Ghost Stories

Airplane Ghost

My grandfather wasraised in Howard, South Dakota, a small town about 70 miles fromSiox Falls. During his childhood he and his friends had to keepthemselves entertained in order to keep out of trouble, whichwasn't that easy. When he was about eight, he and his friendsdeveloped an infatuation with the airplane. They would pass thetime reading through airplane books, comic books, and playingwith toy airplanes. Their imaginations ran wild.

Only a few of this group of ten boys had even ever seen a realairplane, so when the local banker bought one to fly as a hobbythey were at the airport every time it left the ground. Oneafternoon the banker (can't remember his name) noticed the boysas he was coming in for a landing. After get- ting it tied downhe called the boys over to let them look at it up close. This wasa dream come true, but of course it wasn't enough. One of theboys, my grandpas best friend (Myron) asked if he could fly withhim the next day. The banker laughed and said that he would takethe boys up two at a time starting the next day.

Since they were going to take them up two at a time, Myron and mygrandpa were to go up first. They hardly slept that nightthinking about the next day. When it finally came around mygrandpa jumped out of bed running only to find out that hismother would not let him go up in one of them "infer- nalaircrafts."

He was crushed but decided to go watch anyway. Another boy jumpedin with Myron and the banker, and off they went. But whathappened next made him glad he didn't go up. The banker came inover a shelter belt that divided the courthouse from the highschool, as the plane turned belly up, the two boys plummettedinto the trees below.

Word quickly spread and soon the entire town was on the scene.Both boys were presumed dead, but it took the police dept. acouple hours to find My- ron impaled 75 foot up, the trunk of atree straight through his small frame. Again my grandpa wascrushed, the banker was run out of town, and strange things beganto happen in the shelter belt. Reports of glowing trees began tocome from many high school students that had to walk through thethick tree belt on the way to school, a few even reported seeinga small boy run into the thick underbrush, without any noise.

The strangest was yet to come. During WWII my Grandpa (Fred)joined the air force and became a belly gunner on a B-17 bomber.During his tenure on one crew, he claimed 6 major casualties (broughtdown six large aircraft) "singlehandedly". It was his 4thand 5th that came with some assistance. A shell had struck theturret, limiting the motion of the gun. As he tried to swingaround he met resistance and the turret recoiled knocking him un-conscious. As he woke up the gun was firing and before his eyesthe turret made a full revolution and struck an enemy planebringing it down. He went to grab the gun but was pushed back. Heheard the voice of a child say "no way, it's still my turn!!"He was dumbfounded, he just sat there until the plane landed. Ashe was getting out, he noticed Myron's favorite "Flying Aces"comic book laying on the floor of the turret. Later thatafternoon, Fred recieved a bravery medal for saving his crew fromthe two enemy gun- ships that were much more powerful than theirB-17. He never told anyone about the story until much later.