Bio

My maternal grandfather Clyde A. Stevens flew War Eagle #1 from the USA to Italy where he was stationed during WW2 and flew his bombing runs. Clyde arrived in Italy to start his requisite 50 bombing missions over Europe before he rotated back to the USA. Clyde's B24 Heavy Bomber named "War Eagle," was designated Crew #1 based on their performance in flight training, and so Clyde was the lead pilot and led the Squadron on their trip from San Francisco to Italy in 1944, six months before D Day.On the 50th mission the co pilot was leading the mission while Clyde worked in Air Operations, so he would be the last pilot of War Eagle's final flight with Crew #1 as the co pilot led the second to the last mission. War Eagle went down over the Herman Goring Tank Factory in Linz Austria in a desperate mission to destroy the huge industrial complex supporting the Nazi war machine.Half of the crew were killed while in flight, and the rest bailed out and were captured and sent to Stammlager III (Stalag Luft III) as POWs.I can only imagine the survivor's guilt my grandfather felt after losing his plane and crew, and his copilot 1LT Freeman during his final mission of WW2. The next day Clyde took another B24 to make his last flight so he could go home. Unfortunately the bombing run was unsuccessful and Clyde went back the following day to complete 50 good bombing missions and came back home.Clyde had mental health issues that impacted others, and I didn't connect and understand until more recent years how things can shape your life and impact others, especially your family.I didn't know how my grandfather really died until a few years ago thanks to Ancestry.comwhen I discovered records that gave the reason. I only knew that he died of service connected reasons and died in the VA hospital in San Francisco of Typhoid which he contracted in Italy along with many other service members in WW2.A few years ago we attended the reunion of his Squadron at Wright Patterson Air Force Base museum, and although there were no living members who flew combat missions like my grandfather, there were some veterans I met who were in the unit after they returned from WW2. It was a great experience to spend the day with them.