On April 4, 1944, Roy Shenkel was 20 years old and that’s when the staff sergeant learned his biggest lesson.
“Freedom isn’t free. Never has been. Nor will it ever be. If you want it, you gotta fight for it. You can’t run from it," Shenkel said.
Shenkel was a waist gunner in the U.S. Air Force. It was his fourth mission.
“Our target was Yugoslavia. When we were hit, we were on fire, had a rocket hit us,” Shenkel said.
Shenkel was onboard a B-17 similar to the one that’s currently at the Charles Wheeler Airport in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The last time he was on an aircraft like this, he was parachuting out of a burning one into the hands of German Soldiers.
"13 months and one week in a prison camp. That was an experience," Shenkel said.
Nearly 30,000 B-17s were made during WWII. Today only 10 remain. That’s not the only number fading. So too is the number of living WWII vets. Shenkel is part of a group of living WWII vets that meets regularly in the KC Metro.
"We usually have around 50 or 60 in that room. Now we’re down to three," Shenkel said.
That’s why Shenkel hopes the preservation of these aircraft will preserve history and a story he hopes will be passed onto future generations.
“I have grandkids. And I have feeling, for not only them but for the American people, we better get our troops back in order, get our planes back,” said Shenkel.
To visit the Madras Maiden B 17 or schedule a time to fly, click here.
