Remembering my father, Stanley Bober, 303rd Bomb Group veteran, who would have been 105 years old on May 30, 2023.
My father’s parents were born in Poland and migrated individually to the United States in the early 1900’s. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 30 May 1918. His family tried farming, but became home sick after a couple of years and returned to Poland. Stanley lived with his family on their farm near Jaroslaw until returning to the United States. Stanley traveled from Poland aboard the steamship “Pilsudski”, which arrived in the New York harbor on June 1938. Stanley worked in his uncle Peter’s diner, among other jobs, learning English along the way..
When the United States entered World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he and several buddies heard the news while in a local bar and all agreed to enlist the next day. My father was the only one of the group to show up at the recruiting office.
Stanley enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on 10 December 1941 and began training at Fort Dix Army Air Force Base, New Jersey. Over the next 2 years, he received additional training in Texas, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico, eventually completing Bombardier-Navigator-Gunner training with Class 44-3 at Deming Air Base on 26 February 1944. His crew picked up a new Boeing B-17 at Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, in June 1944. They flew it to England where they joined the 427th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, “Hells Angels”, at Molesworth, arriving a month later.
Most of his missions were flown on “Miss Lace” with the AUSTON O. CAPLINGER CREW – 427th BS, but on a few he was assigned to other crews. Stanley completed 35 missions (253:10 combat hours with no wounds received) ahead of the rest of his crew; the final one (and ninth as navigator) on November 20, 1944. His MISSION JOURNAL can be viewed on the 303rd Bomb Group website.
During his long and honorable career, Stanley Bober also served as:
- Electronics Officer, 614th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii (where he married Angel Collins and their son John was born).
- Chief, Radar Engineering, 1st Airways and Air Communications Service Installations and Maintenance Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (where their daughter Kathleen was born).
- Chief, Radio and Wire Operations Branch, C&E Directorate, Headquarters Alaskan Air Command, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
- Chief, Payloads Section, 6596th Instrumentation Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California.
Major Bober retired from the Air Force on June 30 1964, after 22 years, 6 months and 20 days of active military service.
In July 1964, he accepted employment with RCA Service Company at the Gilmore Creek Tracking Station in Fairbanks, Alaska. Several years later, he was transferred to Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, where he managed operations for a series of Orbiting Solar Observatory satellites. He took a second retirement in 1982. After extensive travel, he and Angel settled in Sun City, Tucson, in 1987.
A true Renaissance man, my father was a talented photographer, painter, swimmer and diver, golfer, bowler, woodworker, mechanic, tailor, and silversmith.
He passed away on November 27, 1999 in Tucson, Arizona, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. His many accomplishments and his sense of honor, courage and dedication made him a shining example of everything a man can be. He will live in our memories… until we meet again.
