William Bonelli's guest appearances

William Bonelli

Borne the Battle

Veterans Chronicles

Travis Mills

Harry Miller

Kayla Williams

Adrian Cronauer

Jeff Struecker

Jack Carr

David Lucier

Kyle Carpenter

Sebastian Junger

Patrick O'Donnell

John Lee Dumas

George Walsh

William Davis

Josh Elledge

Christopher Hughes

OwlTail

Bill Bonelli joined the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to Pearl Harbor, strongly suspecting that the U.S. would soon be at war against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Before long, while stationed in Hawaii, he witnessed and survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.Mr. Bonelli also describes his service as a B-17 pilot in Europe, the types of targets he was assigned, and the important change he made on his missions without consulting a superior officer.Don't miss this fascinating conversation with Lt. Col. William Bonelli.

Bill Bonelli joined the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to Pearl Harbor, strongly suspecting that the U.S. would soon be at war against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Before long, while stationed in Hawaii, he witnessed and survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Mr. Bonelli also describes his service as a B-17 pilot in Europe, the types of targets he was assigned, and the important change he made on his missions without consulting a superior officer. Don't miss this fascinating conversation with Lt. Col. William Bonelli.

Lt. Col. William Bonelli, USAF, WWII, Pearl Harbor

Richard Schimmel

It was WWII Weekend in Reading, PA. For three days, the MidAtlantic Air Museum brings WWII Veterans, reenactors and a full air show to their community. You can step back in time to every major theatre, visit friendly and enemy camps, hear 1940s music, and even see an FDR impersonator. More importantly, WWII Days include an impressive VIP guest list. Over twenty-five WWII Veterans attend every year and recount their experiences. This year included two living survivors of Pearl Harbor.  Richard (Dick) Schimmel was one of the first soldiers to ever be a radar tech. He enlisted in 1940 and was shipped out to Hawaii to form new formed Signal Aircraft Warning unit. He wasn’t on duty but was stationed on Pearl Harbor during the attack. When he realized the island was under attack, he ran to his post. William Bonelli was an enlisted B-17 and B-29 mechanic at Hickam Field when the attacks occurred. In 1944, he got his opportunity to fly the “Flying Fortress” as a pilot, flying 30 missions over Italy (21 as squadron leader) and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions.Enjoy both of these unique accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Additional Links:  http://www.maam.org/wwii/_ww2_guests.htm   https://www.blogs.va.gov/nvspse/national-veterans-golden-age-games/#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:  Army Veteran  Wilma Gregory 

It was WWII Weekend in Reading, PA. For three days, the MidAtlantic Air Museum brings WWII Veterans, reenactors and a full air show to their community. You can step back in time to every major theatre, visit friendly and enemy camps, hear 1940s music, and even see an FDR impersonator. More importantly, WWII Days include an impressive VIP guest list. Over twenty-five WWII Veterans attend every year and recount their experiences. This year included two living survivors of Pearl Harbor. <a href="http://www.dodlive.mil/2016/11/21/vet-94-recalls-friends-lifelong-regret-over-pearl-harbor/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Richard (Dick) Schimmel</a> was one of the first soldiers to ever be a radar tech. He enlisted in 1940 and was shipped out to Hawaii to form new formed Signal Aircraft Warning unit. He wasn’t on duty but was stationed on Pearl Harbor during the attack. When he realized the island was under attack, he ran to his post.<a href="http://www.skiisland.com/skoop/Bonelli%20Pearl%20Harbor%20May%202010.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> William Bonelli</a> was an enlisted B-17 and B-29 mechanic at Hickam Field when the attacks occurred. In 1944, he got his opportunity to fly the “Flying Fortress” as a pilot, flying 30 missions over Italy (21 as squadron leader) and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions.Enjoy both of these unique accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Additional Links: <ul> <li><a href="http://www.maam.org/wwii/_ww2_guests.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.maam.org/wwii/_ww2_guests.htm</a></li> <li> <a href="https://www.blogs.va.gov/nvspse/national-veterans-golden-age-games/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.blogs.va.gov/nvspse/national-veterans-golden-age-games/</a>#BtBattle Veteran of the Week: </li> <li>Army Veteran <a href="https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/61393/we-were-helping-the-war-effort/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Wilma Gregory</a> </li></ul>

#149: WWII Weekend Part I - Pearl Harbor Survivors Richard Schimmel and William Bonelli