I'm a day late with honoring Veteran's Day. I do not have many photographs of my immediate ancestors serving in uniform because generationally they missed all the American wars except the Revolution, the Civil War, and WWI. This is a photograph of my Uncle Dewitt Lennon, standing second from the right in the back row, with the crew of the Swoose II, taken at the Celone airfield in Foggia, Italy in 1944.
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Kneeling, left to right are: K.G. Wiley, pilot; W.A. Harkins, left waist gunner; C.H. Jenkins, co-pilot; J.F. Dempsey, right waist gunner.
Standing, left to right are: W.O. Dettman, radio operator; partial face unknown; R.E. Winslow, tail gunner; J.A. Kaselonis, bombardier; M.B.Jolley, ball –turret gunner; unknown groundcrew; D.W. Lennon, flt. Engr./upper turret gunner; and H.H. Smith navigator.
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The original Swoose was a rebuilt B-17D that was nicknamed "half swan and half goose," or Swoose. The inspiration was a quirky little song called "Alexander the Swoose" that was popular at the time (see below). She flew under the command of Frank Kurtz in both the Pacific and European theaters for the duration of the war. Today, the Swoose is the oldest surviving B-17 and the only D model in existence. It is being restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Fairborn, Ohio.
Frank Kurtz named his daughter Swoosie Kurtz, who was born while he was serving during the war, after the Swoose.
"Alexander the Swoose" by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra:
Revised July 18, 2019
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