Rest in Peace 2nd Lt Charles E Carlson

Those of you who follow my blog know that the content generally describes my gallivanting adventures, whatever they may be.  I tend to write a "happy" spin as I have the opinion that people see enough of the opposite in the news media daily.  And, since I publish these events for my future entertainment,  why would I want to dwell on depressing events?

However, today's blog diverts from my usual postings, and shows an entirely different aspect of my life.  Many of you might not realize that I am an avid WWII MIA research analyst and that I have been responsible for finding relatives of men whose bodies have been recovered.  But I have never attended a reinterment, despite being invited,  primarily due to schedule conflicts or distance.

But, on Monday of last week, the opportunity presented itself, as 2nd Lt. Charles E Carlson was scheduled to be buried on Friday, Aug. 4, at Ft. Indiantown Gap Cemetery.

 One of my team members, Jana, had informed me of the burial, and since she was instrumental in finding Charles' maternal line, she wanted to attend herself.  Since she was driving from her home in Rocky Mount, I invited her to stay with me,  which gave us the perfect chance to finally meet face to face.

Although we had left with plenty of time to spare, we ended up arriving at the cemetery just 5 minutes prior to the scheduled ceremony, due to Keystone Pipeline construction delays along the highway.

And, to complicate issues, the funeral procession had departed early and was nowhere in sight upon our arrival.  I will admit that I was driving through the cemetery at a higher rate of speed than one would consider to be appropriate, but I managed to find the chapel location just as the family was entering.

Among those in attendance were Lt. Col Peter Lee, representing the 62nd Fighter Squadron.  He had flown from Arizona specifically to attend the service.  Carlson had been a member of the "62 Spikes" and Lee felt an obligation to offer his respects to this man who had crashed on Dec 23, 1944 in the German village of Buschhoven.  Lee explained that Carlson would have been flying a P47 Thunderbolt, actively engaged in a "dog fight" with a German Messerschmitt, when the two planes met face to face, resulting in Carlson's plane crashed into the ground, bursting into flames. 

Although the Germans had recorded the spot of the crash and claimed to have buried Carlson's body in a specific location,  the US Army Graves Administration was not able to find his body after the war. 

Four years after his death, his wife received a letter stating that every attempt had been made to locate him,  but they had not been successful. 

In 2016, a local German historical society contacted History Flight who sent a team that was able to verify that Carlson's plane had crashed in a particular location. After several months of field work, the group was successful in locating several parts of the plane in addition to Charles' remains.  He was officially declared identified on Jan. 10, 2017. 

As part of his tribute, Charles' family received several medals for his service: A Purple Heart, Air Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with a Bronze Star, WWII Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Medal, and US Army Air Corps Pilot Wings. 

After the medals were presented, a Catholic Priest offered prayers for Carlson and his family.

The flag was lifted  while Father sprinkled the casket with holy water.

Following a final blessing, the honor guard team,  standing at a distance,  fired the three volleys from rifles, a military tradition that indicates that the dead were cleared and properly cared for. 

Then, we all stood at attention while the Bugler eloquently presented Taps. 

Finally,  the ceremonial folding of the flag began.

And as the final fold was complete, four F-35's suddenly broke the silence as they appeared out of nowhere,  flying in formation overhead.   Then one of the planes veered away from the others, symbolic of someone who went into battle and never returned, commonly known as the Missing Man Formation.  Only now, Carlson was no longer missing. 

I must admit, that at this point, I was digging through my purse in search of tissues, as I found myself welling up in tears. I had not been prepared for this type of emotional reaction on my part.  It was as if I could feel the enormity of this family's loss.  It was truly a deserving tribute to this fallen hero.

At this point, the ceremony was complete, and those in attendance quickly departed.  Since I had arrived in a rush, I decided to take this opportunity to walk around a bit.  The casket had stood just in front of this memorial to POW/MIA's that is imbedded in the ground. 

2nd Lt. Charles E Carlson was no longer part of the group upon which that stone pays tribute.

Just outside the chapel, but within the walls of the building, I spotted these markers on the ground. 

There was a cross representing every county in the state of Pennsylvania. 

Here is a close up view of the entrance.

And once through the doors, only the bubbling of the fountains can be heard in this haven of solitude.

This was an amazing experience for me, and one worth sharing.  My time spent with Jana was priceless, not to mention quite entertaining.  We formed a special bond in the few hours that we spent together. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention Patrick, the History Flight photographer who attended the ceremony as well.  

Not only was he able to document the entire service, he was kind enough to take a photo of Jana and me, standing behind the POW/MIA memorial.

It seemed a fitting ending, don't you think?

Rest in Peace 2nd Lt. Charles E Carlson

Photocredit:  Patrick J. Hughes

Brown's and a Blueberry Day!

Today, I was invited on an adventure to Brown's Orchard, which had advertised today as  a special "Blueberry Day".  

Now, many of my friends realize that I have a blueberry bush in my backyard which has produced a bumper crop this year. ( It's amazing what some green netting can do to safeguard those luscious berries. )

And we have reaped the rewards with blueberry crisp, muffins and cake.  All scrumptious.  So, although I did chuckle at the opportunity to attend a blueberry festival,  how could I pass on spending a few hours with these cuties?

                                  

First we had a little lunch.

Then we walked around a bit and checked out some of the scenery:

But other than the welcoming sign, we couldn't seem to find anything that involved blueberries!

About the only excitement showcased were some antique firetrucks.

Obviously, they were not blue, and I didn't see any connection to berries.  

Ok, I'll admit that there was some face painting, and a man making balloon animals, but far from what someone would expect when in search of a "festival".  

But while we were walking around, these two certainly did manage to attract quite a fan club. 

In fact, I would dare to say that THEY were the most exciting attraction of the day!

And had you been with us, I'm fairly certain that you would agree!

A Quick Stop in Lexington

We bid fond farewell to this little guy.

It was a fun trip, although that we were informed that we did not complete everything on his list.
I told him to make sure to save them for next time!

The drive is a long one, so we decided to break up the trip with a stop in Lexington, where we stayed, once again, at the Robert E Lee hotel.  I won't go into too many details, as I have blogged about this quaint town a couple of times in the past.

I had noted that there was a balloon launch going on July 3 and 4th, but despite our trying, we didn't see one!

Here is the view from our room:

The perfect view of where the event was scheduled to take place.

But they must have been hidden down in the valley because despite walking all around the town looking for just a peek of a balloon, we had no luck.

But the scenery certainly didn't disappoint.  Here you see Lee Chapel.

Where I captured Marty taking yet ANOTHER picture of Traveler, Robert E. Lee's precious horse who  is buried behind the chapel.  ( Every time we visit, he can't resist stopping by to say hello.)

And, Traveler must sense it, because while eating dinner, I looked up to see this:

And he watched us eat our entire meal!

Off to the highway!  Hope you have a fabulous day!!

A "Sunny" Day

Did we wake up to sun yesterday morning?  Nope.  Overcast and cloudy.  The perfect weather for fishing.  And what did they catch?  Sunfish, affectionately called "Sunny's" by Marty (if one can associate affection with a fish).

And, here you see the first catch of the day. 

Now, don't get too excited about the size of that fish.  Believe me, it's all in the angle used by the photographer which will soon become obvious.  

But first, let me fill you in on the details:

First, Grandpa G puts the worm on the hook.

which is then casted into the water, while we wait.

The trick is to watch the bobber, which, as the name implies, bobs up and down when the fish takes a nibble.

It was obvious that we weren't the only ones keeping an eye on things. 

But the squad leader had them moving on in short time. 

It wasn't long before we got the first bite of the day!  

That is the same fish featured at the beginning of this blog.  Kind of tiny, but definitely exciting to the little guy!

Before we knew it, he and Grandpa G were BOTH catching fish! 

It's kind of like "where's Waldo?", isn't it? Could you find both fish?

And here you see the last catch of the day.

All in all, I think nine fish were caught between the two of them.  How's that for fun?

Personally, I think that it was the matching shirts that made the difference.

Would you like to see the garden?  Our tour guide gave us a detailed description of all of the plants that he planted.

And he even showed us his watering techniques!

That should be quite a harvest!

Our trip was short, but filled with a lot of fun.

Which is obvious from all of the smiles!  

Hope you enjoyed seeing them! I know we did!  

Oh, the Wonders of Hotel Strasburg

If you've followed my blog, you might recall me mentioning the Hotel Strasburg as a convenient stopping place on our route from home to Bristol.  It's just the perfect distance to travel, particularly if we leave after Marty has driven home from work.  We generally arrive with just enough time to grab a quick dinner in the pub prior to heading to bed.

What makes this place so unique is its character, dog friendly policy and extremely reasonable price.
I'l be quite frank.  The place is old, built in 1902, and once serving as a military hospital.  But Marty and I get quite a kick out of the place,  and I don't think that there has been one trip where we haven't found something amusing.

At first, it was the lamps. I never saw such unusual and entertaining light fixtures.  I blogged about it several times, and I recall my good friend, JoAnn, finding the fixtures to be equally comical, so much so that she took the time to comment. (Made me feel happy knowing that someone else has been amused.)

Then it was the upgraded room which featured a bathroom door that was broken, and the terrible wi-fi connection that required me to sit out in the hall in order to get a connection.  One might wonder why we would continue to stay at this place, but I just have to say, there is an aura that we find to be inviting, and the staff is always so eager to please.  And, as I said, the price just can't be beat.

I always reserve through hotels.com, and despite the room photo displayed, the description always said "general" room, and we really never knew what to expect.  The last time, I reserved what was presented as a "king" bed.  The room ended up being a double bed.  As a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet that there isn't a king bed in the place.

So, this time, when I was reserving the room, I picked the least expensive room, which was featured as having two double beds.   I didn't need two beds.  I didn't expect two beds.  I just went for the cheapest price.  After all, we were really only sleeping overnight in the room.

So, you can imagine my surprise when we arrived and the girl behind the desk told me that she had given me a complimentary upgrade because there were no "general" rooms available with two beds.  I thanked her, took my key, and headed out to the Chandler building where we were directed.

Once inside, we opened the door to our room.

The decor certainly reflected what we had seen previously, but I will admit that this was the first time that we had seen a pink rug.

Note in the distance, there is a room with a twin bed.  The main bed was actually a queen, which was a surprise in itself.  But walking through that doorway, I was quite surprised to see that the twin bed shared a room with this

A whirlpool tub complete with a shower set up.  I suppose that one could just pop up out of bed, and jump right into the tub.  Definitely a first time experience for me.  

Just next door, was the remainder of the bathroom.

There was a second door in that room,  and I wanted to be sure that it did not lead elsewhere

No worries there

The doorknob popped right off.  I stuck it back in and made certain that the door could not be opened from the other side, particularly since I didn't know what was on the other side!

Of course,  the lamps didn't disappoint.  

That is one solid fixture from top to bottom.

But this time, there was something more noticeable than the lamps. It was the variety of wallpaper patterns throughout.

The bathroom was very busy.

The tub featured small roses and stripes

There were floral rose stripes

as well as large roses.

The only constant was the border which ran around the top of every room. 

Somehow, we managed to get out of there without getting crosseyed!

And as entertaining as the hotel Strasburg experience was, it pails in comparison with the fun that greeted us at our destination.   First stop: Bass Pro shop to buy some worms for fishing. 

Blackbird bakery for donuts.....just because.

And evening entertainment that included batman.

How's that for a fun 24 hours?

We'll just have to wait and see what the next 24 have in store for us!  I'll keep you posted.