Second of two parts

Here is some more about Norbert Swierz and his most interesting life.

His book starts about his childhood in Chicago.

He was once tossed a quarter from Al Capone for giving Al directions to a house.

Norb’s folks were separated and he lived with each at times, but ended up with his mother.

After living at different locations, his mother bought a little grocery store and gas station on the corner of Corwin and old M-40 North.

It was called Moonlight Inn.

In 1934, Norb started school at DHS. After he graduated, he got a job at Clark Equipment and played with the Clark traveling football team (I never knew of this Clark team).

He went to Canada and got a job (Civilian Technical Corp.) and was given Royal Canadian Air Force clothing.

He was sent to England. It was there where he signed up for the U.S. Army Air Corps. This was 1942.

This was when Norbert’s life story became interesting.

He became a gunner on a B-17 bomber. His first bombing run was in 1943.

It was later on when his plane was knocked down and he was shot in the leg.

He was picked up in the water by British Air Sea Rescue.

After five months of combat, he had been on 13 sorties and was halfway to the required 25 missions.

He had credit for shooting down four aircraft and three possibles.

After bombing Stuttgart with bombs away their plane was hit and all the crew jumped out.

Norb was taken prisoner at his landing. Now his life gets real interesting.

He was first taken to Stalag 7A and later to Stalag 17 (remember TV’s “Hogan’s Heroes,” a comedy about Stalag 17).

Norb was there for quite some time, tried to escape several times and was caught.

In his book he describes the terrible conditions of the POW prisoners and the terrible treatment.

His large group of prisoners endured 18 days of a 281-mile march before on May 3, 1945, when six men of Gen. Patton’s 3rd Army arrived in three Jeeps and disarmed the 205 German guards; and an American captain said soldiers, you are free and welcome back.

It was when Norbert finally made it to the Dowagiac depot, there was a large crowd waiting for him.

It sure didn’t take Norb long to become engaged to Muriel Pease and they married on July 19, 1945.

The Vets Club of Dowagiac asked permission to sponsor their wedding and all Dowagiac merchants were in accord.

The bakery, cake and ice cream. The VFW gals did the food, dealers the beer, a local band for dancing. The City of Dowagiac went all out for them.

Here are some of Norbert’s awards and decorations. He had 27 of them: one Distinguished Flying Cross, five Purple Heart medals (two awarded, three pending), five Air Medals (with five oak leaf clusters), POW medal and many others.

He even got the French Legion of Honor medal. This is just a synopsis of my reading of Norb’s great life story, and I am reading it for the second time.

I’ve had several talks with Norbert and Muriel and they are looking forward to us four getting together when they come to Michigan in May or June.

And I can hardly wait.

“Cardinal Charlie” Gill writes a nostalgic weekly column about growing up in the Grand Old City. E-mail him at cardinalcharlie@hotmail.com.