Welcome!

Hello all. This is my first entry in this blog so please bear with me.

This web-site is now officially open and ready for business. C'mon in, we got a fresh pot of coffee on the stove, some comfy chairs at the ready and the paint is still wet, so be careful where ya put your hands.

First off, I want to thank several wonderful people. Paul and Dave Arnett and Mrs. Norma Beasley. This project just couldn't have gotten off to a good start without their generous help and support, so everyone please give a big round of applause to those worthies!

Paul has been absolutely wonderful in supplying me with people and dates and times and on and on regarding the history of the 492nd Bomb Group. His brother Dave set up this kick A** web-site and I gotta tell you, it seriously rocks!

Talking about rocks, Mrs. Norma Beasley was a rock in providing me phone numbers and email addresses for the families and original members of the 492nd. Thank you so much, Mrs. Beasley!

So why am I doing this documentary? To be perfectly honest, I have always believed that my first feature film project would be a Western. I love the American Western. Especially in glorious black and white. I've had this western script percolating, (please disregard another bad coffee pun) in my head for many years. My senior thesis project at the University of Texas @ Arlington was a western that I shot in black 'n white, called "the Legend of Johnny Pineapple" briefly, Johnny Pineapple rode the west righting wrongs, saving damsels in distress and riding off into the sunset leaving behind a can of pineapples as his calling can. er card.

I 'm telling you, we had real horses, real guns, Sheplers provided the dusters and hats and boy howdy we had us a real oater. What a hoot. So what happened?

Well, back home at my folks home in El Paso, TX there was a picture of 10 guys, all smiling and standing in front of an airplane. I had seen the photo and had asked my Dad about this. He sorta just laughed and said that happened a long time ago. and to paraphrase Tolkien, so the matter rested. Over the years, I would get home to visit my folks infrequently, (as so often happens in our busy lives) and I noticed something. My parents were getting older.

So I started asking. And my Dad who never spoke about the War, began to speak. Bits n' pieces at first, but then later on full stories about his adventures aboard a B-24 Liberator. Well I had heard of a B-17 Flying Fortress, but never about this Liberator. My Dad looked at me, shook his head, and said 'those damn Fortresses couldn't hold a candle to our Liberators' THAT was something cuz my Dad hardly ever cussed (he left that duty to our Mom, and she fullfilled that duty let me tell you!). So now I knew my Dad was firmly ensconsed in the Liberator camp. But still the story just wasn't happening. It was however; a kernel, sleeping, waiting for that right moment.

Last year in 2007 I went home for the Mena Reunion. This is a huge celebration in El Paso, the Mayors of both El Paso and Jaurez issue proclamations, the police block off whole city blocks, ....no wait....I'm confusing that with the last concert by Vincente Fernandez!.....any ways.......it's still a big event.

And I noticed that my father's health had deteriorated considerably. For the first time, this man who had been a Rock in all of our lives, I looked at him....and I knew.....his time was short. So I spent most of my time during this visit hanging with my folks, and going over 2 books that were at my Dad's.....89 Days and The Fortunes of War.

And just like in the movies......the light came on! (cue the light please!). I knew I had to make a documentary film about this incredible group of men, of whom my father was a part of. I remember that the last thing I told him before we got in my sister's car and headed back to big D....."I'm gonna make a movie about your Liberator and your buddies aboard that ship" he smiled, nodded his head, and the deal was sealed.

So here we are, 4 weeks away from flying up to Minneapolis to interview a bunch of men I do not know, and yet I feel like I've known them all my life.

And guess what? I really am filming my Western. Only in this Western, the good guys ride B-24 Liberators instead of Palominos, they wear goggles instead of Stetsons, and they shoot 50 caliber machine guns instead of Colt .45's. And their faithful mounts have colorful names like "Umbriago", "Irishmans Shanty", "4 Beers Doc", "Silver Chief" , "Herks Jerks", and "Sknappy".

And they ride into town and someone is gonna regret it!

War is a terrible thing. And this film is not meant to glorify it or excuse the horrors of it. But these brave men of the 492nd Bomb Group answered the call of their country and for that I am grateful. I dedicate this film to them. God Bless 'Em every one.