My Aunt Dian Marcella (Boutrous) Erickson photographed by her brother Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson outside their home on Jefferson Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota in October of 1944.

My father had just returned from serving with the 95th Bomb Group at Horham Airfield in England. He had completed 35 missions over Nazi occupied Europe. He had looked so forward to getting back to Bismarck and spending time with his family and especially his kid sister. Dian was barely two years old when he left for San Antonio to train as a pilot with the Air Corps in early 1942.

Ernest Anders had returned in October of 1943 for a visit to Bismarck while on leave. He would soon be heading to England and serve as B-17 pilot flying combat. Two photographs can be seen below from that time. His mother Clara Amelia (Nelson) Erickson and Dian featured in those two photos.