MARION - After 64 years, Paul Swofford is finally receiving the Silver Star for his heroism during World War II.
But Swofford, a native of McDowell County, doesn't feel that he is the only one who should be honored this Memorial Day weekend. The brave crewmen who flew with him throughout that hazardous mission in 1944 deserve it too.
"I accept this on behalf of all my crewmembers living and the families of those who have passed on," he said. "I am well aware that there are other members who were on that particular mission that exhibited gallantry, valor and heroism to an equal or higher degree than me. It's a tribute to my crew and all the people on that mission. It was a terrible mission."
Swofford, 87, was born in North Cove and attended school there for five years. His family later moved to Spruce Pine, so he grew up in both McDowell and Mitchell counties. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and eventually became the pilot of the "Sweetest Rose of Texas," a B-24 bomber. He and his crew were members of the 445th Bomb Group.
On Sept. 27, 1944, the members of the 445th were given a mission to bomb Kassel, Germany, where the enemy was making weapons. They didn't know that they were flying into one of the most disastrous air battles ever in military history. It was Swofford's seventh mission, but he hadn't experienced anything like it.
"Somewhere from 100 to 150 enemy fighters attacked us," he said. "For a few minutes we didn't have any fighter cover and we got attacked ourselves."
The Sweetest Rose of Texas was one of only four planes -- out of 35 -- that managed to return to the 445th Bomb Group's base at Tibenham, England, after the Kassel mission.
"Furthermore, there were a lot of people who lost their lives," he said. "We lost 116 people on that mission and 122 crewpeople became prisoners of war. We had no way of knowing. Some of those people who lost their lives, there could have been a lot of heroism that we don't know about."
Swofford went on to complete his other missions throughout the remainder of World War II. He served for a total of 24 years in the Army Air Corps and its successor, the Air Force. He retired in 1966 as a lieutenant colonel and now lives with his wife in Lakeland, Fla.
In recent years, some of his friends and fellow veterans believed that Swofford deserved the Silver Star, the military's third-highest combat medal for gallantry in action. They thought he should get it for his leadership in the Kassel mission.
Through their efforts, the military finally recognized Swofford for what he did on Sept. 27, 1944. The effective date of the Special Order that authorized the award was Oct. 24, 2007.
Swofford will receive the Silver Star at an official presentation Sunday. The ceremony will be at Scott Lake Baptist Church in Lakeland, Fla.
A general officer from the Air Force's Central Command will make the presentation, along with a color guard and a protocol representative from MacDill Air Force Base.
Swofford doesn't mind that it took 64 years for the Silver Star to be awarded. When the mission was over, all of the commanders had too many other things to worry about than who should be decorated. They had to answer a lot of questions from Washington about why the Kassel mission was such a disaster.
"Any questions about heroism, they just didn't get around to it," he said.
Swofford said he feels that this decoration will be a tribute to those brave men who fought and died 64 years ago.
"I don't think it's late," he said. "It just came at the right time."
■ Mike Conley is a reporter for The McDowell News
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