The “Long Journey Home” is a historical account of seven flyers who were brought together, by fate, in support of Merrill’s Marauders in May 1944 and failed to return from their mission. Through this is primarily written to honor these seven service members, we must never forget the sacrifices of all those who served this great country in World War 2 (WW2). Stories and facts will be presented about their lives and military careers. On 23 May 1944, the seven airmen (three of which were actually ground army troops assigned to Merrill’s Marauders) set out on their first and only flight together. Prior to that flight, the three officers and one enlisted man had flown numerous sorties across North Africa, Italy and Sicily but not together. They were each assigned to different aircraft and crews. They volunteered to fly extra missions with the 4th Transport Squadron in India to earn extra points that would enable them to return home earlier. It wasn’t until 2010 that these brave men came home.
In this writing there will be many references to the history of their years before the military, their units, places and things. I feel that it is extremely important to understand not only the individual but what they did if that is at all possible.
In the fall of 2016 Mr. Bob Frantz contacted the Tyrone Area Historical Society looking for a permanent place to house the vast collection of pictures, documents and stories he collected over the years on his brother Clarence and the crew he flew with. The Frantz family was from Tyrone so everything seemed to fit. We made arrangements to meet in his home, south of York Pa, and discuss things. Before I left my car was packed with boxes of memorabilia. Now all I had to do was figure out how to display it. It was during that meeting he asked me if I would write this book. I must say I was scared to death and I hope I didn’t show it. I have published a few articles for the Historical Society and local newspaper and I compiled 29 interviews of Tyrone Pa WW2 Servicemen which was self-published, but nothing of this size and intensity. The only way to complete the task was to start it so that I did. After months and months of research here it is. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Bob Frantz for his trust and faith in me to put this together. For the many emails and phone conversations we had and our visit going over hundreds of pages of documentation. Additional thanks to the remaining family members of the Olbinski Crew for their assistance in providing valuable information about their loved ones. A write-up on the Olbinski crew written by Dr. Mark Fagan can be seen at www.jsu.edu/socialwork/fredfagan/index.html. His work has been a very valuable part of this publication.
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