Local veteran among those to be recognized at community gala

Saturday, August 20, 2011
Army Air Force veteran Bob Crain recalls World War II service.

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Although he will be unable to attend the Fort Scott Community Gala Aug. 27, Bob Crain will be with his fellow honorees in spirit.

This year's theme, "Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future," will recognize Crain and his peers for their military service and their contributions to the community. A second lieutenant in the Army Air Force from February 1943 to November 1945, the Fort Scott native was sent to the 8th Air Force in England.

He and his nine-member crew were shot down over Germany on their fifth mission aboard a B-17. Crain wound up in a POW camp for a month or so at Moosburg, Germany. "We'd been bombing north of there that day. We got shot down by anti-aircraft that day. We lost four planes out of my group, that I know of," Crain said. He added the planes went in at low altitude, which didn't turn out to be the best thing to do as six of his crew lost their lives.

"Three of us got out and made it back," he said. "... By and large, I was lucky -- very, very lucky. Most of my captors were humane and that helped. I was fortunate I wasn't abused that much."

Asked how he got through his captivity, Crain said he just did it. "What else are you going to do? You try to keep reasonably clean and try to maintain an optimistic attitude."

The International Red Cross helped out with care packages -- one box for two or three men -- that contained dehydrated food, condensed milk and chocolate.

There were tens of thousands of prisoners of war and refugees at the camp from every nationality -- British, French, Russian, Indian and Brazilian to name a few. The camp was moved south because the Russian army was coming in from the east and the U.S. was approaching from the west, he said.

"Our camp was liberated by the 3rd Army. Gen. George Patton was there. Gen. George Patton -- pearl-handled pistols and all," Crain said. He and his fellow POWs had to stay at the camp for a week or so until they were flown out. Provisions were brought during that time.

He and the other soldiers were flown out to France and finally to a replacement depot in La Havre, France, where troops were brought in during active combat. From there, they shipped out for home. "I was happy to be liberated.

"That was a big day. There were some guys who had been around there for years," Crain said.

Surviving that, he said, makes you appreciate your independence and the virtues of the United States. "Once you lose your freedom, you realize what you missed. If you're a prisoner of somebody, you don't have any rights," Crain said.

The 86-year-old is a Fort Scott High School graduate and completed a year at Fort Scott Community College, which was right next to the high school back then. He enlisted in the Army Air Force because he knew he was going to be drafted. He did basic training at Shepard Field (Wichita Falls, Texas), San Antonio, Ellington Field in Houston. He did crew training in Dyersburg, Tenn., and shipped out overseas from Lincoln, Neb.

He retired from the real estate and insurance business about 10 years ago.

He doesn't consider himself a hero, but said it's a good idea to recognize those who have served.

"The real heroes are the ones out there in the cemetery," Crain said. "That generation of World War II veterans that I knew, most of them made a good contribution to their communities and their country. They were very patriotic."

He noted that gala proceeds go to a good cause. "I've supported the (Fort Scott Area) Community Foundation before," Crain said. "... It helps build up a fund to contribute to local causes."

The gala is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the River Room above the Buffalo Grill, 3 W. Oak. The event is co-chaired by Carla Bryant Farmer and Ken Lunt.

The Gala Steering Committee has once again selected the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation as the recipient of proceeds from the event. Individual tickets are $65; Trendsetter level tickets are $100 contribution; and Pacesetter level, a table of 10, is a $1,000 contribution.

Each person at the Pacesetter tables can honor a veteran at no extra charge.

Crain has been married to his wife, Carol, for a little more than six years. He and his late wife, Bonnie, have three children, seven grandchidlren and three great-grandchildren with one on the way next month.