Your View 5/9: Bombs away

My mother subscribes to the Standard (sorry old habits die hard) which I in turn read. Being a grad of SHS Class of '55, I find the comings and goings of Sikeston of interest and amusement (read: SpeakOut). Be all that as it may, the reason for this e-mail is a recent "Looking Back In Time."

In your April 22 edition you reprinted an item from 60 years ago dated April 22, 1943, which concerned two medium bombers purchased by the school children of Sikeston. The bombers were named "Sikeston Bulldogs" and "Spirit of Sikeston."

Having been one of those school children (first grade), it brought back memories (however vague) of buying "Victory Stamps" (or were they "Liberty Stamps?") for 10 cents apiece and pasting them in a little book until the book was filled. Once filled, the book was redeemed for a war bond.

I'm sure this is fascinating to you, but the real reason for this missive is: What happened to those two bombers? Surely some history buff in the Sikeston area could track that information down. Where were the bombers assigned? How many missions did they fly? Did they survive the war? Who were the crew members? I think this would make for interesting reading for your subscribers. Let's face it. It took a lot of kids and a lot of dimes to buy those two planes. Who knows, it might lead to a reoccurring feature of historical pieces regarding World War II.

One last thought: When was the last time you could buy a bomber for a mere $175,000?

Keep up the good work.

Frank Edmiston, Ballwin