[May 3, 2020] Charlie Coyle was a tail gunner on a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress bomber during the last two years of World War II. I got to know Charlie after meeting him at an antique airshow in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1993. Charlie would have turned 95 years-old today but passed away last year where he lived in Bay Village, Ohio; a small town west of Cleveland along Route 6. Below are some WW2 pictures I found that he would have liked. I hope that everyone else can appreciate them too.
Great selection of pix.
Love the photographs. Color sure brings them to life. Thank you, Gen. Satterfield. You are lucky to have had a friend like Charlie Coyle.
The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. —
George S. Patton
Great quote, great man. We need more like him today. He kicked some serious butt. Our young millennial generation can’t even kick their way out of a paper bag.
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” This was said by UK PM Winston Churchill. It was, in my opinion, the greatest quote of the 20th century.
The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. —
George S. Patton
To win war, you must hold ground. That’s what I was always taught and that is still true today despite so many who will disagree.
The first picture of what appears to be a soldier in a foxhole (location ???) is similar to one I have of my father. He fought in the Europe and was in combat at one point for over 75 continuous days.
Not much info on the pix but I like them anyway. I gives me goosebumps to think about what these men went thru in combat.
Yes, the level of sacrifice is unknown today.
That’s why we call them the “greatest generation.”
Both my uncles were in WW2 and then one in the Korean War. War was different then. There was a clear distinction between good and evil.
A good mix, Navy, Army, Marines, Army Air Corps, and women working in factories producing war machines. No Coast Guard or merchant ships.
My prayers go out to him and his family. These were great men and women who helped defeat the twin evils of fascism and imperialism. Thank you Gen. Satterfield for these few photographs. I would have liked many more. ?
Yes, more is better.
Nice, color pix from the Greatest Generation. Thanks!