The first few entries here have pictures to look at  - these pictures were scanned from very old photos and news paper clippings - click the smaller image and the larger will open in a new window to look at. After the picture is a short biography, hand written and transposed by the daughter in her <haha> spare time.  (11/2002) THE PHOTOS
	COCKPIT Training Camp Springs, MD - which is now Andrews AFB. In a P47-D-15, my first flight in the P47 I only had approximately 30 minutes flying time. I saw a Martin bomber, I could not get away from him, I had not learned how to fly the JUG yet. The next day with only 2 miles of visibility, I got lost. The controller gave me vectors back to Camp Springs. The P47 only had gas for 2 1/2 hours I had already flown for 3h 10min.
	LEE'S LIEUTENANTS This is the 86th FTR GR 527 SQ in front of the house we lived in in Germany.
	112 MISSIONS This is a newspaper story about me when I got home after the war.
	GROUP SHOT By the tail of my plane: Me, Crew Chief, Sylan (Kap) Kapner - who was my friend for many years.
	GERMANY 1945 The flak was always heavy because we flew very low. We were in Italy, the ground gunners were good. In France they were much better, but when we got to Germany they were very good shots. On this mission - 4 plane flight - we had bombed a rail track and now were looking for trucks. I found 4 trucks and I was only 50ft. in the air shooting at the trucks when I flew over a 20mm cannon. He just pointed the THG20 straight up . As I went over him I got hit in the tail. I was able to bring the plane back without too much trouble.
	SILVER BARS A newspaper story when I promoted to 1st Lt Oct 30, 1944
	COME CLOSER In basic training, flying a BT13 vibrator, I asked my instructor to take my picture flying. He kept motioning me closer until my left wing was actually laying on top of his stabilizer.
THE WALL MUSEUM AT BEN's HOUSE

THE BIOGRAPHY

1933 - As a young boy I was always fascinated by airplanes. At about 10 years old I was building model planes that I could fly. In 1933, models cost 10 cents and had a wing span of 12". When ever my mother could not find me, I was usually at Roosevelt field watching the planes.

1939 - When I was in high school, the principal of the junior high got me a job building model planes in Woolworth's (department store window at Easter time.

1940 - I got a job at Grumman Aircraft Corp., assembling wings and riveting them together. I worked on civilian planes, G21 Goose and G44 Gedgon.

I took my first paycheck and bought flying lessons at Zahn's airport in Farmingdale, Long Island, in a Piper J3 Cub. I got 30 hrs in the J3 when the government closed down all private flying within 50 miles of the coastline.

1943 - I joined the army in 1943. I was 20 years old. I took the cadet test and passed. I took my primary flight in a Stearman PT19 at Americus, GA. Then I was sent to Bainbridge GA for basic in a Voltee BT13. Then I advanced to Marrinana FL in a T6.

1944 January - Graduated a 2nd LT in class 44a. Then I was sent back to FL to learn how to fly a P40 Warhawk.

1944 April - Now I got sent off to Camp Springs MD (now called Andrews AFB) to fly P47's. After that I was sent to Millville, NJ to shoot gunnery.

1944 June - On about June 1st 1944 I was off to Italy, and arrived in Naples around July 1st. I was assigned to the 86 FTG - 527 SQ 12th Air Force and went to Orbitelo Italy. I started flying dive bombing and strafing missions about 1 week later. We then moved to Corsica, then to Piza, then France, then Germany.

After flying 112 missions the CO said I did enough and it was time to quit. One week later the war was over in the European Theater.

1945 - Back now at Fort Dix NJ, THE bomb was dropped in Japan and I was discharged.

While in the Air Force I was awarded many medals - battle & campaigns.

• Mediterranean Theater 
• Rome Arno 
• Northern Apennies 
• Southern France 
• Rinland 
• PO Valley 
• Central Europe
  • Decorations & Citations 
• European African Middle Eastern Theater 
  • Campaign Ribbon 
• Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters 
• Distinguished Flying Cross

I am very proud of all of these medals to this very day.

After the big war, I had 36 row boats in Oyster Bay Long Island that I rented to fishermen, that lasted for about 3 or 4 years.

1950 - I started Mineola Bicycle Service in Mineola, Long Island, NY - BUT I had to fly - So I joined the CAP and rented a plane at Zahn's Airport. I also joined the Air Force Reserve at Mitchell Field, NY and got to fly T6's and got 10 hours in a P51.

Reserve time ended so I found a flying club with 8 members. They had a piper Tripacer. We flew that for about 2 years and then bought a new Cessna 172 Skyhawk. That lasted for a few years until the 172 had a small ground accident. We bought a new Piper 180 Cherokee. We had that for about 3 years and one day one of the members was coming back to Flushing Airport, near LaGuardia, and one half of the prop blade broke off. He put it down in the water, so now I had no plane to fly.

I found 3 fellows that had a Piper Comanche and I bought one of their shares. We owned that plane for a long time, then we found a great buy in a F33 Beech Bonanza straight tail.

I flew that Bonanza like a P47. It was fast and it was great. I had to sell my share when, I started to spend more time in our Florida home.

1999 - As I write all this down, I am in Old Bethpage, NY, now my summer home. I have become a volunteer for the American Air Power Museum at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. All the planes at the museum fly & they even have a P47 D30 that looks great, plus many more planes.

The other museum that I volunteer at is the brand new Cradle of Aviation Museum at Mitchell Field, NY. The theme of the museum is aviation history on Long Island. It starts off before the Wright brothers and goes through time to space travel to the moon. The museum also has an IMAX theater that is spectacular. This museum is home to a P47N, one of the last P47's built.