Union County Historical Society and Museum

My research into Donald Davis, the tail-gunner on the Hetzler crew that was shot down over Germany during WWII had come to a dead end. Because of his fairly common last name, I was having no luck finding any of his family members in southern Illinois. Then I called the Union County Historical Society and spoke with Pat Meller (pictured). She said she would ask around at church and other places. A few weeks later she called me with the name and address of Donald's brother William. She has also facilitated two meetings with me and Donald's family as well as helping to set up my speaking engagement this fall. Local historical societies serve a valuable function for researchers. This isn't the first time that I have been helped by historical societies. Linda Price of the Onaga Kansas Historical Society helped me do some of my research on Harold Hetzler and helped set up my speaking engagement last summer. The Union County Historical Society also has a museum that has a lot of interesting artifacts. The museum is located in Cobden, IL. Phone for hours: (618) 893-2865

Friends of Jefferson Barracks Park

Yesterday evening, I was invited to speak at the monthly meeting for the Friends of Jefferson Barracks Park. I gave my Harold Hetzler speech and presented the story of how I researched Harold. I also spoke about my current historical research on Ulysses Tebbs. The members, about 25 of them, asked me a lot of really good questions and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share Harold's story. The members are very interested in historical research and they gave me lots of ideas and resources to advance my research. I would also like to thank Al Katzenberger for taking photos of the event. Some of the members were kind enough to share their thoughts on my presentation:

"Extremely interesting & imaginative, as well as entertaining. I highly recommend Mr. Kirby."
Marc E. Kollbaum, Curator, Jefferson Barracks Park

"Excellent speech, amazing research, so thorough, a great historian."
Ann Thoma, member: Friends of Jefferson Barracks

"His talk was very well done, moving and based on research."
Jack Grothe, Fellow and Governor: Company of Military Historians

"Alan's reflections on the pilot's life and the efforts he has made to keep the history of World War II alive are much appreciated."
Charlotte Pisoni

"Alan's talk was interesting and informative. It was amazing how much he found out about Harold."
Louise Drescher

"The presentation was informative and also very inspiring!"
Mary Hauck, member: Friends of Jefferson Barracks

Regret To Inform

This week we watched this excellent documentary about women who had lost their husbands in Vietnam or because of Vietnam. The documentary followed the filmmaker, Barbara Sonneborn, as she traveled to Vietnam to find the place where her husband had been killed decades earlier. She also interviewed Vietnamese women who had also lost their husbands in the conflict. This was an emotion evoking film, which in part, convinced me that Dad and I would benefit from taking a trip together to Vietnam.

Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post

Last Wednesday evening I gave my Harold Hetzler Speech to the Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post, Number 15 on the Hill (an Italian neighborhood) in St. Louis. I spoke to about 50 veterans and I had a really good chicken dinner afterwards with the members. A colorful group of guys, very patriotic and full of history. It was a real honor to be invited to spend an evening with them. To the left you see me pictured with Skip Berger, the Commander of the Post.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Here is Teddy on top of Monk's Mound. This mound is 92 feet tall and was made by Native Americans about a thousand years ago. Teddy considered the climb up the mound a race, which he, of course, won. This park is just across the Mississippi from St. Louis. There is also a nice museum, gift shop and trails around the smaller mounds. Amazingly, according the their website, in the year 1250 AD Cahokia was a larger city than London! Click the picture for a link to the official website.

My Grandmother

My Grandmother passed away this afternoon after a long illness. She was 82 years old and was born in 1927. My cousin found this old photo a few months ago. It must have been my grandparent's wedding day or shortly thereafter. Marie Theresa Plante was born in Rhode Island. She was part of the Greatest Generation and did her bit by moving to Boston to train as a nurse. In Boston she met my grandfather, who was a sailor stationed in Boston in 1945. I only had one grandmother, as my paternal grandmother died before I was born, but I lacked for nothing in that quarter and I couldn't have picked a better grandmother for myself.

Bomber Pilot, by Philip Ardery

Ardery was a young, Harvard educated lawyer who had just begun his own practice in his home state of Kentucky, when he left home without saying good-bye to his mother to join the Air Corp. Like me, he always wanted to fly, but couldn't afford it. In the months leading up to WWII he saw an opportunity to get flight training for free and took advantage of it, but he was lucky, very lucky to have lived through the war. He was on the deadly Ploesti raid from Northern Africa and flew several dangerous missions from Europe as well. After completing his combat tour, he became a wing operations officer for General Ted Timberlake and I am guessing because of his Harvard connections met many notable personalities of the times while on leave in London including Ed Murrow and Robert Capa. Ardery truly saw it all in the European air war and this is an important book that is often used as a source for other books, especially books about the Ploesti raid.

40 Years Ago Today!

40 years ago today at 9:32 am local time, Apollo 11 blasted off for moon. I was only 7 months old at the time, but I have always been fascinated by space travel and wish I had been old enough to have my own memory of this event. My own memories of pioneering space flights include watching the Space Shuttle Enterprise make some of its maiden voyages when I was in the third grade and I remember watching the first Space Shuttle mission, STS -1, with great interest when I was in the 6th grade.

George Washington Carver National Monument

Last weekend we visited George Washington Carver National Monument. It is located in Diamond, Missouri and it is a very small National Park. I first visited the park in 1979 when our 4th grade class visited on a field trip. I really loved the little museum, gift shop and the trail. I was happy that Teddy enjoyed it too. You can see him here next to a statue of the young Carver that you come across along the trail next to a nice little stream. So, next time you motor west (or east) on I-44 near Joplin, go just a few miles south on US 71 and take a small history and nature break. Click the picture for the official National Park Service website.

William C. Depuy

William (Billy) Depuy was the engineer and top turret gunner of the Hetzler Crew that was shot down over Germany on March 23, 1944. Last year, I spoke with 2 of his nephews on the phone, both of whom knew him well and sent me a few letters and pictures. One lives near Chicago and the other lives near Buffalo. In speaking one of his nephews, he mentions that a woman from New York City called after his death and indicated that they were engaged. I have no idea who this woman is, but it would be beyond my wildest dreams to find her if she is still living. I hope that she googles Billy's name, then this page will come up and maybe she will contact me. Billy was known, as most members of the Hetzler crew were, as being a ladies man! I can tell from his correspondence which I have read that he had a great sense of humor as well. He wrote to his niece shortly after arriving in England, that they were stationed just outside of town (Norwich) and that "there are plenty of women and you know how I hate that." I also read a letter written back to him by his niece Marion:

Dear Uncle Bill, Have been sort of waiting for a letter from you. I know you are probably busy these days. With Easter mass on hand - have had you in my mind - hope another won't pass before you get home. Sort of a lot to ask for - but we can hope can't we?

Sadly, this was written 13 days after he was killed in action, I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was for her to have the letter returned stamped missing in action.

The photo to the left was taken during the final phases of bomber crew training in Tonopah, Nevada on December 16, 1943. He wrote a note on the back: "I don't look in too bad of shape, do I?"

If you are a relative, friend or have any information about William C. Depuy, please contact me: kirbhund at sbcglobal.net

Be Good, Smile Pretty

Last weekend we watched this very good documentary about Vietnam and researching your own father. Tracy Droz Tragos lost her father in Vietnam when she was a baby, so had no memory of him. Amazingly, but not at all unusual, she knew very little about him. Her mother, who had remarried, did not share with her, until she started making this film, the boxes of letters and tapes that her father had sent home from Vietnam. By interviewing her mother, uncles, grandmother and the men with whom he served in Vietnam, Droz Tragos was able to bring her father back to life to a certain extent and get to know him. The wounds of war are just under the surface in many families. I know it had to be uncomfortable for Droz Tragos to open these wounds, but I admire her courage for doing so.

Colonel Donald Blakeslee

Guest Entry: Today, I invited my good friend Howard Brandt to blog about his former Commanding Officer.


In March of 1951 I was called to active duty with the 131st Fighter Wing Missouri Air National Guard. We were sent to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin Texas... I was assigned as an Aircraft Records Clerk with the 110th Fighter Squadron. Two other Squadrons made up our fighter wing, the 170th from Springfield Illinois and the 92nd from Reno Nevada.
Our fighter aircraft were P 51s. My job was to keep track of when the parts needed to be changed. It was said that we would be headed to Korea for close ground support for the troops. Apparently the P51s could fly slower than the Jets and stay on target longer.
Shortly after our arrival at Bergstrom another wing showed up, The 27th Fighter Wing, just back from Korea. They immediately put up a sign. “THE 27TH FIGHTER WING JUST FAMOUS” They were equipped with F 84 Republic Thunderstreaks, the Wing Commander Was Col. Donald Blakeslee.
Now everybody had heard about Blakeslee, a Spitfire pilot with the Eagle Squadron, at least a triple Ace in WWII, flying P 47s and P51 and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Shortly after the 27th arrived we were all sent to George Air Force Base in Victorville California. Even though my desk was in the hangar only about 50 feet from Blakeslee’s office, he never spoke a word to me. I was only a corporal at the time and not very far up the chain of command, but it became apparent that Blakeslee was the guy in charge.
The scuttlebutt had it that Blakeslee was a two fisted guy literally and if he had used a little more discretion in his relations with other officers he would have probably been a general. The Fighter pilots in those days were not noted for using discretion. My counterpart in the 170th said that he heard that Blakeslee had an altercation with a former Marine Pilot in the 170th (Probably after some libations at the officers club.) Apparently Blakeslee was not an officer to hold a grudge and as far as I know the other pilot suffered no chastisement of any kind.
I must point out that there were a number of fist fights among these fighter pilots so Blakeslee was not alone. It might be said that it was a trait of the profession at the time.We never did go to Korea. About the time when we were deemed combat ready (Air Combat that is.) the stalemate was reached at the 38th Parallel.