My grandfather Frank Gustaf Severin Erickson and his four year old daughter Dian Marcella (Boutrous) Erickson in late Spring of 1944 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Frank is wearing a leather A-2 flight jacket his son, Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson sent him (2nd photo below shows Ernest wearing the jacket in front of the Red Feather Club) from Horham Airfield in England. Ernest was overseas flying combat with the 8th Air Force and the 95th Bomb Group. He was a B-17 pilot with the 334th Squadron and flew 35 missions between February and September 1944 over German occupied Europe.

Ernest Anders piloted twelve B-17s between March and September of 1944: "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)," "To Hell Or Glory (238123),""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 Ernest Anders and Frank Severin Erickson's A-2 jacket was acquired by 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association's Red Feather Club at Horham, England. Thanks to Phil Samponaro of the 95th for presenting the jacket to Red Feather Club's Mick Stannard and Darren Smith at the New Orleans Reunion on October 4th, 2017.