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| World War II pilot to speak during Greenburgh library heroes series - LoHud.com Posted: 13 Nov 2010 03:53 PM PST The Greenburgh Public Library is hosting a series of interconnected fall and winter programs through December that honor local heroes in the community. "Local Heroes Past and Present" began in October with a discussion on immigrants as heroes featuring local authors FitzGerald Ajoku and Paola Corsi. At 2:30 p.m. Monday, the library will feature a talk by World War II fighter pilot and Irvington resident Bill "Tiger" Lyons, who flew more than 60 missions over Germany. He talks about the upcoming program. Q: What details of your career as a combat pilot will you share at the discussion? A: What it was like to fly a P-51 Mustang, mostly over Germany, in World War II when I was a fighter pilot; and what led up to it and why I wanted to do it. I will talk about some incidents during the war, and the nuts and bolts of flying a plane. Some of it is technical, but in a way everyone would understand. Q: What led you to become a combat pilot in the war? A: I grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and had a great young life. I never knew we were poor (during the Great Depression), and (attended) excellent schools where we were taught patriotism every day. We sang a lot; sang patriotic songs. It was imprinted on me that this is a wonderful country and especially because of my grandparents (immigrants from Russia and Austria-Hungary), who instilled a love for this country. It's something I don't think (people) have today. Q: How often do you hold talks about your veteran experiences and why is it so important for you to share this with the community? A: I do two or three a year, and I've done it for the past 15 years ... with veteran groups, senior citizens or libraries. Young people, especially, and those in their early middle age, they don't know what it was like in the history of this country, just before and during World War II. The existence of this country was, as we knew it, at stake. ... The realization isn't there today with the same force and understanding, that there is a lot at stake now. I don't think it is understood now as it was before. Q: What do you want people to learn from the library discussion? A: I want people to learn about the history of the United States, in particular, the the phase of World War II that led up to it and how we, most accidently, got into it rather than deliberately, and how it could have been prevented had nations — including the United States — taken action at an earlier stage rather than waited (until) we were attacked. I will try to dispel the revisionist thinking about why this or that action was taken ... during World War II. I think I can, from firsthand experience , talk about that. Condensed from an interview with staff writer Stacy A. Anderson. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Our Heroes' Stories Engrossing - The Ledger Posted: 26 Nov 2010 12:14 AM PST Published: Friday, November 26, 2010 at 3:01 a.m. When I read the first issue of the series "Our Heroes" on July 18. 2009, I waited impatiently for the second. On and on through all 17 of the stories I waited from the publishing of each of them until the next. Each and every one of the stories was engrossing. The veterans lived the lives that I have only seen stories about in the Hollywood movies (some seemed very real, while others seemed dressed up and glamorous). The stories of "Our Heroes" were real. Someone living right here nearby, deserves the recognition you gave them. Thank you for printing the stories of the lives they lived during very trying times. Thank each and every one of the heroes who agreed to share his or her story with us. War is an awful time to live through and to relate their experiences should enlighten those of us who forget. I truly hope you will continue to run the "Our Heroes" column, to keep us at home in touch with the real world of the happenings right now in the Middle East and any place where we have military personnel in harm's way. DONNA GAUGH Eaton Park All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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