A high-flying example of plane ol’ patriotism

Did you happen to see the B-17, B-24 and B-25 that were part of the

Wings of Freedom Tour stop at John Wayne Airport this past weekend?

It seems that these planes come every year. This year, I took my

5-year-old son on the B-24 Liberator -- the last B-24 flying out of

18,000 that were built. It was amazing.

One of the features of the B-24 are big, open windows for the

side-gunners. These windows are not enclosed in glass. I stuck my

head out the window during flight. Now that is an unexpected, unique

experience.

We were given the freedom to roam the plane after takeoff. The

flight went to the Queen Mary and back. Among the warnings was strict

instructions to avoid the bomb-bay doors. Apparently, they are

designed to open should a bomb fall out of the rack during flight.

Therefore, stepping on them would result in a quick trip back to

Earth. Between that and the rather large openings on the sides, it

was the kind of experience that really got the adrenalin going.

We ended up in the tail gunner’s turret, where my little boy did

not look overly small. I have no idea who the army recruited to man

this thing. In any event, he had 180-degree views -- side to side, up

and down. He was hanging in space. Awesome. I was right behind him,

and since the turret is designed to turn, it is not connected to the

hull of the plane. I could stick my hands outside the plane in the

gap between the turret and the hull. Quite different.

I expect the tour will come back next year. If you haven’t done

it, make sure and get a ride on one of these. It is unforgettable.

You also gain a great appreciation for what the crews of such

machines endured. Finally, you get a beautiful view of the Orange

County coast.

CHARLES TONEY

Newport Beach

I’ve commented many times in letters published in the Daily Pilot

about my proximity to the flight path of John Wayne Airport. I’ve

complained about the present level of noise and the anticipated

expansion -- and subsequent increase in noise -- of the airport as

Orange County’s transportation needs force John Wayne to grow.

The last weekend of April was a little different, though. During

that weekend I heard the throbbing engines of the World War II

vintage B-17 and B-24 bombers flying out of John Wayne Airport

several times each day as they participated in what has become an

annual visit.

Every time those beautiful machines thundered past my home on that

glorious weekend I found myself thinking about what they represent.

Each time one of them would take off I would get a lump in my throat

as I thought about the war they helped win 60 years ago. I thought

about the men and women of my parents’ generation who sacrificed

themselves for those of us who remained behind. They saw their duty

and met the challenge without hesitation.

The story of that generation has been chronicled many times by

many brave men and women who participated and observed. Our own

Joseph Bell has written many times of his exploits as a flyer during

the war. Recently, the television series “Band of Brothers”

faithfully portrayed the experiences of one small group of men as

they fought for us in Europe.

During the week before the airships arrived at John Wayne, the

newspapers and television had been providing wall to wall coverage of

the tragic death of former National Football League star Pat Tillman,

who gave up millions of dollars at the peak of his outstanding career

to -- along with his brother -- join the Army and become a Ranger. He

lost his life performing his duty as he saw it, not unlike the

citizen-soldiers of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

It’s an amazing coincidence that within that same time frame we

have had a chance to view the replica Vietnam War Memorial locally

and that the World War II memorial was unveiled in Washington, D.C.

It is also a tragic coincidence that California Highway Patrol

Officer Thomas Steiner was gunned down in a courthouse parking lot

during this time, too.

So, as I watch those wonderful airplanes fly past my window I

think about Tillman, Jose Garibay -- the young Costa Mesa man who was

among the first to fall in Iraq -- Steiner and all the other brave

men and women who have chosen to serve this country in uniform, both

here and abroad.

I think about the thousands of men and women serving in hostile

locations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other dangerous parts of the world

and am grateful for their willingness to fight for us, just as our

brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents did in past wars. I also

think of the equally brave men and women who have chosen careers in

law enforcement and firefighting, to protect us as we go about our

lives.

For me, those two gleaming bombers are symbols of the freedom we

have -- and the sacrifices it takes to protect it.

GEOFF WEST

Costa Mesa