Tag Archives: hero

If youve come this far, please read the description! This group belonged to John Ree, a lieutenant in the USAAF in WWII retired Lt. Col USAF who flew a PBY Catalina flying boat in the pacific. Included are his crusher flight cap in very good condition, officers visor hat, dress pinks and greens jacket and shirt featuring 20th AF patch, issued American Optical aviator sunglasses in perfect condition with the case, AN-6530 goggles (rubber melted off, otherwise ok), earphones for a flight cap, several books, large group photo, small photos of him in the cockpit of a trainer and him with his crew in the blister of the PBY, two identical Air Force Association patches (of which he was a leader after his military career), and a WWII white silk parachute with lines in very good condition as far as I can tell. Also included are a newspaper article and two type written pages detailing some of his heroics. The period newspaper article includes his full account, word for word, of his rescue of 3 downed torpedo bomber aviators from Tokyo Bay. Ree and his crew flew their PBY over a jap destroyer and landed in the water to rescue the men, dodging flak and under fire from enemy patrol boats for 13 minutes, in a completely unarmed aircraft, they successfully retrieved the men from life rafts and took off again. Ree was awarded the SILVER STAR for this action. I assume the parachute may be from this rescue. The other account is one he wrote later in life of the last day of the war. They were flying on maneuvers around a fleet destroyer when they heard the announcement over the radio that japan had surrendered. Moments later he describes the sky filling with flak as the destroyer began firing on 5 jap zeroes that had come out of nowhere to kamikaze attack the allies. They held off celebrating until the next day, which was his 21st birthday. This guys stuff and his stories make for an astonishing grouping for a display. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WOODEN CASE CONTAINING THE NEWS ARTICLE IN SOME PHOTOS IS NOT INCLUDED! Thats just how Im keeping it safe. The item “WWII US Army Air Force CATALINA HERO Pilots Group Crusher Aviators Parachute” is in sale since Monday, February 18, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\WW II (1939-45)\Original Period Items\United States\Hats & Helmets”. The seller is “clydechestnut” and is located in Radford, Virginia. This item can be shipped to United States.