A graduation photograph taken at Blackland Army Airfield in Texas of my father Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson in October of 1943. He was in the Class of 1943 (I) of the Advanced Flight School near where he started at Kelly Field. Within a few months, as a pilot he would be off to England for combat.

He flew to England in January of 1944 and was stationed at Horham Airfield with the 95th Bomb Group - 334th Squadron and would complete 35 missions between February through September 1944.

Ernest would pilot twelve B-17s and their names and numbers are: "Lili of the Lamplight" (44-6085) "Taint A Bird II (230342)," “Fireball Red (231876)," “Able Mable (231920),” “Mirandy (231992),” “Gen'ril Oop & Lili Brat (231993)," "Ten Aces (238178),” “Smilin' Sandy Sanchez (297290)," “Palsano (2102450),” "Stand By / Goin' My Way (21072014),” "The Doodle Bug / What’s Cookin? (2107047),” "To Hell Or Glory (238123)"

The original photograph is below, the one he brought back to his parents, Clara Amelia (Nelson) and Frank Severin Erickson in late October 1943 in Bismarck, North Dakota on leave while he awaited his assignment that would take him to Europe.