As I prepare to depart for Germany and the realization of a lifelong dream, I invite you to accompany me virtually back where my father, 1st Lt. Shannon Eugene Estill’s P-38 fighter plane was shot down in an East German farmer’s field on 13 April 1945. In 1993, I searched for and found the remaining members of my father’s WW II squadron. My 150 “adopted” dads took me under their wings and enabled me through their loving support and wisdom to pursue this quest. I was led to Germany and Hans Guenther Ploes, a specialist in recovery of crashed WW II planes, with whom I traveled throughout Germany in search of my father’s plane. With Hans Guenther’s incredible knowledge of aircraft and crash sites in conjunction with his willingness to engage with this pilot’s daughter in finding a P-38J that crashed at the end of the war, the site was identified in March, 2003. Next week, I will meet the excavation team sent from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command from Hawaii in the field in Elsnig, Germany, a village near Torgau where the American and Russian Armies met at the end of the war in their quest to defeat Nazi Germany. My father’s life ended with this last mission. It is my intention to recover his remains and his plane, and bring him home to rest in Ar lington Cemetery and Enid, Oklahoma.
The picture of the typist, circa 1957, is me in my early career as a foreign correspondent. In this spirit, I include you in the adventure in which I am the heroine, my father is the hero. This is how you will be able to follow this journey, post your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and sentiments.
Here we go………….
August 23rd, 2005 at 3:52 pm
Dear Sharon,
What a incredible adventure. Jan and i are reading every word on every page several times each day. Surely you are exhausted at the end of the day but please keep the story rolling. All i care about at this moment in time is seeing your next entry come up on screen.
Can’t wait to see you in SLC. By the way, 61 is a cute age.
Paul
August 26th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
Dear Sharon,
I was more than satisfied with your daily words eye view of the adventure you are living. But, when you added the pictures the excitement at this end doubled. Thank you so much for your efforts in helping us to “be there” with you and your heroic team.
Paul
August 31st, 2005 at 12:26 pm
Hi dear Sharon,
I’ve come across your fate today when opening our local newspaper. You might be surprised to hear that I can claim similar streaks of life as you can: also my father was a pilot of a 110 Messerschmitt and also my life was marked by the aftermath of war, so eventually I was raised without him. And like you I was on tenterhooks, however in contrast to your amazing endeavours to find his ashes I was able to hug him after 55 years. We were ab le to share our lives for only 25 months, he died 2 years ago and I had tobury him in his new father land.
Wolfgang
November 14th, 2006 at 8:33 am
My uncle was also in the 428th. His P-38 was shot down on April 12, 1945. He hid behind enemy lines for 3 days and finally managed to hook up with some GI’s who ended up saving his life. My uncle is still alive but slowly losing his memories. I have just begun my search for more information on his group. Is it possible they were in the same squadron?
I have a story about the day he was shot down which he wrote, thankfully, 30 years ago. Would like to see it?
Bonnie Deach
Reno, NV