this has got to be a joke huh?

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an old guy who won the flying cross with bomber command, flying 92 raids, that's three 30 raid rotations (yanks got to go home after 21 raids or missions as they called them), has been told he can't attend the bomber command memorial dedication.


wtf that's got to be a dm manufactured story huh

>A survivor of 92 missions during five years of service in the Second World War, the highly decorated rear gunner was shot down twice – once behind enemy lines – but lived to fight another day.
Now aged 91 and a wheelchair user, he could have expected to be a VIP guest at the unveiling of a long-awaited £6.5million Bomber Command memorial in Green Park in central London.
But despite his distinguished service and years of work helping to raise money for the memorial appeal, Mr Johnson has been told he cannot attend the ceremony on June 28 because there are no tickets left.
The memorial, a sculpture which features seven bomber air crew members, is expected to be unveiled by the Queen.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z1xQuZkWKG
i'm by no means an expert on bomber command, but i've read a bit about them, air crew had to do 30 raid rotations then they were due some time off, only about 60% made their first rotation and after the second rotation they we're usually kicked into a training unit, that guy must have begged his wing commander to be allowed to do his third, as a bubble gunner, or tail end charley he had the worst job on the lanc, they were always wiry like a jockey, he escaped a stricken lancaster twice, a plane notorious for it's low survival rate, wellington bombers had a higher casualty rate in percentage terms but also a higher crew survival rate from a stricken craft than lancasters, even then the rear gunners were least likely to survive of all the crew thanks to centrifugal force and the fact they had to access their parachutes on a shelf outside the perspex bubble to bail.

respect to that guy, ticket or no ticket he's the real deal.
if you want to know what it must have been like for him, sit inside your washing machine for six hours and keep looking out the perspex, oh and get some one to take a few pot shots at you now and again.