Don’t let our stories go untold

If you haven’t been following our special five-part series “A Tale of Two Brothers,” you’re missing a real gem.

Told by Lloyd T. Smith Jr., a local Mat-Su resident, the main characters are his father, Lloyd T. Smith Sr., and uncle, Francis E. Smith. Both were in the 450th Bomb Group, 720th Bomb Squadron flying missions as part of B-24 crews during World War II. What makes these stories so riveting and unique is Lloyd Jr.’s storytelling style. He interviewed his father and uncle to piece together an important and personal look at one of the vital cogs in the Allies’ victory in Europe.

In parts one and two, printed in Friday’s and Sunday’s Frontiersman, we read about how these brothers became involved in the war and how while both were flying a mission into Germany on different B-24s, Francis looked over and saw his brother’s plane get shot down and drop out of formation.

Today’s installment, part three, begins the story of Lloyd Sr.’s experience as a German prisoner of war after he and his crew (with the exception of one man who didn’t make it out of the aircraft) parachuted down and were captured.

“When Lloyd jumped from the B-24, the plane was in a steep descent at high speed,” the account reads. “When he pushed off from his seated position, the slipstream caught him and his head hit the bottom of the plane and the rear lip of aluminum skin of the bomb bay. The 3/16-inch thick aluminum cut the bridge of his nose back to his face. His forehead was also scraped raw. His blackouts were caused by a loss of blood and the concussion.”

Of course, there was no way Francis could know his brother and most of the rest the crew survived. He returned to camp to find that “scavengers” had already been into his brother’s belongings.

“The scavengers were thieves who heard what planes were shot down and descended upon that crew’s tent and took everything they wanted,” Lloyd Jr. recounts. “Francis, still dressed in his flight gear, went to the tent of the suspected thief. He requested his brother’s items. The man denied having them. Francis drew his pistol, cocked the hammer back and pointed it between the man’s eyes. Lloyd’s belongings were immediately produced.”

These are just a couple of excerpts from a wonderfully enthralling tale that any screenwriter would envy. That these are true accounts of a pair of World War II veterans with Valley ties through a son and nephew helps make the story more personal for all of us.

We point out Lloyd Smith Jr.’s series also because his effort is a much-needed reminder that we all have a responsibility and opportunity to record history. With America’s World War II veterans passing away at a fast clip, it won’t be too much longer before they’re all gone. Sadly, many of them will take their stories and the important roles they played in one of the world’s most pivotal times with them.

Talk to your fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers and even great-grandparents who lived through that time. Write it down, record their stories and their accounts. Some will be difficult for them to retell, others not so much. With the technology we have available today, preserve these important slices of history on video and audio as well. You, and future generations, will be grateful later.

And if you need a little more inspiration about how to go about this, read today’s part three of “Tale of Two Brothers,” and if you read it online at Frontiersman.com, we’ll link parts one and two as well.