Paul “Bud” Haedike WWII B-17 Bombardier

St. Charles County Veterans Museum

Paul “Bud” Haedike was 16 when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. Like other young men, Paul was eager to join the military, but had to wait until he was 18. Paul got his draft notice on his 18th birthday and reported to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. In the inductee line, Bud card was stamped “NAVY.” But Bud had other ideas. He pleaded and they finally changed it to Army. Once in, Bud opted for the Army Air Corps. Bud wanted to be a P-51 fighter pilot but had to settle for bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bud was shot down on his first mission, but safely crash landed in Belgium. He went on to fly 22 more missions deep into Germany and three humanitarian mission which Bud calls his most rewarding. Tonight, Bud will share the harrowing life of a B-17 air crew member.

Next weeks show will feature Bill Fisher, “Dog Handler”

Bill Fisher was an Air Force Sentry Dog handler at Phan Rang Air Base during the Vietnam War. Each night they would go out beyond the fence line with our guns to their back, trying to detect the enemy. They had three objectives: Detect the enemy, call it in to the tower and survive if you can. Here he recounts several stories of how his dogs, Wolf, and Rex, each saved his life while on patrol.