The author was inspired to write these memoirs of the years he spent growing up in the Pennsylvania steel town of Bethlehem before the Second World War by the realization that they were a pivotal time in American history. While Americans were struggling with the economic hardships of the Great Depression, they never gave up and instead made the best of what they had. Out of their triumph over hardship grew the generation that fought and won the Second World War. The society and culture exemplified by the Pennsylvania steel towns has now vanished but it is hard not to think that, while we have gained much as a society, we have also lost far too many things worthy of preservation. One of these was the great Bethlehem Steel plant itself, the ruins of which stretch for miles along the Lehigh River. Dominating the ruins are the ghostly remains of the five great blast furnaces, preserved to remind people of the greatness that was once Bethlehem Steel and the community that lived in its shadows.
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, solved the problem for a lot of American kids who wanted to be Army pilots but didn't meet the two years of college requirement for acceptance into the aviation cadet program. In mid-1942, under wartime pressures, the Army Air Corps dropped that requirement and made an exception for applicants who could pass a stiff written test. As the result of that momentous change, many high school kids soon found themselves sporting second lieutenant bars and flying fighters with 2,000-horsepower engines - before they reached their 21st birthdays! A group of those very young men came together from both the East and West Coasts of the U.S. when they were assigned to the 360th Fighter Squadron with the 8th Air Force in England to take part in the invasion and the critical air battles over Germany during 1944-45. They began flying combat missions in Republic P-47 "Thunderbolts," but in late 1944 switched to flying North American P-51 "Mustangs." Most of them had their high school sweethearts, but as healthy young officers wearing a pair of wings they soon found new romance, not only in the skies they flew but with crops of eager young girls who found these handpicked and glamorous pilots to be of special interest. Under wartime stress, romances were quick to bloom and promises hastily made. But the war had a way of changing people, as high school kids quickly grew into men with deeper values and an understanding of what life is really about. This is the story of some of those wartime romances that blossomed within the cauldron of war - some to flare brightly and flicker out, while others lived on.
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.