Sheffield, England – U.S. and Royal Air Force planes soared over Sheffield on Friday to honor 10 U.S. airmen who sacrificed their lives during World War II to save children playing in a park where they wanted to land.
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One of those children, Tony Foulds, watched the fly-past after he spent decades lobbying for public recognition of the sacrifice made by the crew of the B-17G nicknamed “Mi Amigo.” Foulds wanted an aerial display befitting men who fought in the sky.
Thousands of people gathered for the event, which was broadcast live on the BBC. Foulds wept as the planes zoomed over.
“That was worth waiting 66 years for,” Foulds said as he dabbed his eyes with a wadded tissue.
The crowd burst into a cheer of “Hip Hip Hooray!” for 82-year-old Foulds, who has been tending a memorial to the airmen for decades, wracked with guilt because he believed he was responsible for the deaths of Lt. John G. Kriegshauser and his crew.
Foulds believes the plane would have landed on the grass — saving the crew — had Kriegshauser decided to take his chances and land in the park. Instead, the pilot directed the aircraft into the woods, avoiding the children and the houses surrounding the park.
