Patriotism, honor, integrity and duty are just a few words that come to mind when I think of a veteran. Most veterans will tell you "I was just doing my job." Capt. Jesse Frey will tell you the same.
My first encounter with Capt. Frey was this past June at the Indianapolis Air Show. A member of the executive committee brought him to the air show so he could see the Horseman perform in their P-51 Mustangs. After the show, we made an effort to get Capt. Frey out to meet the pilots before they departed that Sunday evening. It was the right thing to do. After all, Jesse could relate to them, he had flown that same aircraft during WWII.
As Capt. Frey began to show picture of the aircraft in the 362nd fighter squadron of the 8th Air Force while they were stationed in England, he began to tell me about a trip to the Gathering of Mustangs in Ohio a few years ago. He'd heard about a P-51 Mustang there called Ain't Misbehavin'. Armed with his photographs from the war, he was on a mission to find this one plane at the gathering.
When he found the plane, one of the owners was there, and Jesse introduced himself and explained, "I flew a P-51 of the same name in the war." Phone calls were made, and before long everyone associated with the plane was there to hear Capt. Frey's stories from WWII and see the pictures that he had brought. Owners of P-51s aren't often humbled, but that was the case at the end of the event when Jesse handed over some of his pictures to the owners and told them he wanted them to have them.
The owners did something wonderful with those pictures. They took those pictures and their airplane to the paint shop in the summer of 2010. Ain't Misbehavin' emerged with a paint job that looked like that same plane in the WWII pictures.
If ever there was a grand way to honor a couple of veterans, this was the way to do it (click the link for some background). The Indiana wing of the Commemorative Air Force, Montgomery Aviation, and P-51 owners Wes Stowers and Billy Strickland deserve many accolades for a first class event. The generosity showed to Capt. Frey's and Pat Buzzeo's families by Billy and Wes was great to see. Every member of their families got a ride in the P-51. I really can't sing enough praises for those that put the event together. I wish every veteran could be honored like this.
What a pleasure it was to meet Pat Buzzeo, the crew chief that was awarded the Bronze Star for keeping Ain't Misbehavin' in the sky. Capt Frey flew three hundred hours without an aborted mission for maintenance during the war. You'll see in the photos in the gallery below that Pat was exuberant after his flight in the P-51! I'll never forget his enthusiasm when he got out of the plane and exclaimed, "We pulled 4 Gs!" While re-enacting a photo taken during the war (Capt. Frey on the wing, Pat shaking hand with him), he gave all present another good laugh when he told everyone, "you need to hurry and take your pictures. My arm is getting tired!"
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