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 Author  Topic: Update: Weekend with Skipper Liebenow & Welford West
  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: May 31, 2013 - 7:26am
Bridge and Roy; You sure did a great job setting this up!! Wayne the photos are outstanding! With all the miles you guys travelled to make this happen, I know one thing for sure, If I asked Bud if he enjoyed the weekend, I know his reply would be "Yup" with a big smile on his face!!
Bravo Zulu to all envolved!
Take care,
TED


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TheBridge

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TheBridge  Posted on: Jun 2, 2013 - 7:18am
I gave you our schedule of events of our weekend in this post. So much of it is sinking in but here is some more as I shake myself back to reality....

Still getting over what a marvelous time we all had over the Memorial Day weekend. And this being the 70th summer since their first push into Rendova and Lever Harbor, made this a most special time. Roy, Wayne and Pat can fill in any details as I'm still numb with joy..and was so busy I didn't get to take one photo. [BTW, Roy & Susan, Pat & Missy and Wayne & Linda make the best company one could find. I was so glad they came...and later wished everyone that loves PTs could have been there as this became a weekend to remember!]

I had hoped that Betty Lynn, who played Thelma Lou on the Andy Griffith Show, might make an appearance sometime over the weekend. She lives in the same building as Bud and Lucy (Liebenow) and I asked them if they might ask her to spend a few minutes with us all sometime. She did show up right, from the start, and spent the whole weekend with us. It was an expected but really delightful and pleasant surprise! She's is charming to say the least. Betty spent all weekend with us and she wore her USO pin, she got 70-years ago, the whole time to signify that she went on USO tours to entertain troops in the Far East during the War; so bravo to her for doing that and becoming a part of our 'history remembered' time together

Roy did some video filming so that might be posted at a later time. This included Welford, with Bud at his side, telling of two missions from the summer of '43. One was 'Squeeze Play' which is when they were caught between to Jap destroyers on a moonless night, and the other is about the rescue of the 109 crew and how Welford and Bud navigate (with Welford using a lead line and Bud at the wheel) the uncharted waters to get to the island where the crew were huddled.

Seeing Bud and Welford together again was great for us but frankly even greater for them. Especially Welford who has been tending, for the past five years to his bed-bound wife Rita, who passed away in January. This trip was a tonic for him. When Bud and Welford saw each other it just put the biggest smiles on their faces (and Bud, who is a fairly reserved type guy, actually grabbed Welford and gave him a hug). The smiles kept on throughout the whole weekend long.

And at the Saturday night presentation and on Monday, while we were book signing, all sorts of strangers put out their hand to shake theirs and say 'Thank You' to Bud and Welford; it was most wonderful. The guys know now that it's been 70 years....and yes, the world still remembers!

Bridge


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Wayne Traxel

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Linda Traxel became acquainted with Cindy Martin who writes for SV South magazine who sent pictures of Saturdays VFW presentation and Mondays book signing. These Pictures fill in the scenes that were missed



Bridge's Saturday VFW Presentation



Roy Forbes documenting Bridge's "First Up" VFW presentation.



VFW Post 2190 L-R Lucy and Bud Liebenow, Actress Betty Lynn (Thelma Lu) and Welford West.



VFW Hall Welford West sitting and nephew Don Dufault view Pat and Roy's Models



Roy Forbs PT-157 model display at VFW Hall presentation.

Wayne Traxel

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Wayne Traxel

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Wayne Traxel   Send Email To Wayne Traxel Posted on: Jun 3, 2013 - 6:19am
Cindy Martin Pages Book Store "First Up" photos.



Book signing at Pages 1st Row R to L. PT-157, Skipper Bud Liebenow and Tm1/c Welford West, Author of "First Up" Bridge Carney. Row two Wayne and Cindy Martin.



Pages Book Store Actress Betty Lynn, Cindy Martin, Linda Traxel and Lucy Liebenow.

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Roy Forbes

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Roy Forbes  Posted on: Jun 6, 2013 - 2:01pm
WOW !! What an amazing trip and Memorial Day Weekend. There is not much more I can add than what has been said but this was a weekend to remember for sure. Meeting these 2 WWII Hero"s along with Lucy, Don, Bridge, Pat, Missy, Wayne, Linda and of course Betty Lynn was just an honor. This trip was the perfect way to spend such a holiday and my only regret was that I didn't record Betty Lynn's story of her service to our country during WWII as a member of the USO in Burma & China during 1945. Mayberry was such a great place and driving around this beautiful little town was like opening gifts on Christmas morning. You never knew what the next corner would offer.

For us, the trip started with passing through Moore, OK 2 days after that event and then again driving through El Reno where we always stop for gas and lunch again 2 days after that one as well was just truly unbelievable. So after 4700 miles, alligators waiting for me to fall off the Battleship North Carolina, humidity and really big storms chasing me down the highway, I must say it's good to be back in AZ. I think we should all try thinking about putting together a re-reunion somewhere in the middle of the country where we can all meet once again.

Well done Bridge for all your hard work in making this happen !!

Mount Airy Weekend photo MA1.jpg

The crew at the VFW Hall

Mount Airy Weekend photo MA2.jpg

Bridge and the boys looking at photos

Mount Airy Weekend photo MA4.jpg

Signing Tom Freeman's painting "Collision with Destiny"

Mount Airy Weekend photo MA5.jpg

Mount Airy Weekend photo MA6.jpg

Listing to their first hand account of the Kennedy mission

Mount Airy Dinner photo Ma7.jpg

Dinner at 13 Bones


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