Hang, and others to have interacted with these men, do they realize that they have younger men like us who practically idolize them, read about all their exploits, and hold them in a deep regard? I've always wondered that.
Swager, Gabby definitely realized it. As happy as we were to meet him, he seemed just as happy that there were people who strongly appreciated and had interest in what he had done.
Plus we knew the history and knew the jargon, so he could tell just about any old story without having to "dumb it down". As he told us at one point while describing some engagement, "Ya know what I like about you guys, I don't have to EXPLAIN anything."
All the WWII aircrew I have met have expressed similar feelings. The first few times I met guys like that I was very shy and felt very weird asking them questions. But I quickly found that the guys who come to such events are guys who want to share, and they are excited that people have interest in their experiences.
Once you get some of these guys going they will really tell you some amazing stuff. And not just about dry subjects like deflection shooting or aircraft performance. They can tell you things that only come from the mouth of somebody who has faced death and adversity and attained the wisdom of old age. Most of them have a few incredibly funny stories too.
Maybe most importantly, the experience of talking to these guys has helped me to be able to ask questions of the old soldiers in my own family, for which I am very grateful. I hope everybody will take advantage of any such opportunities they have, because these guys won't be around forever.
