Roy Livingstone, 8th Air Force 306th Bomb Group, 367th Squadron. Flight Engineer, B-17. Shot down April 17, 1943 over Bremen, Germany.

Major decorations include: Purple Heart, Air Medal, POW Medal (Air Medal awarded for destroying enemy aircraft (ME-109) over Lorient, April 16, 1943.) Purple Heart awarded for multiple wounds suffered on the 8th Air Force first Bremen Raid over Germany, April 17, 1943. The 306th lost 41% of its ships on that mission. (POW Medal awarded as a POW at Stalags 7-A and 17-B in Austria.)

Fourteen days of freedom! Escaped from prison train In May 1943 with Bob Hansen. Managed to get out of train but got tangled in barbed wire fence near RR tracks. Pulled clear while guards were shooting at us. Lost trousers and shorts in wire. Walked at night (no pants, etc) for 3 nights. Two soldiers spotted us early on 3rd morning. But I stuck bare leg in air, Bob jumped on top of me, and I giggled like a girl. Soldiers thought we were boy & girl. They joked & laughed. Little did they know.

We got away for another 11 days. No food, hungry and weak. Caught trying to cross a bridge. Spent 3 months in deep solitary and Sunderbarrakie (Detention Camp). Suffered severe body sores, lice, fleas, etc.

Couldn't pass water in solitary more than once a day, in trough where they fed me potato (or bread) and tea twice a day. Sent me to 7-A where later I got into the Punjab's Compound where they hid me out. (They worked in the fields.) And they fed me fresh vegetables.

In six weeks was healthy again and returned to American Compound, Later to Stalag 17-B for another year. Then the walk across Austria, and liberated on May 5, 1945. Greatest day was when we heard of U.S. successful invasions. We knew then that in time (a year later) we would be freed! And not by the number of missions as in the European Theater.

Be thankful that you are alive and take advantage by living life to its fullest potential. Help others live it better with encouragement and a smile. America's strength is and always will be in our unity of purpose, and courage. In today's world we will probably have American troops all over the planet fighting terrorism for years. Regardless where they are, they hear and see what we back home do and think and say about the war. Every negative comment about the war helps the terrorist cause, and harms the morale of our troops. Only with strong unity and resolve will we win this fight.