High flight

Air Classics, Apr 2002 by Powell, Bob

For many years, I have done my utmost to perpetuate the history of the 352nd Fighter Group - bringing our comrades and their families together at our reunions, through the history book, and any way I could - with varying degrees of success. As a result, many wartime friendships were rekindled and new ones formed and I take great pride that this has happened as this has become a true labor of love for me.

However, there is one thing I wanted to accomplish that has continued to fi-rustrate me to this day, but I am still trying.

If you have one of our 352nd histories (The Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney), please look at page 4 alongside the Whisner painting. There you will find a poem (High Flight by John Gillespie Magee) which is meaningful to every pilot I know. In fact, many of us have expressed the desire to have this poem read at our funeral service. The poem is as follows:

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God

During all these years, I have wanted to find someone with the musical talent to put the poem to music to make it even more beautiful than it is. Although I have no talent (I did play the trombone in our high school band), I can envision how I would do it if I had the talent.

Someone with musical talent could probably go beyond this dream of mine. Hopefully an Air Classics reader will have the talent or know of someone who does. Please contact me if you have any ideas on how to put High Flight to music.

Bob Powell

352nd Fighter Group Association

bluenoserbob2@juno.com