herk115
Active Member
Folks, I found these in the archives. They were taken at the March AFB, CA, air show in 1992, I think. Sometime around there, anyway. The gentleman pictured is Mr. John Asmussen, who was a tail gunner in the 97th Bomb Group on a B-17 named Yankee Queen. Mr. Asmussen was in the very same squadron as my father (341st), but they never met. I got a shot of the label but can't find it, so I don't know who the manufacturer was. Mr. Asmussen stated he had two A-2s from his service but hadn't brought the other one that day. I immediately made him an offer on either one of them and his response was something along the lines of "HELL NO!" He said they were in his will for his kids. The 97th patch was a modern day repro (he sold me one and I long ago lost track of it, but no matter...I have my father's theater-made original). He let me wear the jacket with the admonishment "Be careful!" The artwork on the back looked modern as well and I don't know if it was a new design or a copy of artwork he'd had on the jacket during the war. I do not know if Mr. Asmussen is still with us. I read Mr. Asmussen's story about Yankee Queen in my Father's 97th Bomb Group reunion yearbook. If you can, try to find a description of the Yankee Queen's exploits on line. It was pretty harrowing and makes you respect people like Mr. Asmussen all the more. Enjoy the pics.
