Frank J. Schick as a young airman
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Frank in his retirement
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Frank (front row right) and his buddies Panici, Shorty, and Ford
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This was recounted by my mother Lucile.
'When
Frank's plane was shot down, he was initially declared KIA. His family in
Chicago received a telegram from the War Dept. declaring that he was considered
KIA. Due to a misspelling of his surname, Shick vs Schick, no one ever
corrected his status from KIA to POW. Upon his release from the POW camp
at the
end of the war, Frank was originally weighed in stones so that his loss of
weight wouldn't appear
too severe. When he was discharged from the Army, he let
himself into his house using a key that he kept attached to his dog tags and
stood there. His mother couldn't believe her eyes'
Frank J.
Schick III
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Continuing the Macuch Story, we would not know Albert Macuch and Frank Schick if Albert had not recorded his story for a student's class report. These were very young and very brave WWII veterans.
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Albert Macuch was 21 years old when he joined the Army Air Corps.
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Albert Macuch second row second from left and Donald Springsted first row second from left were the only two crew members, of the three who rode the plane down, who survived.
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This is the site of the plane crash November 16, 1944 near Liege, Belgium.
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Our special correspondant in Belgium, William Liket, took this photo of the crash scene...as it
looks today.
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50 caliber machine gun
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This Propeller Blade was recover from Macuch's B-17. The house was once part of a castle and is approximately 250 yards from the crash site. The "castle" now belongs to the province of Limburg. (Note the original Oval marking on the prop can still be seen. Compare with the propeller mark in the photo of the crew.)
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This is our small effort to honor the men and women of the armed services who have given so much...to keep our nation free.
The Albert Macuch Story was produced and directed by Charles Langdon. Engineering and technical support by Ed Myers and Lee Shephard,
This is a RadioVisions production. All Rights Reserved.
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To access the news article:
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CLICK HERE
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We are very proud that the US Dept of Defense thought enough of the Albert Macuch Story to print an article by Jim Garamone on its website.
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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING.
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"My father's story has been passed along to many states, and through out Europe. His story along with his picture is on display at the remember 39-45 Museum in Belgium. Many thanks to you for producing his story, and I will always have my Father's voice to listen to. God Bless."
Helen
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"This story is by and about my Uncle Al, he passed away shortly after taping this. Most of us in the family never heard this whole story. It was too difficult for him to talk about."
E.D. Olver
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"The visuals on the web-site are the perfect atmosphere for setting up the audio-clip. While down-loading you can get the idea of life years ago and life today, from the photos you know how proud fliers were to work as a team, and the photos show that the geography is still there; and the audio starts and you know the feelings are still there too. The sound of radio and news flashes are very clear, but is there anything to equal the throaty rev of a B-17 cranking up? That was startling. The clip is truly like a mystery story that you want to keep unfolding. What next, after all, this fellow is giving us the details 54 years later.
Crashing metal and creaking leather in the silence of the woods are all we know; except something is twisting in the wind, for sure."
Mark Anderson, Virginia USA
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