The Full Story
Nostalgia informs a person’s perspective on heritage.
Nostalgia can anchor a person or coalesce people. Tangible and intangible heritage can be held sacred by two cultures, a world apart. People and places are weathered by time. So long as we remember their stories, they are always with us.
With each season that passes, we archive moments for future generations to unearth as we hope our memory endures.
Steve "Beepee" Czajka
He left his story for us to find. He was well-suited for armament because he worked for a heater manufacturer before the war. He wanted to be an aerial gunner and his persistent ear problem stood in his way. He carried out his duties and was promoted. He lived in Stornara among the olive trees. He left in 1945 focused on a new life and started a family.
Stornara
What started as a journey to see the sacred olive grove became a lesson in heritage and culture. The local Italian people are passionate, resilient, and wonderful. They shared their perspective with us and were so gracious.
The olive grove is much like the people who live there. Resilient and giving.
Poem from the 456th Bomb Group Association's
Member Status Page
Source 1: inherited items
Privately owned collection of Amy Skinner
456th Bomb Group photo book. Personal photo album, a cross, a handwritten Apostles Creed in Russian, old coins, and military pins. Military uniform.
Source 2: AFHRA
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Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA)
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Archives or history of the unit. Most valuable documentation is from the S-2 Officer (Intelligence Officer) 2nd Lieutenant Alfred D. Levine, author of the unit's “War Diary”
Source 3: field study
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Stornara “place as a source” (Self)
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360-degree panoramic photos (Self)
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Video of olive grove tent site (Self)
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Photos of mapped areas of significance (Self)
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Interviews with locals