RONZO-CHIENIS— On Sunday, Sept. 3, in the small town of Ronzo-Chienis, Col. Jeff Worthington, commander of the 2nd Theatre Signal Brigade, and Lt. Col. Mike Reeder presided the park dedication in honour of the ‘‘Airman of the Maybe’’, and their tale of courage and altruism.

 On February 6 1945, a U.S. B-25 Mitchell bomber (nicknamed ‘Maybe’ by the crew) was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire during its mission of bombing the German railyard in Rovereto, Italy. Pilot Earl Remmel and co-pilot Leslie Speer struggled to keep the aircraft steady, as the other five crewmen evacuated the damaged plane. Both pilot and co-pilot died in the ensuing crash.

 Had they jettisoned their ordnance from the air, the two would have made it over the mountain range to their safety. But under their aircraft, lay the town of Ronzo-Chienis, and such an act would have endangered hundreds of civilian lives. Their decision to sacrifice themselves for the lives of people they had never met is what warranted the village’s homage on Sunday.

 During the Second World War, a total of 6,731 American aircrafts were lost in the Italian skies alone, along with an even larger number of servicemen. And yet, the heroic gesture of Captain Remmel and co-pilot Speer is not diminished by this statistic. On the contrary, the last flight of the Maybe is worthy of celebration as it is representative of the sacrifices of a generation of men and women who gave their lives, often far from home and for people they did not know (as was the case for these two American heroes), thus defining the very idea of ‘self-sacrifice'. It comes as no surprise that much research has been conducted on this particular historical occurrence.

 Col. Worthington, giving a speech in remembrance of the heroic occasion, described himself as ‘’humbled’’ by this honour. He went on to explain how it is comparatively easy to sacrifice one’s own life for a loved one, and that it takes a true hero to sacrifice oneself for people who one has never met. Also in attendance was Stan Barrett, nephew of the gunner Silas Afred Barrett who is 93 years old.

 As Mr. Barrett unveiled a commemorative plaque which will embellish the newly-opened park, one could count among the audience local men and women who witnessed the unfolding of the events during that fateful day. It is easy to see how, even today after more than seventy years, the sacrifice of two American braves has changed the course of history, and how it will be remembered as an event which shaped the identity of the community of Ronzo-Chienis.