roy lowry otisenglish@netzero.net

1/24/05 'ROY LOWRY'

AFTER WORLD WAR 2--LOWRY WAS OUR DRUGGIST IN MOSS BLUFF FOR MANY YEARS--I ATE RED BEANS AND RICE WITH HIM AT THE REAR OF HIS DRUG STORE MANY TIMES--WE SURE MISS HIM--HE WAS ONE OF THOSE UNUSUAL GENTLEMEN-

THIS STORY HOWEVER BEGINS IN ENGLAND ABOUT 1941--ROY WAS AN ARMY AIRCRAFT PILOT--HE FLEW THE B-26 MARTIN MARAUDER--THIS WAS TRULY A 'MAN TYPE' AIRPLANE--IT WAS A STIFF WINGED AIRCRAFT POWERED BY 2 PRATT WHITNEY 18 CLYINDER ENGINES OF 2000 HORSE POWER EACH--STEEL FOUR BLADED PROPELLERS -TURNING A 14 FOOT DIAMETER--IT WAS KNOWN AS THE FLYING COFFIN--NAMED THIS BECAUSE IT WAS SO HARD AND DANGEROUS TO FLY--IT BARELY HAD WINGS LARGE ENOUGH TO TAKE OFF WITH A FULL LOAD OF BOMBS AND MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION--BUT ONCE AIRBORNE-IT WAS FAST FOR ITS WEIGHT AND A VERY TOUGH DURABLE AIRPLANE--A BEAUTIFUL AIRPLANE I THINK-

THIS DAY JUST AFTER DAYLITE - AT AIRFIELD #1 -(LET'S CALL IT)--ROY LOWRY WAS GETTING READY TO OPEN BOTH THROTTLES AND TAKE OFF IN HIS B-26 WITH A LOAD OF BOMBS -CROSSING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL HEADED FOR GERMANY--THIS WAS A 600 MILE PLUS ROUND TRIP--ROY WAS YOUNG - SINGLE MINDED - BRAVE - SMART--HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE HIM FLYING SUCH AN AIRPLANE AS THE B-26---HOWEVER MANY YOUNG MEN DID--THERE WAS A CO-PILOT -AND CREW OF PERHAPS FOUR MORE-

ROY WAS NEAR HIS GIVEN ALTITUDE OF 25000 FEET AS HE NEARED GERMANY--FLACK AND ENEMY FIGHTERS WERE OUT TO STOP HIM--THE BOMBS WERE DROPPED ON THE TARGET HOPEFULLY AND WITH NO INJURIES TO HIM OR HIS CREW--NOW THE RETURN HOME--

AS HE AND HIS FORMATION OF SEVERAL AIRCRAFT NEARED THE ENGLISH CHANNEL--LONDON LOOKED JUST LIKE A HUGE WHITE BLANKET--NOTHING MORE--ROY WAS THE BEST AT INSTRUMENT FLYING -SO THE FORMATION FOLLOWED HIM AND HE FOUND AIRFIELD #1 BENEATH THE WHITE FOG--LANDING WAS A TEST OF SKILL ALSO--THEY MADE IT THIS TIME--

ROY LOWRY WOULD TAKE OFF WHEN THE AIRFIELD WAS SOCKED IN WITH FOG AND FLY AROUND AND BY INSTRUMENT FLYING RETURN AND LAND--I ASKED HIM ONE TIME WHY HE DID SUCH A DANGEROUS THING--HE SAID HE DID IT TO SAVE HIS LIFE--HE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO BE A SKILLED INSTRUMENT PILOT--HE GOT SO GOOD AT IT THAT HE WAS SENT BACK TO THE UNITED STATES--LAKE CHARLES, LA -ARMY AIRFIELD--TO BE AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TEACHER--THIS HE DID--TAKING OFF WITH A NEW STUDENT MANY TIMES--

HE NEVER HAD TO RETURN TO ENGLAND--THE WAR FINALLY ENDED 1945--

ROY LOWRY TOLD THIS STORY TO ME--HE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE A PILOT--NEVER TALKED ABOUT FLYING VERY MUCH--BUT HE SURE WAS ONE IN WORLD WAR 2---AFTER THE WAR HE NEVER FLEW AGAIN--HIS HIDDEN TALENTS MUST HAVE SAVED MANY PILOTS IN THIS WAR OF THE EARLY 1940'S IN EUROPE--

I ATTENDED ROY LOWRY'S FUNERAL--HE WAS CREMATED --JUST A SMALL BOX AND HIS PHOTOS NEARBY--FOR SURE A PART OF OUR FREEDOM--THE WORD 'THANKS' IS NOT ENOUGH-

BY OTIS ENGLISH kevnn21@localnet.com