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This page will honor the proud servicemen and women that served or are currently serving in the military and are from Mirando City. If you know of such a person, please send me information about them and a picture if possible.

We all need to remember these men and women, pray for them, and honor them for their sacrifices so that we can all have the freedoms we enjoy.

Below is information submitted by Bettye Weigand Pribyl who's uncle was Delmar Dale "Bud" Pollock who lived in Mirando City before going into the military during World War II. He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have the freedom that we take so lightly these days.

I am Bettye Weigand Pribyl, daughter of Vina Pollock Weigand, and granddaughter of Clara and Finis Pollock. My mother's brother, Delmar Dale "Bud" Pollock was a B17 pilot in WWII who died during the first daylight raids on Berlin. Today (Aug. 11) my mother and her brother, Sid Pollock, were presented his long overdue Purple Heart and other medals by Congressman Ron Paul at a ceremony held here in Victoria. Attending were my parents, Allan and Vina Weigand, my uncle Sid Pollock and his daughter, Sandy Stewart, and my cousin, Eddie Hoch and wife Linda. Also my Uncle Sid's friend, Marianne. It was a very touching and bittersweet ceremony. I do not know how much of this you want to put on the site but I will send you several things you might be interested in. Bud did not graduate from MHS but his younger sisters, Dot Elliott, Vina Grace Weigand, Fern Miller and Sid Pollock all did. Bud did live in Mirando City before going into the military and did marry an area girl, Kathleen Crane, from Laredo.

THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET…

March 4, 1944

Narrative written by R. L. Hopkins, WWII Historian for the 94^th Bomb Group

In collaboration with Bettye Weigand Pribyl, niece of Lt. D. D. Pollock

This laconic message, typical of thousands like it, concealed a world of human drama. Misspelled and misleading, it reached Mrs. D. D. Pollock, Kathleen, in Laredo, Texas, long after the event, offering a thread of hope…forlorn hope, as we shall see.

Delmar D. “Bud” Pollock had died at about a quarter to eleven on a cloudy Saturday morning, March 4, 1944, almost three weeks earlier.

Delmar Dale Pollock

He was flying on the extreme right of his group.[1] Echeloned away to his left, were the other 17 B-17s in his formation. Up ahead and at a higher altitude was the lead group of his Combat Wing. They were all part of a bomber stream more than 500 strong hoping to become the first Americans to strike the capital of the Third Reich.

On only his third mission with his own crew, after having flown previously as co-pilot, he was off the right wing of his element[2] leader, 2^nd Lt. James T. Bloyd, while across the way was another friend, 2^nd Lt. R. A. Senior, all of the 331^st Squadron. Things were deceptively calm.

The undercast was solid, allowing no view of the earth far below. It was noted that the formation was approximately a minute late and slightly off course as it neared the enemy

coast some 14 miles north of Dunkerque (Dunkirk). Sporadic flak rose up through the murk, its deadly flowers blossoming randomly, but nothing seemed destined to deter the bombers from their goal, a tiny point on the map hundreds of miles away.

It happened suddenly, it always did. There was a fire in the left wing! Warnings and commands flashed through the interphone system, efforts were made to shut down the flames, and then, the interphone went dead. The fire was spreading rapidly.

Lieutenant Pollock pulled his aircraft, fully laden with bombs and aviation fuel, sharply away from his squadron, standard procedure to protect the formation. He gave the order to bail out just as the plane went into a vertical dive, centrifugal force holding the crew fast. Pollock and co-pilot Warren Van Eschen fought the controls as the burning ship plunged down through the heavy clouds. They managed to steady the plane for a few seconds, allowing Ken Kirker (top turret gunner), Jay Summers (tail gunner), and Walter Stevenson (left waist) time to parachute out. Unfortunately, Summers’ ‘chute became entangled with the plane and did not deploy. At that point, an explosion ripped the plane apart and, miraculously, blew three more men clear, sparing Ralph Candiotti (bombardier), Bennie Zak[3] (navigator), and a badly wounded Warren Van Eschen (co-pilot) the fate of their plane and the four men trapped inside.

Ralph Candiotti

Warren L. Van Eschen

Bennie Zak

Of those who survived, Van Eschen was in the most serious condition. His left leg below the knee was off, the truncated limb bleeding profusely. He was fortunate to land near Walter Stevenson, who was able to collapse the wounded man’s ‘chute for him and apply a tourniquet made of its shroud lines.[4]

The Germans took little time to arrive on the scene. They rendered first aid and transported four captured airmen (Candiotti, Van Eschen, Zak, and Stevenson) to the hospital in Lille, and in time, to POW camps where they would await the end of hostilities.

Luckiest of the survivors was Kenneth O. Kirker, Jr., who managed to evade capture and encounter elements of the Résistance. He was reported to have had a minor flak wound, most likely the same flak that started the fire. He was taken in by the French and apparently operated with them against the Germans in the Dunkirk area. He eventually attached himself to a Canadian reconnaissance unit, and was returned to England.

The wreckage came down in two major pieces. The rear section landed near Fort-Mardijk, 5 km west of Dunkerque and very close to the coast. The front of the aircraft came to rest near Grande-Synthe, 8 km southwest of Dunkerque.

William H. Irvin was still in the waist, William G. Grocke was in the ball turret (from which his crewmates were unable to free him), and Gerald Silver was found under the right stabilizer. Bud Pollock was still at the controls of his ship.

All four bodies were moved to the British Military Cemetery at St. Omer-Longuenesse (of WWI fame). Bud Pollock was buried as an “unknown” and remained so for many years. It wasn't until his body was recovered by U.S. personnel that dental records revealed his identity.

The Crew of Aircraft 42-38169, QE-K, “Nobody’s Fool[5],” 331^st Squadron

Top Turret/Engineer: S/Sgt. Kenneth O. Kirker, Jr., EVD, Youngstown, Ohio

[1] The 94^th Bomb Group was flying in the 4^th “A” Combat Wing. The 94^th provided the lead group and

the low group, where Pollock was positioned. The 385^th Bomb Group provided the high group.

[2] An element consisted of three planes in a rough “V.”

[3] In later life he became an illustrious chemist and pioneer in the field of clinical chemistry. Dr. Zak received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Wayne State University. After receiving his doctoral degree in 1952, he served as Clinical Chemist for Detroit General Hospital and as Professor of Pathology at Wayne State University School of Medicine until his death in July 2005.

[4] There is an oral tradition in the Van Eschen family that he landed in the water, the cold stopped his

bleeding and he was rescued by the Germans.

[5] There is much confusion surrounding this aircraft, its number, and its name. It was definitely

number 42-38169, QE-K. Its name was “Wolverine II,” but it is thought that the new crew (Pollock’s)

re-named it when it became “their” plane. The name included in the post-mission summary is

“Nobody’s Fool.”

Capt. Julian Perez, husband of ex-Mirando City resident, Sarah Molina Perez is now serving in Afghanistan.

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© Mirandocity.com 2006
For problems or questions regarding this website, contact Webmaster.