Memories of a Hero

Commemorating America's Ace of Aces in Poplar, Wisconsin

The Photograph almost says it all...

Dick and Marjorie Bong, obviously in the cockpit of some kind of an aircraft. He comfortable and ready to go. Marge, all 5 foot 9 1/2 inches of her, jammed into the tiny space behind the single seat. She was even wearing a parachute!

The place was Burbank, California. The year 1945. The aircraft a twin-engined twin-tailed Lockheed P-38. Living up to its accepted name of Lightning, the plane had been one of the major reasons we won World War II. With the destruction of 40 enemy planes, Dick Bong had become the leading American air ace of all time, setting a record that most likely will never be exceeded. He also holds the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Dick had been sent home by General George C. Kenney after a distinguished tour with bases mainly in New Guinea and the Philippines. His new role was the sale of war bonds, the means with which we financed a good portion of the war. He criss-crossed the country, attending one war bond rally after another, his confident enthusiasm becoming an indelible memory for thousands of people.

With the help of his family, most of whom still live near his hometown of Poplar, Wisconsin, the tiny community just east of Superior, he reached out to the men and women who were building ships in the Duluth-Superior harbor. His confident smile and his firm handshake are still remembered by many of those who helped us win the war.

Marjorie Vattendahl called Superior her home. Her school had been Superior State Teacher's College. Crowned Homecoming Queen in 1942, she was part of a small group of young women who asked air hero Dick Bong to crown the 1943 queen while he was home on leave in Poplar. After all, he'd learned to fly while a student at Superior State Teachers College. When they met, each was enchanted.

In 1945, he married his sweetheart, Marge, in a wedding that started out as a private affair but was repeated two more times to satisfy an eager press. After a short honeymoon, he and his bride reported to California where he began test pilot work.

The photo confirms his long promise to share his life with his enthusiastic and beautiful young wife. As Marge points out in her wonderful book, Memories, "I thought I'd be scared to death, but I wasn't at all. I loved it." Her husband was America's hero.

Dick was used to raw aircraft power, such as the P-38, but the new P-80 jet fighter became an incredible challenge. While propeller airplanes respond quickly to the throttle, the jet takes several moments to translate the need for power into increased thrust. The challenge was irresistible to Dick Bong. He was, according to Marge, "never happier."

Richard Ira Bong met death during a test flight on August 6, 1945, the same day that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. As the war ended, none of us were aware it was the end of the last war this country would fight to win.

Those who read this column with some regularity know I've never asked a reader to contribute to anything. But we have an incredible opportunity to help Marge Bong Drucker and the Bong family complete the Richard Ira Bong Heritage Center at Poplar, Wisconsin. Dick's sister, Joyce Erickson of Poplar, is leading the effort and doing a remarkable job.

The P-38 fighter, which was originally dedicated at Poplar in 1955 by General Kenney, has been removed from its supports and is being renovated by volunteers under the direction of the Air National Guard at their Duluth Base. Once completed, they will bring it back, but only to an enclosed shelter where Dick's story and America's glory can be enshrined.

COURTESY LHB ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTS
The Richard Ira Bong Heritage Center in Poplar, Wisconsin, will house a reconstructed P-38 fighter that was originally dedicated in 1955 at the site. Readers who donate to the center will receive a copy of Memories as a thank you.

We need your help! Marge's book Memories is history, incredible photographs and a tribute to how a young wife, suddenly a widow, copes with and bests incredible challenge. She and Dick's family want to complete the Heritage Center, and they will do it. The restoration of the aircraft is nearing completion; the need to show our glorious history of World War II to our young has never been greater.

Her book, Memories, will be mailed to you, postpaid, along with details of the planned center, in return for a $25 donation to the Richard Ira Bong Heritage Center.

As noted, Poplar is but a few miles east of Superior on U.S. Highway 2. The Bong collection is on display in the school, and to study the accomplishments of this young American is a thrilling battery charge for we who proudly call America our home. Make sure it is a part of your travel plans when you next strike out around our Lake Superior.

Let's do this, fellow Americans. He "did it" for us.

To order Marge Bong Drucker's Memories, send a check or money order for $25 to:

Lake Superior Magazine
P.O. Box 16417 Dept. I
Duluth, MN 55816-0417

The book will be mailed to you along with details of the planned center. Lake Superior Magazine will forward all donations to the Heritage Center, adding $5 per order to the Bong Heritage Center Building Fund.

Make checks payable to Bong P-38 Fund Inc.