Characters of the 80th Squadron
Jul 25, 2019 7:54:50 GMT -8
blaird, crushedhat, and 2 more like this
Post by Bruce E. Schwark on Jul 25, 2019 7:54:50 GMT -8
This thread is a place to post any details you have created for the characters/personnel of the 80th Squadron.
As I have the time I create a vignette of the pilots and crews. I get more enjoyment from the game when I begin to see them as real people, not just name, rank and position on a page. As I try to make them as plausible as possible, the research involved I've come to learn more about the geography, economy and times of 1940.
Pilot: 1st Lt. Walter Hurley - Sweet Talkin' Woman
One might not expect Lt. Walter Hurley to be commanding a bomber crew of ten. He is a very young 21. He stammers when he speaks. Physically he’s unremarkable except for his piercing peridot-colored eyes. His leadership skills are apparent, however. He’s a second-generation auto worker from Flint, Michigan. Inspired by the successful 1936 sit-down strike by the UAW, Walter became heavily involved with the union and was taking night classes to move into management positions within the union. What’s more is people have come to call him “Red Dog.” When provoked he’ll bear the large birthmark on his arm (which he claims is the shape of a dog). He’ll spin a yarn about how that red stain has toughened him - because it’s a burn; or, it’s a failed tattoo; or, being bullied about it, etc.
He named the bomber he flies “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” after his gal, Lily, an operator with the telephone company.
Copilot: 2nd Lt. John Yevich - Sweet Talkin' Woman
John is the oddity of the bomb group. To the uninformed he must be some sort of tall, brown-haired Russian rabbi. Many a morning and evening he will be seen going off alone wearing a long black robe and kamilavka. He also sports a long, trimmed, non-regulation beard of which group command ignores. And then he reads and speaks Russian. Looking past the externals, John is a humble harvester of peat moss from some backwoods township in Koochiching county, MN. But the externals people see, is still the real John. Anticipating the anarchy that would ensue when the Russian populace began to call for deposing the Tsar, as well as the rising tide of Bolshevism, his dzyedooshka emigrated to Canada and then the US. John is a very devout adherent of the Russian Orthodox church. Prior to 1941 the local enclave of fellow immigrants had been sending him off to college, hoping that he might be their spiritual leader.
Navigator: 2Lt. Henry Hubbard - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Before volunteering for service after Pearl Harbor Henry lived in Gettysburg where he worked as a surveyor and recorder of deeds for Adams County. Given his propensity for jotting down numbers in his notebook and working the figures, it is no surprise that he was made a navigator. He’s never really left Adams County where he lives with his wife, as such he’s a bit naïve. He is a bit awkward interacting with women and others from different regions or ethnicities. The one truly unforgettable about Henry is the silver caps on his two front teeth.
Engineer: M.Sgt. Bob Farley - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Bob, the engineer for our aircraft is from the village of Tower Hill, Illinois. He developed an aptitude for machinery working on the family farm. Before joining the crew he had been drafted as a mechanic with the ground crew, wherein he earned a reputation for meticulous work. Bob is the depiction of the all-American male: tall, dark hair, and hazel eyes. But the gals are quickly disappointed to find this 23 year-old married his high school sweetheart, Diane, with whom he now has four children. If there is any negative to Bob it’s his overuse of slang; often he sounds as if he’s parroting the dialogue of gangster movies and dime-store pulp fiction.
Tail Gunner: Sgt. George Grant - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Anyone who observes Sgt. George Grant would wonder why he isn’t a buck Private. His uniform and appearance are frequently disheveled. As soon as his duties as tail gunner are done for the day, one will most likely find George in the sack or the chow line. The man has no ambition at all. He’s content doing the bare minimum in the Army in exchange for the food, lodging, and pay. From his perspective he’s never had it so good. Growing up in Philadelphia during the depression was unbelievably hard for him. His parents abandoned him at an orphanage when they could no longer provide for him. George regressed to a guttersnipe, petty thief and day laborer. The draft is what pulled him from the gutter and gave him sergeant’s stripes.
Radio Operator: Sgt. Albert Howard - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Sergeant Howard is an unpleasant experience for many. Prior to being drafted he was a mailman from Grand Rapids, MI. He bemoans (as if he’s the only one) how the war has taken him from his wife, Geraldine and their 3 children. He will loudly argue that the Detroit Tigers are the absolute greatest team in baseball. But most people find Albert to be a boor when his begins to vocalize his biases. In short, he looks down on nearly every immigrant ethnicity and race. He will insinuate that unless one’s ancestors were not from the Mayflower, that individual is less of a person.
As I have the time I create a vignette of the pilots and crews. I get more enjoyment from the game when I begin to see them as real people, not just name, rank and position on a page. As I try to make them as plausible as possible, the research involved I've come to learn more about the geography, economy and times of 1940.
Pilot: 1st Lt. Walter Hurley - Sweet Talkin' Woman
One might not expect Lt. Walter Hurley to be commanding a bomber crew of ten. He is a very young 21. He stammers when he speaks. Physically he’s unremarkable except for his piercing peridot-colored eyes. His leadership skills are apparent, however. He’s a second-generation auto worker from Flint, Michigan. Inspired by the successful 1936 sit-down strike by the UAW, Walter became heavily involved with the union and was taking night classes to move into management positions within the union. What’s more is people have come to call him “Red Dog.” When provoked he’ll bear the large birthmark on his arm (which he claims is the shape of a dog). He’ll spin a yarn about how that red stain has toughened him - because it’s a burn; or, it’s a failed tattoo; or, being bullied about it, etc.
He named the bomber he flies “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” after his gal, Lily, an operator with the telephone company.
Copilot: 2nd Lt. John Yevich - Sweet Talkin' Woman
John is the oddity of the bomb group. To the uninformed he must be some sort of tall, brown-haired Russian rabbi. Many a morning and evening he will be seen going off alone wearing a long black robe and kamilavka. He also sports a long, trimmed, non-regulation beard of which group command ignores. And then he reads and speaks Russian. Looking past the externals, John is a humble harvester of peat moss from some backwoods township in Koochiching county, MN. But the externals people see, is still the real John. Anticipating the anarchy that would ensue when the Russian populace began to call for deposing the Tsar, as well as the rising tide of Bolshevism, his dzyedooshka emigrated to Canada and then the US. John is a very devout adherent of the Russian Orthodox church. Prior to 1941 the local enclave of fellow immigrants had been sending him off to college, hoping that he might be their spiritual leader.
Navigator: 2Lt. Henry Hubbard - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Before volunteering for service after Pearl Harbor Henry lived in Gettysburg where he worked as a surveyor and recorder of deeds for Adams County. Given his propensity for jotting down numbers in his notebook and working the figures, it is no surprise that he was made a navigator. He’s never really left Adams County where he lives with his wife, as such he’s a bit naïve. He is a bit awkward interacting with women and others from different regions or ethnicities. The one truly unforgettable about Henry is the silver caps on his two front teeth.
Engineer: M.Sgt. Bob Farley - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Bob, the engineer for our aircraft is from the village of Tower Hill, Illinois. He developed an aptitude for machinery working on the family farm. Before joining the crew he had been drafted as a mechanic with the ground crew, wherein he earned a reputation for meticulous work. Bob is the depiction of the all-American male: tall, dark hair, and hazel eyes. But the gals are quickly disappointed to find this 23 year-old married his high school sweetheart, Diane, with whom he now has four children. If there is any negative to Bob it’s his overuse of slang; often he sounds as if he’s parroting the dialogue of gangster movies and dime-store pulp fiction.
Tail Gunner: Sgt. George Grant - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Anyone who observes Sgt. George Grant would wonder why he isn’t a buck Private. His uniform and appearance are frequently disheveled. As soon as his duties as tail gunner are done for the day, one will most likely find George in the sack or the chow line. The man has no ambition at all. He’s content doing the bare minimum in the Army in exchange for the food, lodging, and pay. From his perspective he’s never had it so good. Growing up in Philadelphia during the depression was unbelievably hard for him. His parents abandoned him at an orphanage when they could no longer provide for him. George regressed to a guttersnipe, petty thief and day laborer. The draft is what pulled him from the gutter and gave him sergeant’s stripes.
Radio Operator: Sgt. Albert Howard - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Sergeant Howard is an unpleasant experience for many. Prior to being drafted he was a mailman from Grand Rapids, MI. He bemoans (as if he’s the only one) how the war has taken him from his wife, Geraldine and their 3 children. He will loudly argue that the Detroit Tigers are the absolute greatest team in baseball. But most people find Albert to be a boor when his begins to vocalize his biases. In short, he looks down on nearly every immigrant ethnicity and race. He will insinuate that unless one’s ancestors were not from the Mayflower, that individual is less of a person.