Posted on 05/08/2002 3:01:00 AM PDT by Snow Bunny
The Professor is trying to give you a more scientific explanation of how this kind of cheesecake affected the average American soldier.
It must be remembered that these men were young, at war, and homesick at times. The names of mothers, girlfriends and colorful limericks were often the inspiration for this unique art form. These pictures and captions are published here for historical value, exactly as they appeared on the planes.
If I'm not mistaken, I thought that nose art had been banned for quite some time. I'm not sure whan that policy was created, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were at the time that we had a gutless wonder draft dodging SOB staining the carpets in the Oval Office.
Thanks for keeping up your great spirit, Snow Bunny!
SEMPER FI!
Aircraft nose art with the words "Let's roll!" -- America's two-word marching order in the fight against terrorism will be displayed on various aircraft throughout the Air Force as a way of recognizing the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
The words were made famous by Todd Beamer, a passenger on Flight 93. Beamer, a 32-year-old businessman, Sunday school teacher, husband, father and hero, led other passengers in fighting terrorists for control of Flight 93 before it crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania. He was overheard on a cellular phone reciting the Lord's Prayer and saying "Let's roll!" as passengers charged the terrorists.
'Let's roll!' has served as a rallying cry for this nation as we go forward in our war on terrorism," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.John P. Jumper. "We are proud to display this new nose art on our aircraft."
The passengers of Flight 93 won one of the first victories in the fight against terrorism. There has been much speculation about the terrorists' intentions for Flight 93, but it is widely believed that either the White House or the U.S. Capitol building was the intended target.
The nose art design depicts an eagle soaring in front of the U.S. flag, with the words "Spirit of 9-11" on the top and "Let's roll!" on the bottom. The design was created by Senior Airman Duane White, a journeyman from Air Combat Command's multimedia center at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The Thunderbirds and other Air Force demonstration teams will apply this nose art on all aircraft, while major commands and wings will be authorized to apply the nose art to one aircraft of their choice.
For thousands of years, warriors, such as the Vikings, Zulus, Native Americans, samurai and many others, have followed a tradition of decorating their instruments of war. These instruments could include the warriors or their weapons. The Air Force has used nose art throughout much of its history, and for a variety of reasons.
The "Let's roll!" nose art is being used to continue the remembrance of the events of Sept. 11, spur on the nation's current patriotic spirit and pay tribute to the heroes and victims in the war against terrorism.
The art started to appear on Air Force aircraft around Jan. 15.
Have a GREAT day!!!!!
GENE TOWNSEND joined the 32nd Bomb Squadron at Geiger Field in Spokane, Washington, shortly after the 301st Bomb Group was formed in February 1942. He had just completed training in engineering at the Boeing B-17 plant in Seattle prior to his assignment.
GENE HAD DONE art work before entering the service; so once we were all at our base in Chelveston, England, in September of '42, it fell to him to decorate the 32nd's planes. The first plane painted was "The Bad Penny." When asked why such a name, the whole crew replied "A bad penny always returns." (Sadly, this was not to be, however.) This was the beginning of nose art for the 32nd, and by the war's end, Sgt. Townsend had painted over 40 planes, with such names as "Hun Pecker," "Sleepy Time Gal," "Lead Foot," and "The Goon." The squadron moved to North Africa with the 12th Air Corps, and eventually to Italy with the 15th. During these campaigns there were many times that he did his work under adverse conditions and with very limited materials.
AIRCRAFT NOSE ART provided a way for both the air crews and ground personnel to personalize their "baby"; to make it different from other planes in the squadron, or anywhere else. It was all up to the talent and imagination of the men who flew and maintained the planes. Few 32nd Bomb Squadron crew members or ground personnel would know a plane as "42-1398" or "44-6180," but they all knew and talked about "Amazin' Mazie" and "Slick Chick." And nose-art inspiration came from almost everywhere: wives, girl friends, cartoons, movie stars, and even some from crew chiefs. It was a time when almost anything was allowed to be painted on a plane, and this kind of expression was seen as a way to boost morale and the squadron's efficiency.
FROM ANDY ROONEY, of today's "60 Minutes," there's a wonderful quote in an August 1943 issue of Stars and Stripes about this very special art form: "Grim-faced Luftwaffe pilots, proud of the guts that take them within the suicide circle of a fortress formation, determined to do or die for the Fatherland, must wonder what the hell kind of air force they are up against. They come diving in, teeth clenched, hell bent for Hitler and along with a hail of lead are greeted by the stupid grin of some absurd comic-book character, or the nude form of a pretty girl painted on the nose of the bomber they are attacking...." The art was "something else," and Andy Rooney was Andy Rooney even then.
TODAY GENE TOWNSEND and his wife, Pat, make their home on the St. Croix River, across from Canada, in Calais, Maine, and spend their winters in Saint Augustine, Florida. Although retired, Gene still enjoys painting and also looking back these fifty years and more and reminiscing with his buddies about their experiences and travels in WWII.
Courtesy of www.i81virginia.com/32nd/32ndart.html
Have a great day Canteeners!
Good morning, Bunny. : )
This is the addy...... Domania Internet Services
http://d21c.com/index.shtml
I'm glad you posted the addy. They're the best!
And if a problem should come up (which is rare) the owner of the site deals with you himself.
Here ya go!
Tom Cruise isn't sexy enough, they use the Canteen Chippendales as models for their nose art.
Any Female Pilots out there?
Tom Cruise isn't sexy enough, they use the Canteen Chippendales as models for their nose art.
LOL,, that's not the Chippendales we were hoping for!
Can't you do better than that?
Be Still My Heart!
B I N G O! Thanx Sam
Take your pick.
Jen
Whew! That pix will get a gal's heart racing. Thanks for the female eye candy, Sam. hehehehehe
By the way, I think the prayers are helping. Things are looking better but we're not out of the woods yet. THANKS and don't stop.
I just grabbed the picture from a search result, didn't bother to check the site to see who it catered too.
That kind of equal rights works for me. Bring it on! It's for the female service members who lurk here, ya know. Woo Hoo!
My son sent me these pictures the other night and since I am HTML impaired I am glad you posted it..
Anyone remember these "Angels"?
Sassy
Nose art and kill markings portrayed on military aircraft are something that has been around since the first missions were flown during World War I. They serve as a way for the pilots and crews of each plane to express unit pride while building an almost superstitious rapport between man and machine.
Today, the tradition continues as the Marines of Marine Attack Squadron-311 painted bombs on the AV-8B Harriers that flew missions in Afghanistan while attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable).
According to Capt. Matt Parker, VMA-311 pilot who flew missions over Kandahar, the bombs were painted by the Marines working in airframes during the deployment to signify each mission a plane flew. The bombs were painted upon the plane's return to the ship. "Every time we dropped a bomb, they (the ground crew) painted a bomb, and when we hit our targets, they painted explosions," said Parker.
While operating off of the USS Peleliu, anchored in the North Arabian Sea, the pilots flew numerous missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Parker flew 13 missions and dropped two bombs, both were explosions. He said he was a little surprised to see painted bombs on the planes he flew. "They just showed up on the jets one day. But, everybody loved it so they continued to do it," Parker stated.
Out of the six planes that deployed with the 15th MEU (SOC), all have at least one painted bomb, but jet number 55 holds the record with six painted under the cockpit on the left side. Because the pilots weren't assigned to one specific jet, this signifies that jet 55 flew the most missions. "It's motivating," said Staff Sgt. Jason Vanderberg, a VMA-311 ordnance Marine who went on the deployment. "It's just like a tick-mark to show how many missions we (VMA-311) flew." In total there were roughley 26 bombs painted.
It wasn't planned to paint the bombs, said Lance Cpl. Joseph Connor, VMA-311 ordnance Marine, "everyone pretty much just knew it was going to happen." He added it was done during the Gulf War, Vietnam and will most likely be done in the future. But, more than just acting as a track record, the paintings symbolize unit camaraderie and a break from the monotony of the mission.
According to an article published on www.library.arizona.edu, nose art "serves as a ritual to guard against bad luck and to strike terror in the heart of the enemy." But, for the Marines of VMA-311 who deployed with the 15th MEU (SOC), the art serves a bigger purpose. It acts as the words written on the pages of a history book to tell the story of how they participated in the war against terror.
you've done it AGAIN! NICE pictures!
thought you might find this interesting: according to my dad, who was in B-17s, the usual cost of nose art in England before the invasion was ONE BOTTLE of US booze- while you could get gin, warm beer, etc in GB, US whisky was SCARCE at least at first. later he said Europe was SWIMMING in US whiskey!
GIs were/are INVENTIVE to say the least---- there were AT LEAST 8 stills operating in my dad's wing alone!
BTW, i've noted that pin-ups (and Victoria's Secret catalogues!)are MORE popular with most men than hustler! interesting, huh?
on a similar subject, i saw TWO USAAF WW2-style painted flight jackets worn by two USAF officers on the Metro the other day-my dad would be pleased!
for a FREE dixie,sw
Thanks to your dad for his service.
BTW Sam, why do there seem to be NO Veronica Lake's around NOW!
somehow the playmate-of-the-month (the pin-ups of my time in the army) just don't MEASURE UP to her! (pun intended!)
for dixie LIBERTY,sw
Of course, I could be wrong, but they just too happy about the fact that they're half naked and touching each other up. I'b be creeping out.
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