Walking in Papaw's Shoes

Hey everyone, this is Josh. I figured it was about time that I contributed something to the blog other than my handsome face. This past weekend provided the perfect opportunity to do my first blog post.

Emma’s great grandfather on my mother’s side was Troy Jacks (aka Papaw). Unfortunately, Papaw passed away while Jessica was still pregnant with Emma. Toward the end of his life he was plagued by Alzheimer’s and other physical problems but at certain times he would have brief moments of extreme clarity. I will always remember when we went to visit him in Laurel. He awoke from a nap and you could see the clarity in his eyes. That is when we leaned in and told him that we were having a baby. Papaw was the first person that we told. His face lit up, he grabbed our hands and in a feeble but excited voice he whispered “Hot Dog!”. That trip was the last time I saw him alive. He passed soon afterward but I will always cherish that moment.

Though Emma never got to know her Papaw, thanks to the Collings Foundation she was able to see a major and defining part of his life. Papaw was a ball turret gunner on the B-24 Liberator during WWII. For those of you who don’t know, the ball turret was a rotating weapon platform located in the belly of the bomber. He hung out of the bottom of the B-24 for numerous bombing missions and had one of the best views and most dangerous seats of anyone in the war. His two Browning M2 50cal machine guns (lovingly referred to as Ma Deuce) were the primary defense for the underbelly of the B-24. Fortunately for me (and the rest of my family) Papaw returned from war unharmed and fathered 5 children, Emma’s grandmother Nana being the eldest. One thing to note is the B-24’s ball turret must be retracted for landing and takeoff. Once the plane was in the air the gunner would enter the turret and be lowered into position. All of these pictures show the ball turret retracted.


For those of you who don’t know, my grandfather had basically 2 jobs in his life, Army Air Corps and Rural mail carrier (and unlike other postal workers he only shot at people when he was in the Army). As we were pulling up to the airfield they were delivering the mail. I jumped out of the car just in time to snap this photo of a rural mailman with the B-24 in the background.

The Collings Foundation has the only fully restored flying B-24 in the world and they fly it all over the country keeping the history of the United States Army Air Corps and the brave men who fought in WWII alive. When they were rebuilding the plane my late uncle William got word that they were looking for donations to offset the costs and that with a donation we could get Papaw’s name (Troy Lee Jacks) on the plane. I truly appreciate uncle William’s efforts and the rest of the family's contributions on this living memorial for Papaw.



When we first got to the airfield Emma wasn’t so sure about it. However, after a little while she started to get into it. After our first trip through the plane Emma decided that she would try to climb up into it by herself (notice on the right hand side of the picture the line of people waiting on Emma). Also note the stylish handbag and glasses. Just because she is learning some history doesn’t mean she can’t look good while she is doing it.

Emma and Jessica next to the ball turret.

Emma was checking out Papaw's first class seat...
From outside the plane...

And inside the plane...

Me and Emma inside the bomb bay

Jessica and Emma inside the bomb bay

Emma checking out the "Ma Deuce" waist gun. Just like her daddy...admiring the firepower.

There were other planes on the Wings of Freedom Tour including two P-51 Mustangs (one of the coolest fighter planes ever), a B-17 bomber (Papaw would not be pleased with me even mentioning that “glory hog” as he called it), and other vintage planes.

It was great to so see these glorious birds while they were in town. On Tuesday of last week I was thinking of Papaw and it is hard to think of him without thinking of the B-24. I decided to check to see where the plane was on its tour and to my surprise I saw that it would be in Birmingham 3 days later. Somewhere Papaw is looking down with a smile to know his great granddaughter got to see his beloved plane. Sadly, there is only one surviving crew member from Papaw’s squadron. It is Papaw’s best friend Rusty Evans (Tail Gunner). Our family would like to personally thank everyone who has served or is currently serving in our armed forces. God bless each and every one of you and God bless the United States of America.