Real Heros

Got this from the ROWF folks, who got it from the "Hells Angels" magazine.

An Unexpected History Lesson
by Jason Seay

T/Sgt Samuel A. Rowlett, 359th BS Radio Operator, with Jason Seay, visits a B-17 for the first time since bailing out over Merseburg on 24 August 1944.

On April 2nd I decided to surprise my Pastor, former T/Sgt Samuel Rowlett who served as a radioman in the 359th squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group (heavy), with a trip to visit the Collings Foundation's B17. "Nine O Nine" was on display at Meacham Airport in Ft.Worth. I brought along Rev. Rowlett's son Danny, and my 8 year old son Sammie Joe, who is named for Rev. Rowlett. I thought this would be a great history lesson for my son .
Little did I know it was me that was in for a "History Lesson" that I would never forget!

When we arrived, Rev. Rowlett headed straight for the ladder at the front of the plane and was inside before I even realized he was gone! (He's 89 !). As soon as he was inside, he crawled in the top turret position and was standing at the twin 50cal. Rowlett looked down at me and said, "This is where I was on my first mission, there was a German plane coming at us, and I locked down on the triggers. I got him, but I burned up both barrels!, They didn't tell me to fire in short bursts, boy I thought I was going to be in big trouble when we got back for burning up those barrels!." I said, "Wait a minute. You just said that it was your first mission and you didn't know to fire in short bursts?!" Rowlett said, "some things you learned as you did it." I said, "You have German pilots shooting at you, Lord knows how high in the air you were, and you are worried about getting in trouble for burning up a machine gun?" Rowlett said, "oh they didn't like it when you tore stuff up."

Rev. Rowlett took off past the bomb bay towards the radioman's station. As this was my first time on a B17, I had no idea what to do or where to go! This 89 year old veteran looks through the bomb bay at me and said, "well come on." The bomb bay was open and I cautiously squeezed my way through to the radioman's area. Rev. Rowlett was in the seat busy turning knobs on the radio. I told him that the bomb bay was kind of scary he said, "you should have been back here on a mission!" He said that sometimes Eldridge (pilot) would call back and say, "Red (Rowlett's nickname) we got one hung up go kick it loose would ya. So I would go into the bay and kick 'er loose."

I hear my eight year old son, who is standing beside me say "COOL." I thought he's telling me this like it was nothing! I'm looking at the bomb bay with these inert bombs hanging there but they are marked TNT and I'm thinking..... "oh sure no big deal." I would have wet my pants!

Then he looks out the window and says "this is where I was sitting on that day (24, August 1944) over Merseburg when I looked out the window and saw that the left wing was on fire. I called up to Eldridge and said hey we've got a wing on fire. Eldridge said that's a tank fire! prepare to bail!."

I said, "Where did you go to bail out?" Rev. Rowlett said, "Well first I had to find my chute"

I thought find your chute! On that day you are participating in the largest bombing mission of WWII, against one of the toughest targets in Germany and you didn't have a parachute on! I would have had two of those things strapped on! So I asked, "Where was your chute?" Rowlett answered, "Oh it was laying back here on the floor, it was just a belly chute, that's all I brought with me that day."

At this point I realized why he broke his leg when he hit the ground after he bailed, and I had to ask, "Pastor were you crazy?"
 Rowlett replied, "No I was 19!"

Rowlett said, "I headed for the waist door", then took off toward the back of the plane, slipping past the ball turret like it wasn't even there! I'm trying to find something to hang onto as I carefully check my footing moving past the ball turret, and hear my son say, "Hurry up Dad, he's gonna show us how he bailed out!" I say silently "Oh Lord help me make it through this!"

At the waist door Rowlett said "When I got here one of the waist gunners was trying to get the door open, but it wouldn't budge. I told him to get out of my way so I could get out, he said No, I'm getting out first, I told him well you better hurry up cause I want out of here! I told him to put all of his weight against the door and I would push on him and that's what finally got it open. I went out of the plane head first, opened my belly chute and as soon as I was clear the plane exploded!. But we all got out!"

Rowlett exited the plane down the ladder facing forward as he did the day he bailed out.

I slowly clambered out of the plane, and once on the ground Rowlett said, "boy, that was the loneliest feeling I ever had watching those planes fade away flying home, and I was hanging there headed for the Germans. . . .Man, that was a lifetime ago."

I realized I had just been given a History Lesson that I would never forget. Over the years I had heard my father and other WWII Air Corps veterans tell stories. But being in that B17 reliving an event with someone who went through what Rev. Rowllet had, gave me a totally new perspective.

Standing on the tarmac I listened as other people viewed the plane, they would say "I thought these planes were bigger on the inside.", "This metal is not that thick.", " This is all they had for instruments and radios?", "There's no insulation in this thing, they must have been freezing.", " I don't see how they did it".

I looked at my son intently listening to a few old veterans reminiscing around a B17, I thought the same thing.
 I don't know how they did it. . . . but Thank God they did.