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Guy McClung
11/3/2012 12:00:31 PM | Dear Folks of the 401st Bomb Group (Heavy) Association: My Dad, Guy McClung, Jr. who passed away in 1977, is the "Mac" navigator of the Home James piloted by Capt. James F. Risher Jr. and which is talked about at length in his book PARTICLES IN A STREAM D-DAY AND AFTER. My Dad never talked to me about what he did in WWII. The few stories I heard were from an Aunt, his sister, who learned very little about what these men did and what they survived. To this day there is a discussion in our family about how many missions Dad flew-some say 35, some 36, some 39. Earlier this year I sent an article to a paper in England and I was googling to see if they had published it...and up popped a page of Capt. Risher's book. I could not believe it. I ordered the book and when it arrived I spent the better part of the next two days reading it. This is what my Dad did that I never knew about. I cannot describe the feeling of reading about him in the book. Now for those who believe: it was a clear day and I was sitting outside when I turned the page to the first page that had my Dad's name....and when I read it, on this clear day, a bolt of lightning hit within a mile of me. I turned around and a storm was coming in from behind me that I had not seen and wind started blowing as the thunder rolled in.....I know..."twilight zone" music....but I just thought it was my Dad saying Hello! I always knew my Dad knew no fear and he was afraid of nothing and of no one. When you read this book, you see why. If anyone out there knew my Dad, that would blow me away. Many thanks to all who made this website possible. And muchas gracias to Capt. Risher's sons, James III and Joseph, who made the book possible. God bless and keep you all. Guy L. McClung, III, Rockport TX email: gmcclung3@msn.com
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donaldbyers
11/3/2012 12:49:07 PM | Have you checked out this page /Site/History/crew.asp?cid=12551 and the crew photo on /Site/Search/photo.asp?pid=10113 which only has one member identified. Can you help us out there. Between all of you do you have any photos and especially Aircraft or maybe an A2 jacked he may have had as we are looking for color photos of the A2 Jackests.....
Don Byers
Group Historian
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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Guy McClung
11/3/2012 1:04:17 PM | Dear Mr. Byers: I will go through the things I have. I know I do not have my Dad's HOME JAMES jacket, but I saw it when I was young. I do have what I believe is the pilot's yoke hub of the HOME JAMES {which burned on the tarmac at Deenthorpe), a copy of the original 1946 401st blue book-with notations by my Dad, and my Dad's what he called "crash bracelet." Also his medals. And many photos. I will go thru all this and get back to you. Thank you for all you do as Historian. Guy L. McClung, III
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donaldbyers
11/3/2012 8:57:19 PM | Thanks Guy, look forward to hearing back from you. You can use my historian email address
historian@401bg.org
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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