The story of Sgt. Don Dinwiddie, radioman on the B-17 GI Sheets, and his crew as they barely survived being shot down in German-held territory on Jan 29th, 1944,as told by author Terry Irwin.

Today's history classes really don't teach the many ways that commen men with uncommon courage fought for our freedom in WWII- and this story is a great example.

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Tom Phillips and his three young children disappeared from the isolated rural Waikato town of Marokopa on 9 December 2021. New Zealand Police believe that the children were taken by their father to a location somewhere in the western Waikato, after a dispute with their mother. Phillips is alleged to have committed a bank robbery in September 2023, but the first sighting of all three children with their father was on 3 October 2024, when they were spotted walking through Marokopa farmland. However, despite a three-day search of the area, including the use of a military helicopter, they have not yet been located.

Background

Marokopa seen from above
Before their disappearance, Tom Phillips lived in Ōtorohanga in New Zealand's Waikato district with his three children.[ They also spent much of their time at the family farm in Marokopa. Phillips had been separated from his wife Catherine for several years and was homeschooling the children.[citation needed] He is an experienced hunter and camper. The Phillips family has farmed in the area for generations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_family_disappearances

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/world/new-zealand-tom-phillips-missing-children-intl-hnk-dst

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/532022/missing-marokopa-family-detective-spearheading-the-search-for-tom-phillips-and-his-three-children-reveals-what-he-believes-phillips-motive-is

https://nypost.com/2024/10/11/world-news/new-zealand-mothers-chilling-theory-as-missing-kids-re-emerge-in-bushland-with-father-tom-phillips/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9DnIfQ_EuM
(use this one for finding–middle of the story)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0lvbGxGfuY
(supportive of the father)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pVjMwhYr7M
(too long)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O0xExooPio
(use for starting of story)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH4E9dM69PI
(good mom info)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/17/three-years-in-the-wild-how-a-fugitive-father-has-hidden-his-children-for-so-long-ntwnfb

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/08/timeline-disappearance-of-tom-phillips-and-marokopa-children/

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/missing-marokopa-family-waikato-ute-owners-plea-for-sightings-after-theft/GBX5NWPJRBAKBIJVA4RKOUDFN4/

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with the Pacific fleet in 1941, Boyington joined the "Flying Tigers" (1st American Volunteer Group) of the Republic of China Air Force and saw combat in Burma in late 1941 and 1942 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In September 1942, Boyington rejoined the Marine Corps. In early 1943, he deployed to the South Pacific and began flying combat missions in the F4U Corsair fighter. On August 14, 1943, he took command of Marine fighter squadron VMF-214 ("Black Sheep").

In January 1944, Boyington, outnumbered by Japanese "Zero" planes, was shot down into the Pacific Ocean after downing one of the enemy planes. He was captured by a Japanese submarine crew and was held as a prisoner of war for more than a year and a half. He was released shortly after the surrender of Japan.

The television series Baa Baa Black Sheep was inspired by Boyington and his men in the "Black Sheep" squadron. It ran for two seasons in the late 1970s.

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