Pat and Bern Trout of Somerset County, England, honored the graves of a crew buried there. (Provided Photos)
Pat and Bern Trout of Somerset County, England walked Dartmore National Park in Devon, England for 20 years. On Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, 1,800 feet up, they found a Memorial Plaque.
Among the wreckage the plaque states, “In Memory of the crew of the 8th Air Force B-17 that crashed here on 25 December 1943.” Crew names were inscribed on the plague. Five died and three were injured.
Staff Sergeant Mario “Bucket” Panetti
The site where the crew of the 8th Air Force B-17 crashed on Dec. 25, 1943 is decorated each year by Pat and Bern Trout, with assistance from their grandson, Luke.
of Owego was one of the five killed. His sister Caroline Panetti Striley and Patrick Panetti live on Delphine Street.
Patricia says she took a photo and placed it on the website, www.picturesofengland.co.uk. Caroline’s son Louie Striley found the picture while surfing the web and shared it with his family.
Jim Raftis asked Pat and Bern Trout if they would place American flags at the Memorial Plaque for Memorial Day 2006. They did and sent pictures
The site where the crew of the 8th Air Force B-17 crashed on Dec. 25, 1943 is decorated each year by Pat and Bern Trout, with assistance from their grandson, Luke.
for closure to the Panetti family after 60 years.
This past week is the tenth year for Pat and Bern Trout, assisted by grandson Luke, honored these graves.
The Trouts “feel it is an honor to visit the plaque on Memorial Day, and place the flags in memory of our fellow countrymen who gave their lives in WWII. And by doing this small contribution it keeps their memory alive, and that you know someone cares in England.”
The site where the crew of the 8th Air Force B-17 crashed on Dec. 25, 1943 is decorated each year by Pat and Bern Trout, with assistance from their grandson, Luke.
