Military Officer - September 2007 - (Page 109)

pagesofhistory Glacier Girl After being buried in ice for years, a restored P-38 attempts the same route mapped out for it 65 years ago during World War II — but it still fails to reach England. I n 1942, the U.S. sent bombers and ﬁghter planes to bolster British forces. But six P-38 Lightnings and two B-17s were halted by bad weather and set down on a remote ice cap; the crewmembers, who later became known as the “Lost Squadron,” survived, but the planes were left behind. Then in 1992, one of the P-38s was chipped out from ice 268-feet deep and restored at a cost of $7 million. “Glacier Girl,” as the plane became known, ﬂew again in 2002. In Operation Bolero II, Glacier Girl, piloted by Steve Hinton, began its original planned route to take part in an air show in Duxford, England, in July. On hand to witness the takeoff from Teterboro, N.J., was 89-year-old Brad McManus, a former P-38 pilot and the only surviving member of the Lost Squadron. Glacier Girl returned to Goose Bay, Labrador, because of engine problems. A support plane attended the air show in its place. about 750 items at the site of the 1863 Civil War battle. Grant’s sword was presented by the citizens of Kentucky in 1864 to honor his promotion to general-inchief of all Union forces. The silver and gold sword has a 28-diamond monogram and is covered with intricate designs, including engraved battle scenes on its 33-inch blade. The sword sold for $1.6 million. Custer’s ﬂag, made by his wife, Elizabeth, was at his side at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia when Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his forces to Grant. The ﬂag sold for $896,250. G History Sold! en. Ulysses S. Grant’s diamondadorned sword and Lt. Col. George Custer’s frayed battle ﬂag were some of the top sellers in a recent auction of Civil War items in Gettysburg, Pa. The Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas auctioned THIS MONTH IN HISTORY ■ On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany bombed Polish airfields and attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea in what Nazi leader Adolf Hitler called a “defensive action.” On Sept. 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the start of World War II. C Goodbye, Hero pl. Charles Lindberg, the last survivor of ﬁve Marines who raised the ﬁrst U.S. ﬂag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima during World War II, died in June at age 86. Lindberg and the others dodged Japanese ﬁre to reach the top of the atoll and raise the ﬂag. It was the planting of a second, larger ﬂag that became the subject of the famous photograph symbolizing victory in the Paciﬁc Theater. Lindberg fought on Guadalcanal and Bougainville before landing on Iwo Jima, where he earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service. MO SEPTEMBER 2007 Former P-38 pilot Brad McManus, right, poses with pilot Steve Hinton in front of the only recovered P-38 of the Lost Squadron, dubbed “Glacier Girl.” PHOTO: MIKE DERER/AP MILITARY OFFICER 109

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - September 2007

Military Officer - September 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Plan for Your Future At Home in a High-Rise Lone Star Living Common Ground Insert: Community Source Cover Story: Waging War on Disease More Than Beaches MOAA Scholarship Donors Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - September 2007

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