is happy.

Another Dear Friend Flies Final Mission--Owen Larson, 100th Bomb Group Nav/Bombardier

My good friend Dr. Owen Larson flew his final mission on September 19, 2007 in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Owen was a wonderful human being. He gave me so much help when I began research for my first book. Like most WWII vets, he insisted he had done nothing special. Well, I beg to differ. Just scroll down and look at how many missions Owen flew in a B-17 over enemy territory---each mission was tough in its own way--and you'll see he was a hero. Missions to places like Berlin and Warsaw--35 in all--including one of the Shuttle Missions. Owen send me this photo many years ago of himself outside his airplane, "I'll Be Around". That's why I use this plane as my avatar on the site.
Owen, you were a great man. I miss you. Our prayers are with your wife in her time of mourning. Have a safe flight.


The following is Owen's Obituary, which I received in the mail today from his wife.

Larson, Owen E., M.D.

Owen Earl Larson, 87, Sister Bay, ended a courageous battle with cancer on September 19th at his home surrounded by Alice, his wife of 62 years, and their children. Owen was born in Green Bay on Aug. 21, 1921, to Dwayne and Elvira Larson.Owen moved to Appleton when he was in junior high school and graduated from Appleton High School in 1939. He then attended Marquette University until he suspended his studies in 1941 to join the U.S. Air Force. Owen was a bombardier and navigator with the 8th Air Force and flew 35 missions out of England during World War II. He remained in the Air Force Reserve until 1950, when he retired as a 1st Lieutenant. After returning from the war, Owen went back to Marquette University to complete pre-med and medical school on the GI bill, graduating from Marquette Medical School in 1950. He did a rotating internship at Harper Hospital in Detroit, and a partial surgical residency at the VA hospital in Milwaukee. He practiced medicine in Clintonville, Wis., for 12 years and then Theda Clark in Neenah until he returned to Marquette to do a residency in Anesthesiology. Dr. Larson specialized in Anesthesia at Theda Clark until he retired from medicine in 1986. He and Alice then moved to Sister Bay. Owen loved to learn new things. He thoroughly enjoyed becoming proficient at such endeavors as operating a HAM Radio, (call letters K9LWG), playing the piano and the guitar, photography, and painting stunning portraits and landscapes of those he loved, and the places he loved. During his life he was an active participant in The Benevolent Order of the Elks, The American Legion, Veteran's of Foreign Wars, and The Knights of Columbus. He also served as Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah and was a 50 year member of the State Medical Society. Owen will be remembered for many things. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. In his later years, he was devoted to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, never missing a birthday or special event in any of their lives. Owen's legacy will be long and fruitful, and will continue to blossom for generations to come in his daughters and sons, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and all whose lives he touched, who loved him and will remember him always.

Missions of 1st Lt Owen E.J. Larson
from 100th BG website (compiled by Mike Faley)
1. 11/08/44 Villacoublay


2. 13/08/44 Nantes


3. 14/08/44 Ludwigshaven


4. 24/08/44 Ruhland


5. 25/08/44 Politz


6. 26/08/44 Brest


7. 27/08/44 BERLIN


8. 1/09/44 Mainz


9. 3/09/44 Brest


10. 5/09/44 Stuttgart


11. 13/09/44 Sindelfinger


12. 18/09/44 Warsaw (Second Russian Shuttle)


13. 19/09/44 Szolnok


14. 25/09/44 Ludwigshaven


15. 27/09/44 Mainz


16. 2/10/44 Kassel


17. 3/10/44 Nurnburg


18. 5/10/44 Handorf


19. 6/10/44 BERLIN


20. 7/10/44 Bohlen


21. 12/10/44 Bremen


22. 17/10/44 Cologne


23. 22/10/44 Munster


24. 5/11/44 Ludwigshaven


25. 9/11/44 Saarbrucken


26. 10/11/44 Mainz


27. 21/11/44 Osnabruck


28. 26/11/44 Hamm29.


29/11/44 Hamm


30. 30/11/44 Merseburg


31. 2/12/44 Coblenz


32. 12/12/44 Coblenz


33. 18/12/44 Mainz


34. 24/12/44 Biblis


35. 25/12/44 Kaiserlautern
-end-