Currently, Paul has put together a team of local divers along with a surface support crew with the hope of identifying this B-24 using various serial numbers and other identifying characteristics. In the next few weeks, we hope to find some answers as the group will dive the wreck.

God speed to you Paul...we await your findings.

A Look Back,

There is no doubt that the past few weeks have yielded many new leads with respect to our continued search for the Bottoms Up and the crews that flew her. However, I have had a chance to also contemplate our project on a much deeper level and ascertain the real meaning as to what it is we are really trying to accomplish.

I began my search over three years ago, standing alone facing the daunting task of trying to learn about an individual who was a part of my family, long forgotten due to the passage of time, his story fading like the last golden rays of the sun as it dips below the cold, dark horizon. Wesley was on the verge of being lost forever, never having the opportunity to tell his tale to a future wife or family. Leaving no marker, it was as if he had never walked amongst men, his footsteps leaving no mark.

I clearly remember one day in July that a thought came to me which was the spark that ignited a flame, the catalyst that caused a tremendous reaction and brought me into his memories. Little did I realize at the time, that his story would never be forgotten and that I was embarking on a journey of discovery that most only read about and very few experience.

The goal of my project has always been that of discovery. Discovery of a family member who fascinated my imagination, discovery of a time that I could never experience and, perhaps, discovery as to who I was and my own mortality.

Coupled with this sense of discovery was a sense of urgency. As a farmer works the field and uses every last ray of sunlight in order to accomplish his task at hand, I too realized that time was not on my side. Due to the inevitable passage of time, the ever growing shadows of the mind and the desire of society to rid itself of everything old and antiquated, I realized that time was precious. This was the final hour and the time to discover was now for tomorrow may come with winds sweeping clean the passage of time, an imposing enemy set upon preventing me from searching for those faint footprints left over sixty years ago by a man I have never even met.

During the development of Restless Wings and the project, I wonder frequently as to why I was called to complete this final flight. I found my answer recently when I was speaking with Brian as to how I was finding the time and maintaining such dedication in order to undertake such a project. I explained the sense of urgency but as for the ‘why’, well…I can only surmise that our generation is called on bearing witness to those who came before us. We are the individuals who are responsible for preserving memories, for how many of those who come after us in our families will step up and take interest and do what we are doing? I believe that within a few moments, time will hide all and only regrets will remain unless we achieve our missions.

We are the path finders lighting the drop zone for others who come after us and desire to build upon what it is we have firmly established by example and process. We are the sole instruments by which they communicate their thoughts, words and heroic deeds to us. Some are speaking to us now, others have spoken before and there are those who are willing to speak and have not yet spoken. We bear a tremendous responsibility and honor to precisely record history, be it our own family history or the history of another’s. How can we not accept such an honorable task? This is our way of saying thank you for the sacrifices made, loves lost over sixty years ago. While I cannot bear a weapon and rid the world of tyranny like so many brave men who came before me, I can bear witness to their deeds and bring that awareness to my daughter and her children one day. Failing to do so, would be a heartbreak too much to bear. When you hear their restless whispers, how can you ignore them calling you forth? In our hectic daily lives, stop and pause one day and see if you too, can hear them calling you.

The burning desire for discovery, the realization of the sense of urgency and the acknowledgement and acceptance of one’s call to duty to preserve his or her family history is the simple formula for completing such an involved project. To date, I have not only learned about a man with whom I possessed no knowledge of but I have learned about other families, made eternal friendships and experienced many wonderful aspects of establishing Restless Wings. My terrestrial search set out to find one man and a missing B-24, I was ignorant in thinking that this was my sole mission. Reaching the windswept heights, I now look down and see how many lives have been affected by what the Restless Wings team has achieved. We have answered many questions that time almost hid from our prying eyes, we have brought together families and friends with a bond that will last until the end of time, we have brought back the voices of those who can no longer speak and we tell their tale to the world with pride while remaining in the shadow of humility. Perhaps one day, when we too, will slip the surly bonds of earth and dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings, may we find those for whom we searched for so long, traversing the ages. It is my hope that they will acknowledge what we have accomplished with nodding approval.

For those of you who are deciding whether or not to heed your own calling in bearing witness to the men and women in your family who have served in past and present conflicts, I challenge you to accept. I challenge you to face the sunset, using its last rays of light to uncover truths that have lain hidden. I challenge you to bear the responsibility for preserving the memories that can escape so easily from one’s grasp, like a wisp of a vapor trail fading in flight. For if you accept these challenges, you will reap untold rewards and perhaps, this may be the most amazing achievement that you will accomplish in this life. For when you soar to the high untrespassed sanctity of space, you will put out your hand and touch the lives of all those who come after you and perhaps, you may just receive a smiling nod from the one for whom you have searched for so long.

For now, we look to morning for tomorrow is the dawning of a new day. Who knows what may arrive at first light.

C. Corwin
January 2006

Ok...since the New Year, I haven't been sleeping much. The information has been coming too fast and the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to slip into place....

Robert Harris:
November 9, 1944 - Checkup at Charleston, S.C.
Harold Hubka:
November 27, 1944 - Checkup at Charleston, S.C.
Tony Secalo
November 6, 1944 - Checkup at Charleston, S.C.
Richard E. Schaffer
November 27, 1944 - Checkup at Charleston, S.C.
George Quinn
November 27, 1944 - Checkup at Charleston, S.C.

We know Frank Davis was at Charleston, S.C (evidenced by his letters home) during this time but no dental records are in his IDPF.

We know that Fred Reinke was at Charleston, S.C. (evidenced by wife's and sons e-mails and his fathers letters)during this time but I do not have his personnel file.

Therefore, we have confirmed that seven out of ten final crew members were at Charleston, S.C in November '44.

It has taken close to three years, but we can safely say that this crew formed up at Charleston Army Air Field in November 1944 before they flew up to Mitchell Field, New York and then off to Bangor, Maine. The letters provided to us from the Davis & Quinn families, along with the Reinke family conversations were invaluable in making this conclusive.

However, we are still left with three crew members that are not currently linked to Charleston. There are no dental records for Henry Dumont and Thomas Domanack in their respective IDPfs. Were they at Charleston in November 1944?

With respect to Wesley Kozenka, I have not been able to trace him to Charleston. My last known assignment for him was Chatham Air Field in GA on October 24, 1944. This evidence was obtained through his dental records, however I do not have any medical records relating to him at Charleston. If I can establish that he left GA after 10/24 and went to Charleston, we will then know that he joined the crew there and most likely went to NY and ME. If he did not travel overseas with the crew, it could explain the notation by Fred Reinke on the crew photo (above) that Wesley was a 'spare' co-pilot.

Tis sad my family never thought to preserve his letters or memories. Perhaps we take for granted those around us, thinking they will remain with us forever and will always be able to be near us to answer our questions when we call on them. Perhaps it is life itself, facing our mortality each day we wake, arriving closer with the rising sun. Perhaps, life just deals us a bitch of a hand some times.

Blue skies,

C. Corwin

Click for Updated Information

I received some incredible e-mails the other day from Frannie Davis. As you may recall, her Uncle Frank was on the final flight of the Bottoms Up. She has uncovered a treasure trove of handwritten letters from her Uncle Frank that painstakingly detailed his experiences in training, his stateside observations of the war, and other interesting details. More importantly, the letters document the formation of the crew on it's flight over as well as the month in which the crew departed for Manduria! We now have conclusive evidence from two independent sources that the crew left on January 31, 1945.

The crew appears to have formed up at the 110th AAFBU, Mitchell Field, New York in January, 1945. The crew that we know of and can confirm as being together is Davis, Dumont, Reinke, Quinn. I am working on confirming the other members.

On January 25th, the crew departed for Dow Field, located in Bangor, Maine its port of aerial embarkation. While in Maine, the crew spent time with the Dumont family. In a July 2, 1945 letter written to Mrs. Davis from Mr. and Mrs. Dumont, she recalls the following: "They arrived in Bangor Maine on January 26th, 1945 and departed on the 31st for Bermuda." Recalling the final time she saw them, she writes "“When the boys went over, they flew over our house and circle around a couple of times over the house and let out their motors as loud as they could to get our attention and they surely did. We saw them and in fact the whole town did for it was 15 minutes of awe. The people were on their way to work and the children were going to school. They were all late watching the plane. It was beautiful. They were in Bangor Main for five days. “

The crew, upon its departure from Bangor flew to Bermuda prior to arriving at Manduria. February 12, 1945, the crew arrived at the 450th Bomb Group, located in Manduria Italy.

One of the most incredible things Frannie has told me is that she has a letter than was censored before it was mailed home to his folks. Guess who censored the mail? The Capt. Robert Harris and the Bombardier Fred Reinke of the final Bottoms Up crew, his crewmates! Other research team members along with Andy Benedict have confirmed they this was a routine practice in the AAF.

On another note....

The Gray family has been pouring through Harris Wood's diary in an attempt to uncover details about the Bottoms Up and its history. To date, they have uncovered detailed information about the engine rebuilds as well as certain maintenance issues that the old gal had. Melinda's father did an incredible job at keeping a detailed diary. I thank them for their continued hard work at reviewing his entries.

Overseas,

I heard from Paul...he is still working on obtaining the coordinates of the B-24 that we know lies in the gulf of Trieste. I think the cold weather may have put a damper on the project a bit but rest assured, Paul and his wife still have the Bottoms Up on the radar screen. Thanks!

I am trying to read, analyze and organize all this incoming data. In addition, I have obtained satellite photos of our projected search area where the plane was lost and I am also securing detailed underwater maps of the region. Jim Ciborski is still working the research angle concerning the Rescue Squadrons and is making some great progress.

If we're rolling this strong in January, perhaps we will uncover the plane itself on March 16, 2006. Wouldn't that be amazing.

Blue skies,

C.C. Corwin

Dateline: November 11, 2005

I wish to express my thanks to many of the veterans who have served in conflicts, both past and present, keeping our country free and safeguarding our ideals. Tyranny and evil go hand in hand, they have for centuries existed in various armed conflicts. There comes a brief moment in time, when men and women rise up to face the oppression and become willing to sacrifice everything they have, in order to preserve our way of life, our ideas, and our values. Veteran's Day is a day of thanksgiving, remembering those who express such sublime courage to face the darkness of oppression. They are a beacon of light for fellow men and women, guiding them in times of storm to safe passage. They are the ones who still throw a salute when a flag passes, weep when the faint echo of taps fades in the distance, and who cherish the words In God We Trust and Liberty For All. They are the ones we remember; past, present and to come....they are simply, the best.

I wish to leave you with words of a tribute that I have discovered during my travels, may you reflect on these words and remember this day, Veteran's Day, each and every day that you remain free.

C. C. Corwin

"Those Who Fall"

by John Muirhead, a Bomber Pilot
from Tom Gamble, a Fighter Pilot.

"I don't know if any of this is true. Everything happened that I have said happened, but it's memory now, the shadow of things. The truth lies in its own time, recall is not the reality of the past. When friends depart, one remembers them but they are changed; we hold only the fragment of them that touched us.

I linger now, looking back for them, the best ones...."

Well, the flight line has sure been busy the past few weeks. I have been attempting to write down most of my research from the Valley Forge 450th reunion. This is my first post since the reunion and I have so many details to post to the site.

Melinda Gray was right, the experience would be incredible. I had the pleasure of meeting many Cottontails for the first time...but hey, I will save all the reunion info for a second update here!

For now, please visit the new updated section of the Bottoms Up Research Project. This update contains many never before seen photos (courtesy of the Harris Woodie Wood family via Don and Melinda Wood Gray). You can visit the new addition here: To the 100th Mission.

Welcome to the new Restless Wings website. It is my hope that the newer style will be more efficient in helping others locate information about particular research projects as well as view photos and documents in our collection.

Over the next few weeks, more content will be added to the main website. I will be adding new information concerning the Bottoms Up as well as the effort to recover this lost B-24. My experiences at the most recent 450th Bomb Group reunion will be posted, along with photos as well as other research projects being developed.Be sure to check here for updates and do not forget to register on our Forums page where you can join in on any discussion here at RW.

See you on the flight line,

C. Corwin