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It's impressive how these flyers seem to be all in on the war--something that hasn't happened since WWII as far as I know. This is stuff I never would have looked for on my own, and I'm happy to be reading it. I love the photos too!

During WWII my father was a radar mechanic at the far end of the shuttle bombing, dubbed Operation Frantic, in which allied bombers left England to bomb Germany and German-held territory. But instead of having to fly all the way back to England, they could fly the re…

when I hear about virtually ANY WWII AAF guys, my standard questions are "What neighborhood in Brooklyn?" and "Which high school did he attend?"

if this sounds a tad blinkered (or even just single-minded), humor me. this is one way of saying that I'm not entirely sure why I'm asking, but I always ask. I seem to have a weirdly abiding interest in the histories and cultures of NYC high schools. I figure it's harmless enough.

and it's a great story. after the war, did other government agencies try t…

Great comment!

My father lived at 505 12th St. His father taught physics at Manuel Training High School (I think tht's the correct name)--including to I.I. Rabi (Nobel winner) and the pilot of the Enola Gay. His mother taught second grade somewhere in Brooklyn.

My father learned to drive probably at least a decade, maybe two before his mother learned to drive. (His father never drove.) I think my father's friend Sam Chavkin, onthe same base, was also from Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn thing led to a prob…

these are great stories. at that time, there were thousands of them in the NYC Board of Ed. in the fifties, when I was in elementary school, I had several genius teachers. this was especially true of my fifth-grade teacher, who made it his business to "deal with" my stammer and to involve me in projects with other kids to bring my grade in "Works and plays well with others" from an "Unsatisfactory" to an "Outstanding." these were absolutely brilliant, dedicated people, who were making enough as…

This is interesting. I don't know anything about my grandparents as teachers, but if they were anything like what you're describing, they must have been terrific. So I'm very grateful for your account, which with your permission I will forward to my siblings and my cousins.

based on what you've said about the teachers in your family (especially your mother, who was obviously very special as a teacher and a parent), your grandparents were the best of the old-time NYC teachers I'm talking about. that kind of integrity is ALWAYS generational, especially among teachers.

MY query elicited one very interesting response about my grandfather and grandmother:

Grandpa Abe taught some very smart kids and I believe one or more received Nobel prizes. An interesting story is that he never forgot a student. He’d be walking along and see someone and go over and greet them. They might not remember him but he remembered them. Grandma Molly taught in the afternoon (the English portion) at a very religious boys yeshiva. She loved the kids. She taught second grade and I remember her bringing me to work one day.

The NObel winners were I.I. Rabi (nuclear magnetic resonance, making MRIs possible) and George Wald.

impressive, impressive.

my Southern family members all did the entirely typical-unto-cliche thing and went into "dry goods" (department stores). one of my great-grandfather's brothers ended up pretty much owning everything in Dermot, Arkansas. I remember visiting him once when I was about three and having him greet me with a roomful of white pigeons (I remember pigeons, although they might have been something else). I also remember not liking the whole thing very much...it seemed too chaotic.