I never met “Uncle Albert.”  He’s my uncle through marriage.  He died before I was married.  In fact, he died before my husband, Joseph Young, was born.  Yet, whenever I think of Uncle Albert, tears come to my eyes. 

Uncle Albert was the son of Fred and Josephine Young of Craftsbury, Vermont.  Joseph’s father Henry A. Young was the eldest son.  The only living sibling of Albert is Viola Reil, who still lives in Craftsbury.  Uncle Albert Young was shot down on a bombing mission over Germany on September 30, 1944 during World War II. 

He was a Staff Sergeant in the 457^th Bomb Group, which was stationed in England as part of the Eighth Air Force.  It was on Mission Number 129 that he was shot down.  The following comes from the Mission Narrative:  

“The target for the 457^th was a vital railroad junction at Munster.  With total cloud cover the group prepared to bomb by PFF from 27,000 feet.  Flak was moderate at the target but one plane, s/n 43-38538, took a direct hit.  The wings broke off the plane and it exploded.  Six other aircraft of the 457^th were damaged by flak.  Results of the bombing were unobserved and the group returned to Glatton minus one plane.

“Plane s/n 43-38538, flown by Lt. William A. Millea, was flying deputy lead, was hit by flak on the bomb run over Munster.  The flak crumpled the nose of the plane, both wings fell off as the plane exploded.  The parts fell to the earth.  It was reported that two bodies were seen to be blown from the plane but no parachutes were seen.” (http://www.457thbombgroup.org/Fate/RLF089.HTML)

When our son Alexander was a student at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, we took a side trip to The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia to look up Uncle Albert and his 457^th Bomb Group.  

In 2003, Uncle Albert was remembered and honored by the 457^th Bomb Group Association when a copy of the Fait Accompli Trilogy was placed in the Craftsbury Public Library.  The Trilogy is an historical and pictorial account of the 457^th Bomb Group, whose group motto was Fait Accompli, which means “Accomplished Fact.”

When we moved into Gramma Young’s house, there were photos of a tiny baby in a casket all over the place.  They were pictures of Uncle Albert’s baby.  He was born a month after Uncle Albert died, and he had died at two months, only three months after Uncle Albert was shot down.  I cannot imagine losing a husband and a baby within a few months.  And that’s why tears come to my eyes every time I think of Uncle Albert.

Submitted by Jeannine A. Young

Craftsbury Common, VT