"And the Germans wired back, 'Do you realize you're gassing us?' Audio Interview, 17:56, Part II)

George R. Scanlon

George R. Scanlon holding a 125 bomb above his head, Mateur, Tunisia [June 1943] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Air Forces/Corps Unit: 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group Service Location: Mediterranean Theater; England; Tunisia; Algeria; Sardinia, Italy; Corsica Rank: Technical Sergeant Place of Birth: PA

Between going AWOL in boot camp and joining the Army Air Corps to being threatened with a court martial for trying to save the lives of Americans and for feeding hungry homeless Italian families, it's hard to get a read on the kind of guy that George Scanlon was. It is obvious that this airplane mechanic had authority figure problems, as he so vividly describes, and he always seemed to be going against the grain as he served in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. But after seeing so many pilots crash and crews die, perhaps George Scanlon softened up, because he didn't seem to be the same person at the end of the war as he was at the beginning.