Boston Patriot

@declanganley When my father died in 1991, I was shocked to arrive at the cemetery and see that the next grave over was that of a young (21 years) B-17 crewman named Francis Hall from Quincy, MA, who was killed in July of 1944 flying out of Italy on a mission over Austria.

Well, good spot on your part. Here what AI has found: Both airmen were held at the same POW camp: Stalag Luft IV (also called Stalag Luft 4) at Gross-Tychow, Pomerania (present-day Tychowo, Poland). stalagluft4.org • Salvatore “Sal” Cestaro (shot down 8 July 1944) arrived at Stalag Luft IV after capture in Austria. • Tim Reidy (shot down 29 August 1944) was sent there shortly afterward. uswarmemorials.org Their names both appear on the official roster of Stalag Luft IV prisoners compiled from camp records. stalagluft4.org Additional context Stalag Luft IV was a Luftwaffe-run camp specifically for captured Allied aircrew (mostly NCOs and enlisted men). By late 1944 it held thousands of American and British airmen, many from the 15th Air Force operating out of Italy. The two men arrived roughly a month apart, so they were in the camp at the same time during the final months of 1944 and into early 1945. In February 1945, as Soviet forces approached, the Germans evacuated the camp. Most prisoners (including those from both crews) were forced on the infamous “death march” westward through snow and bitter cold. Many died of exposure, starvation, or disease before liberation. This shared experience — same higher command in the 15th Air Force’s 5th Bomb Wing, similar missions over the same region, same capture area in/near Austria, same POW camp, and same death march.

On this American Memorial Day, I’m pausing to honor and remember a true American hero from my wife’s family: Salvatore “Sal” Cestaro of Brooklyn, New York. Sal served as a Technical Sergeant and radio operator on a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 774th Bomb Squadron, 463rd Bomb Group (15th Air Force), flying out of Italy. He completed 44 combat missions over Europe before his aircraft was shot down. On July 8, 1944, Sal’s B-17 (serial 42-102916) was on a bombing mission targeting Munich, Germany (ironically, a place where today I have an office and fantastic German based team). The plane was hit by flak and crashed near Siebenhirten, south of Vienna, Austria. Five crewmen were killed. Sal and four others survived, only to be captured and taken prisoner. He was sent to Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow, occupied Poland. For nearly 10 months he endured the harsh reality of life as a POW. Then, in early 1945 as Soviet forces advanced, the Germans evacuated the camp. Thousands of prisoners, including Sal, were forced on a brutal winter “death march” westward. Sal’s feet blistered badly and became badly infected, he could no longer walk. A fellow Brooklyn POW named Aldo Girasole carried him on his back for five days until the Germans finally allowed the sick and injured to ride in wagons. Sal was liberated near the Elbe River in May 1945. On his return to New York Sal stayed in his room for a few weeks and didn’t talk to anyone. Then one day he came out, and was perfectly fine for the rest of his long life. That’s how Sal dealt with whatever he was carrying. Roughly 55 years later, Sal and Aldo had an emotional reunion at a Brooklyn hospital; two old soldiers from the same neighborhood who never expected to see each other again. Sal passed away on April 10, 2004, at the age of 80. There is a lovely story about Sal and how the family got the news he was alive and a POW. News of KIA and POWs that time was delivered by Telegram. In the NY Italian ‘Little Italy’, when the telegram man would appear, he would be followed by the neighbours to whatever address he was delivering to. That way the neighbourhood was immediately there to support those getting tragic news. When the telegram arrived about Sal and they found out he was alive, there was an impromptu street party on Mulberry Street to celebrate. Today, on Memorial Day, I remember those who gave their lives and also those who gave so much and came home to carry the memories quietly and also the families and friends that supported them. Thank you for your service, Cousin Sal. You are not forgotten. God rest your immortal soul. 🇺🇸 #MemorialDay #WWII #POW

@declanganley And, you may have seen my post-father shot down over Czechoslovakia, not Austria. I remember the fact that the camp was run by the Luftwaffe. I so regret not having sat him down and filmed him telling the whole story. It was remarkable.

@declanganley This is fascinating. When my father returned home to Boston, his family was aghast-they thought he he looked like a concentration camp victim. Was amused by the Mulberry Street reference. Son got married in Manhattan last week- we went to Italian restaurant on Mulberry St!

@declanganley And I made a mistake in my first post. He was shot down over Czechoslovakia, not Austria.

@declanganley This matches my father's story. Ball turret gunner on a B-17 flying out of Italy, shot down on August 10, 1944 over Austria. Ended up in Stalag Luft IV, just like Sal, and made that brutal march across Germany. All his crew survived. Wonder if he knew Sal.

@declanganley My father's name was Tim Reidy; 15th Air Force (Major General N. F. Twinning); 5th Bomb Wing (Commander: Brig. Gen. Charles W. Lawrence); 2nd Bomb Group; 20th Bomb Squadron; his aircraft was # 46369 when he was shot down.

@jreidy_john See if you can find out his aircraft number. Might have been the same mission, bomber group, squadron.

@jimgeraghty Ppl

Virginia has never been a pro-Trump state, but as Glenn Youngkin demonstrated, it’s a purplish-blue state where a Republican can win when the political environment is right, or the Democratic nominee is particularly bad. Virginia’s political culture is not comparable to California, or Hawaii, or Vermont, and the state’s Democratic state legislators are foolish to pretend that it is.

Quick story on Sean McDermott: Bills used to allow media to travel through their facility from the media room to the fieldhouse. But on one occasion, a reporter saw information posted within the facility and captured it, then shared it McDermott was NOT happy. Confronted the reporter angrily Ever since, Bills media was forced to walk outside from media room to fieldhouse As years went on under McDermott, covering the Bills on the beat was similar to covering the Kremlin Once, I took a photo of the team’s “ping pong leaderboard” .. I was later asked to take the photo down Outrageous paranoia

@NFL_DovKleiman Ed Marinaro

Name a college football player who should’ve won the Heisman, but didn’t.

@KirkHerbstreit @FOS Pp

College Football Playoff first round games, a pitstop in Seattle, and 4,500+ miles this week for myself and Peter. @FOS

@Peoples_Pundit What do you say to the analysis from this Oswald Marcus poster, to the effect that since the change in Nevada voter registration rules, the indie vote will be strongly Democratic and eat up the GOP advantage?

And there's the Nevada in-person early vote. Wow. Just wow.

@Mr_Alex_Graham @mitchellvii What

@mitchellvii People are slowly starting to understand that government intervention into the economy whether communist or fascist policies makes things worse not better for the middle class and poor We need to go back not forward!!! #MAGA

Here's the latest Rasmussen poll with rare crosstabs. Trump leads by 4, wins Independents by 9. Remember the ABC poll said Kamala won Independents by 11. This poll is actually D+2 so it oversamples Democrats by 4. Trump is winning. :-)

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While pro-Ukr civilians flee West, those who remain are seen as pro-Rus by Ukr soldiers. In the lawless, vengeful hellscape of frontline combat, it can mean death. Especially with the many extremists in Ukrainian ranks. A thread on the killing of civilians by Ukraine.

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