Chapter 48 William Dale Olmsted (1920-1999)

1944 

  I had heard old WW II war stories many times while growing up at home. They don't really come into perspective for me till I see it in black and white and written down. I have now read portions of "History of the 489th Bomb Group" to which Dad was a contributing author and I can now better understand and put in perspective the "defining moment" of Dad's life.

    My impression had been that he had gone through years of combat, yet the actual 30 missions flown occurred over a time span of only five months. Although the high stress situations were of short durations, perhaps only a half hour of life threatening action during the bomb release, flak discharges, or fighter attacks, the hours of more tedious flying to and from the target area were always a concern as well. The magnitude and impact of these moments cannot be underestimated, as they forever changed the lives of the flyers. The 24 hour a day anxeity and anticipation and years of a world at war resulted in mental breakdowns for some and certainly affected everyone to some degree.

    So, I have created this memorial space to honor Dad and document a few facts of interest, My Way.