6 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2016 by Stephen Vratos Resident raconteur and erstwhile event emcee, Fred Chernow, presided over the 14 annual Veteran’s Day Memorial in Towers on the Green, Thursday evening, November 10. Local and resident Veterans, their friends and family members attended to honor the men and women who served our country, fighting to protect her citizens and preserve their freedoms for generations to come. A Veteran, who served in an armored tank division during the Korean War, Chernow greeted the attendees, before ceding the podium to Board President Mario Carmiciano, who lead the assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of “God Bless America.” The night’s featured speaker was Joe Reveman, former B17 radio operator during World War II. Reveman’s heroic service during WWII included 24 missions and surviving two aircraft crashes, during the second of which he endured injuries in combat, earning him the prestigious Purple Heart. He was honored this past August at Yankee Stadium and featured as the cover story of the November edition of North Shore Towers Courier last month. According to Reveman, his story would never have been brought to light had it not been for the inquisitiveness of one of his nephews, Brian Falk. Six years ago, Falk began asking his uncle about his military service. “My war memories were long buried by my decades of life after the war,” Reveman explained. As Reveman spoke of his exploits, Falk soon realized his uncle’s story was one that deserved to be told. Fortunately, Falk was a savvy videographer. He set about capturing his uncle’s military career in a film subsequently entitled, “Riding the Airwaves: Stories of a B17 Radio Operator.” To do so, he conducted a series of more formal and comprehensive interviews with Reveman. Falk spent endless hours researching, finding archival footage and photos to enhance his uncle’s story. He took painstaking and exacting care in digitally re-creating Reveman’s missions and crashes. In the editing room, Falk left himself on the cuttingroom floor, focusing the attention on his uncle. He expertly and seamlessly integrated all the images, schematics, charts and videos as the backdrop to Reveman telling his tale, drawing the audience into the action. The result is one of the most precise and breathtaking accounts of WWII. As a testament to the importance and quality of the work, Falk’s video has since been recognized and accepted as a historic document by the Library of Congress as part of its Veterans’ History Project under the title, “The Joe Reveman Collection.” The video was the highlight of Reveman’s presentation and held the roomful of Veterans family and friends transfixed, the silence occasionally broken by a gasp or knowing murmur from certain audience members who were reliving an experience they shared seventy years ago. During a question-and-answer session with Reveman following the showing, the audience was surprised to learn that the Radio Operator’s tour lasted only a few months, with 2–3 missions run every week. Often Reveman and his crew mates would be awoken in the middle of the night, briefed of their target and sent out. Photos by Stephen Vrattos “Everyone has passed away, except me and a pilot who is barely alive,” Reveman sadly revealed, when asked of his nine crew mates. More stories from attending Veterans and their wives ensued. Bud Bank, who served in the army reserve for eight years goodhumoredly spoke of his visit to the recruitment center. “I told the recruitment officer I wanted to be in the infantry and carry a machine gun,” he explained. At 5-foot, 11inches and weighing a mere 140 lbs., the officer probably believed the weapon being heavier than Bank. The eager and naïve recruit was assigned the transportation division and expected to drive a heavy truck. “I’d never been in a car, never mind a truck,” Bank explained. “I didn’t know how to drive!” His first time expected to do so in a convoy, Bank started the vehicle and wasted no time in hitting the truck in front of his. He was quickly removed from behind the steering wheel and given a spray-paint can, spending the remainder of his time in the Transportation Division stenciling numbers on vehicles. Korean War Vet Irwin Robinson was assigned as a prison guard, manning a machine gun in a tower. “These were soldiers who were Heroes NST gathers to honor the men and women who’ve served Featured speaker Joe Reveman (left) stands beside Master of Ceremonies Fred Chernow Vietnam War Vet Michael Hellman stands alongside host Buffy Reveman speaks with fellow Veterans after his presentation Audience stands to recite the Pledge of Allegiance
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