h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

btw, if you have a spare fortnight, this might amuse :
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/You_have_two_cows

Silly, but fun.

I learned something interesting the other day, something I should have already known. When I was a kid there was a salvage yard in Webb City called Swappers Salvage Yard. It contained what remained of a B-24 Bomber. The kids, especially the boys, used to play in and around it, pretending to be pilots. I never thought much about it or tried to find out how it got there. It was called the Joplin Jalopy.

Here's what I learned, courtesy of a transplanted Aussie who researches military history as a hobby. The Joplin Jalopy was one of a number of planes purchased with war bonds. The money for the bonds came from the school children in the county who bought 10 cent and 25 cent stamps that were pasted inside bond books. When the books were filled, they were turned in.

Naming rights fell to Joplin since they are the largest city in the area and most of the money came from there. In addition to the Joplin Jalopy, the school children raised enough money to purchase two....drumroll....B-17F Flying Fortresses, a P-51 type fighter they named "The Joplin Public Schools", and a fleet of 75 jeeps. One of the Flying Fortresses was christened "Jasper Copunty Missouri". I don't know what the other one was named.

The Flying Fortresses cost $300,000 each. I know that in September 1942 Bette Davis visited Joplin and in that month the county raised $177,705. I haven't been able to locate a total dollar amount. Is this a cool story or what?

"Jasper County Missouri". Good grief. I will never learn to preview.

That's a cool story indeed.

I'm never quite sure about preserving war relics, though. Part of it is that war stands for the best and the worst of us at the same time. Another part, though (and I think this is what really causes the disquiet in my case) is that today's politicians are shameless enough to live off the reputations of the heroes of the past.

I am already having to print a retraction. Upon closer investigaton it appears that the two Flying Fortresses weren't purchased by just the school children. They were purchased from collections throughout the county.

I understand what you're saying about the war relics. It's common to see them in this area. We have a howitzer named Jenny, for example. And the VFW post has a tank out front. Lots of people seem to like them. They seem to primarily appeal to vetrerans.

Can't help but agree about the politicians. In this country they use the admiration we have for WWII vets to try and sell other conflicts to the public.

Route Master, eat your heart out.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16531954&BRD=1815&PAG=461&dept_id=59849&rfi=6

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