Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

There was once an urban legend that Lee Marvin said on The Tonight Show that Bob Keeshan ("Captain Kangaroo") had saved his life on Iwo Jima.

But Marvin had been medically evacuated after being wounded on Saipan 8 or so months before the Iwo Jima invasion.  And Keeshan didn't turn 18 until 1945.  He enlisted, but never saw combat.

Perhaps he would have participated in the invasion of Japan, had we not dropped the atomic bombs.

CD: I think McGovern flew B-24s in 15th Air Force.  He was featured in Stephen Ambrose's book The Wild Blue.

The B-24s was a newer design and could carry a heavier bomb load farther than a B-17 could.

But the B-24 was harder to fly, and could not maintain tight formations like the B-17 could.  It also had a lower service ceiling.  It was also less durable in terms of absorbing battle damage.  All of which made it easier prey than the B-17 for Lufwaffe fighters and flak.

CD: I think McGovern flew B-24s in 15th Air Force.  He was featured in Stephen Ambrose's book The Wild Blue.

The B-24s was a newer design and could carry a heavier bomb load farther than a B-17 could.

But the B-24 was harder to fly, and could not maintain tight formations like the B-17 could.  It also had a lower service ceiling.  It was also less durable in terms of absorbing battle damage.  All of which made it easier prey than the B-17 for Lufwaffe fighters and flak.

B-24 was the elixir for the U-boats in the 300 mile dead zone in the middle of the Atlantic that neither the USN/RN/USCG could cover.The liberator evidently had the the long range to cross the pond

They had quite  a few vets on world news tonite and they definitely still had their faculties.One vet from the 101 did another jump from the same area over where he landed in '44

That jump is something for a man who must be at least in his early 90s.  I would be cautious about doing that now, and I'm a lot younger than he is.  You hit the ground hard, like jumping off the roof of a house.  18-year-old kids sometimes sprain an ankle or worse if they don't execute the parachute landing fall (PLF) correctly.  90-year-old bones tend to be pretty brittle.

My first law related job out of Florida State University law school was working for federal district judge Donald E. O'Brien in Sioux City, Iowa. He was a bombardier on a B-17. I think most of these men did not return state-side. It was a risky job.

I attended his funeral and of course there were a lot of dignitaries. But his family still remembered me from 30-years earlier, and did not leave me out. I am looking at his obituary, as I write. He flew 30-missions and became lead bombardier, and had military awards. As lead bombardier, he released his bombs, then the others in other bombers released theirs, based on his queue. If I recall correctly, he was flying over and dropping bombs on Germany. I didn't ask too many questions about his military service; I knew it could be a sensitive area.

https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/obituaries/donald-e-o-brien/article_bc155169-74e3-51a5-af9a-7e92bb7457d4.html

That jump is something for a man who must be at least in his early 90s.  I would be cautious about doing that now, and I'm a lot younger than he is.  You hit the ground hard, like jumping off the roof of a house.  18-year-old kids sometimes sprain an ankle or worse if they don't execute the parachute landing fall (PLF) correctly.  90-year-old bones tend to be pretty brittle.

story I heard this morning said the guy was 97

story I heard this morning said the guy was 97

There's video of it, and it wasn't with a military chute--it was a skydive, not a military jump. And even so, the landing looked a little rough. My immediate thought was to worry about how his bones managed the fall.

Here's an article
Here's an article with an embedded video.