One of the great joys and thrills of working with WWII aircraft is meeting those men (then boys) who took them to battle. One of my heroes and favorites is Vic Tatleman who just celebrated his 95th birthday! I meet Vic many years ago, one of the first WWII vets we got to know. I’ve spent hours listening to his stories, he’s lived quite a life! He was a B-25C pilot in the Pacific, part of the 499th Air Apaches. His squadron, the “Bats outta Hell” had the amazing nose art you see behind him in the photograph. That’s “Betty’s Dream” in the background, Vic flew “Dirty Dora.” Oh the stories that go with those names!
Vic flew two tours flying more than 120 missions. He earned many medals which include two Distinguished Flying Crosses and one Purple Heart. Spending time with Vic and Lynn and listening to the stories is such a great way to spend time but thank goodness they’ve been written down. You can learn more about Vic in the book that came out about him recently and it’s good reading!
Wondering about that portrait above? That was taken at Oshkosh a few years back when the Texas Flying Legends Museum brought Vic and a number of other vets in to tell their stories to the public. I already knew Vic so spend time talkin and then sneaking in the portraits when I could. He always seemed camera shy. So with that, I worked where I could get the quick click, I only got two off at this pose. The lighting was easy as we were on bright, clean cement which bounces light up so nicely making nice light out of nasty. Swung the D4 / 24-70AFS up and went click as fast as I could. Cause a heartbeat later, Vic was telling a tale again. Happy Birthday my friend!