I have watched the famous story of the World War II military bomber Memphis Belle many times. It’s such a great movie and a superb story. That’s why this really piqued my interest:
Former radio operator and gunner Melvin Rector, age 94, wanted to travel to England, where his trip began as a walk down memory lane. He wanted to visit the places where he served our country and saved many lives carrying out missions during World War II.
But Rector never made it back home to the States. God had other plans for his final resting place.
From The Veteran Site:
Melvin Rector had a feeling he needed to return to the country he fought so bravely to protect in World War II. As it turns out, fate agreed.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Rector served in England with the 96th Bomb Group in 1945 as a radio operator and gunner on the famous B-17 Flying Fortress bomber Memphis Belle. He flew eight combat missions over Germany that spring, encountering heavy flak in four of those missions, and on April 3, 1945, and returned with several holes in the bomber’s wings.
It would be seventy-one years after returning home from the war before Rector would decide to see England again. At the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Rector signed up for a tour of the Royal Air Force station Snetterton Heath in Norfolk, got his plane ticket, and prepared for his mission.
Despite the 94-year-old’s modesty, word of his amazing story got around the tour. On his flight to England, the American Airlines pilot even invited Rector to the cockpit for a picture.
“The flight attendant stopped us and said, ‘Mr. Rector, the captain, would like to meet you,’” said Susan Jowers, who accompanied Rector along on the tour.
Jowers said she felt like Rector’s daughter after escorting him on a 2011 Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. She was happy to help him along on the tour of Snetterton Heath. And after the first stop at RAF Uxbridge in the London borough of Hillingdon, Rector and Jowers went to the Battle of Britain Bunker, where fighter airplane operations over Europe were directed on D-Day.
“He walked out of that bunker like his tour was done,” Jowers said.
And it was there, just after admitting he felt dizzy, that Rector died in the arms of his friend.
In the photo below, Rector is on the far left.
So young, so very brave, they never hesitated in the face of danger. Truly the “Greatest Generation.” It’s hard to imagine now just how many men risked their lives, and how many paid the ultimate price to stop the Nazis and Imperial Japan. It’s hard to imagine that the entire planet was on fire. Hundreds of thousands of families lost sons.
And this my friends, is why we stand and salute our flag. RIP dear sir.
If you’ve never seen the film Memphis Belle, check out this clip:
What do you think about this military veteran’s final moments? Share your thoughts below in the comment section and let us know how you feel. Don’t forget to share this on your Facebook/Twitter account.
