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WWII Story - Joseph and Mary Pegram
by Pat Long
 Dad was in the Army Air Corp during WWII. He was the Ball Turret Gunner on a B-24 (The Liberator) and was stationed in England. While on a bombing mission over Germany on September 12, 1944 his crew's plane took almost direct hits from flack. The pilot made a miraculous landing back at their home base. Dad was struck by flack passing thru both hips and his spine. He was 20 years old and later received a Purple Heart.
 After several operations, and after being hospitalized for 9 months in England, dad was sent back to the states. My mother was a nurse in the WAC's and stationed in Springfield, Missouri and dad was one of her patients. As they say, the rest is history - in December they will celebrate their 62nd anniversary.
We have all marveled at dad's tenacity and full steam ahead approach to life. The army doctors told him he would never walk again, nor be able to father any children. If they could only have known how things turned out for him. I have 8 brothers and sisters and at 83 dad is still very active. During the first week in October he will attending the 2007 Reunion of the 491st Bombardment Group (H), 8th Air Force in Dayton.
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