Dick Kenney; "Who is a HERO?" How are they made?

"There are NO unwounded men or women after a war, and WWII remains the biggest human tragedy - EVER! WWII touched every family on every street and in every town and city in America. Every family on every farm, in every industry and in all geographical locations. Every story is unique and intensely personal. While all experienced the same war, all experienced it differently.
More than 50 million, some say up to 70 million fatalities world-wide - - - one harrowing statistic after another shows that the actual count will never be completely accurate. These estimates include at least 6 million Jews, 27 million Russians, 10 million Christians, thousands of Priests. . . countless innocent." BJC

Some have the opportunity to be Heroic. Fighter Pilots were a rare breed indeed, they seemed nearly fearless. They certainly had the ability to focus, to think at the speed of lightning . . . . for Lt Kenney, it was a P-38 Lightning! A sturdy, agile, dependible, amazing Fighter, made that way because of their brave and courageous Pilots! ALL were Heroes, not that our Greatest Generation would go around blowing their own horn. . . . some of those who should be applauded most, are the humble, quiet type that we discover did much more than their share. . . . the "rip-roaring, go-get'em" types like Dick Kenney, shot-down at his best, at the height of his almost "ACE-score". . . even in a really fragile situation, jammed guns would not stop this great Pilot. Just crazy enough, he took off after those enemy fighters and intimidated them clean out of the area! Not able to shoot would not stop his bluff, he would also keep his own fighter-buddies as safe as possible and _at great risk to himself!

The 82nd Fighter Group ( ** Motto: Adorimini - "Up and at 'em!" ) They were "Up and at 'em!" all right, nearly 50% losses, oh but these brave men held the highest score ever. Maintaining the near-perfect record, scoring enemy fighters, ("Kills") … troop carriers, sinking everything in sight while always keeping a close eye on the Medium Bombers, the B-25's of the 57th Bomb Wing in sight and as safe as was humanly possible. The B-25 Mitchells called the Fighters "Our Little Buddies" …. When first appearing, wagging their wings so the Bombers knew who they were long before ID'ing them. God Bless our Little Buddies._

MIA. . . . the dreaded and feared "Missing in Action" . . . . in the end, most at home did not know for a long time the fate of their loved ones. In Dick's case, he was shot-down and badly injured and then ended up in the deadly-forced march from shot-down out of North Africa through Italy to the Stulag-Luft Camps in Germany. "IF". . . . IF you lived. ……………………. Stalag Luft III - most probably the worst! Dick was a POW from 15 June, 1943 and liberated 8 June, 1945.

57th Bomb Wing Historical Research Team; John T Fitzgerald, Patti Johnson and Barbi Ennis Connolly (Historian) Barbi Ennis Connolly, 57th BW Historical Researcher PRINCESSBARBIB25@msn.com_ _in Honor of my dad/T/Sgt Edward C Ennis, 321st BG, 447th BS, B-25 Mitchells. Edward learned the very first application of "Airborne RADAR" (RAdio Detecting And Ranging/ acronym) and flew over in the now famous "Gen. Bob Knapp's 321st BG crossing the Atlantic the Southern Route" en mass without loss. 319th BG and 321st BG Historian in the 57th Bomb Wing (2007-____ )_

Written by Barbi Ennis Connolly and added 27 Aug 2013.

Richard F Kenney