Walking on the stones

I was born in March of 1943, as Bill Cramsie was anxiously anticipating graduation from West Point and moving on to his life's dream — flying. Amidst the complex weave of human experience, Bill's life and mine first crossed in 2005 and have crossed so many times since that I've lost count. In March of this year, the day after celebrating my own birthday, I'll board a jetliner for England where I'll have the opportunity to briefly visit the base at Wethersfield where Bill spent his last days.

Touching an object related to another person can sometimes evoke powerful and mysterious feelings. Whether it be a grandmother's locket or a father's wartime military uniform, the tactile connection is very real and often metaphysical. So it was with Bill Cramsie's class ring when I first held it in my hand. I had the same feeling a couple years later as I sat in a train northbound from New York City to West Point. With Bill Cramsie's ring in hand, I felt that we were actually companions on this journey that he had made many times.

I have little doubt that Wethersfield, with Bill's ring in hand, will be one of those "thin places" for me, where the barrier between the present and the past is vulnerable. I plan also to visit the American Cemetery at Cambridge, where Bill's name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing. As I stood before a similar wall at the Veterans Museum in Branson, MO last September, I had a very calming flush of emotion—different in a way than those more anxious moments with the ring and with West Point. Bill Cramsie's name is inscribed at Branson among those of all U.S. veterans killed during WWII. In reality, it is one of thousands upon thousands and is rarely, if ever, noticed. But as Tom Rickels, the nephew of Bill Cramsie, and I stood together before that simple inscription, it felt as though a calling had somehow been fulfilled.


I had anticipated that the writing of First to Fall would be a final chapter for me in this extraordinary experience, but apparently not. The story continues to unfold and the opportunity to walk on the stones that Bill Cramsie walked on merely fanned the flame.

I'll report back after this visit.

NRA Supporting America's Military

At the NRA Annual Meeting in 2009, Lt. Col. Oliver North presented a stirring tribute to the American soldier of today. At a time when many of the values of America are being questioned, nobody on the face of this earth can question the patriotism, strength and compassion of our men under arms. They carry on a proud and honorable tradition and do great credit to the memory of those who have served before them.

Clicking on the photo below will take you to the NRA video of this touching tribute.

Last 416th West Pointer

The West Point class of June 1943 produced many heroes, some of whom lost their lives on the field of battle, others who went on to serve their country with distinction for more than half a century after the end of World War II. Sixteen members of that class who became aviators were assigned to the 416th Bomb Group. Bill Cramsie was the first member of that group, and of his class, to be killed in action. Dick Wheeler was the last surviving member of that group. He was not only a classmate of Cramsie, they were close friends. Dick wrote the obituary for Bill Cramsie that appeared in the West Point newsletter, "The Pointer" in 1946.

Dick Wheeler passed away on December 30, 2009. After enjoying Christmas with his family, he suffered a heart attack early Monday morning. His spirit remained strong but his body could no longer keep up. He passed with his wife Alice at his side and surrounded by all of his children and grandchildren. It was my distinct honor to know Colonel Wheeler, who was clearly a hero, having won a Distinguished Flying Cross during the war and another during peacetime for his world-record setting parachute jump of 42,449 feet at Holloman AFB, NM in 1950. During the 416th Bomb Group Reunion this past September, I video-taped about two hours of discussion with Dick about his years at West Point and with the 416th. Attached here are a few short clips from that interview. He will be missed by many, but especially by those who understood his untiring devotion to "Duty, Honor, Country."