Major George E. Preddy has been my WWII hero of heros ever since I was old enough to appreciate the sacrifice of that generation and, of course, the pilots and airplanes that came along with it.

I happened upon a "mini-museum" in the Greensboro, NC airport this last summer. The presentation was a tribute to the Preddy brothers, George and Bill, from Greensboro, who both gave their lives flying P-51s in WWII.

It was a good thing I had to wait for my ride for about an hour. I stood there, immobilized, at 11 o'clock at night, as this video played on the TV screen. It's a good thing it was late at night, and there was nobody around to see the goosebumps and the tears streaming down my face. Then again, maybe my scene would have made others stop and have a look...

The video, "The Last Reunion: A Gathering of Heros", is a living tribute to the Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney; the 352nd Fighter Group. Watch for it on the History Channel and/or PBS TV. It is simply AWESOME. Or buy it for yourself for Christmas. It would be fitting, as December 25, 1944 marked the day Major Preddy gave his life.

http://www.352ndfightergroup.com/assoc/main.html
(click the "Documentary" tab to get to the video order page.)

The Preddy Foundation is also a cool website and gives a brief history of these two patriots and their prowess in the air:

http://www.preddy-foundation.org/

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas...