B-17 of the Aiguille des Glaciers commemoration ceremonies [Image 9 of 9]

BOURG SAINT MAURICE, 1, FRANCE

09.04.2011

Photo by Staff Sgt. Nicole Mickle 

Joint Base Charleston

Capt. Sean Burke presents Gianni Boschis with his U.S. insignias at the French commemoration ceremony for the B-17 of the Aguille des Glaciers, Sept. 4, Bourg Saint Maurice, France. Col. Sonkiss, commander, 15 Airlift Squadron and 12 others from Joint Base Charleston participated in two commemoration ceremonies for the crew of B-17 #43-39338 in Courmayeur, Italy, and Bourg Saint Maurice, Sept. 3-4. The B-17 crew was from the 15th Troop Carrier Squadron which is now the 15th AS. Dignitaries and family members of the crew were in attendance. The entire eight man crew was lost after their aircraft went down on Aiguille des Glaciers, one of the rugged peaks in the French Alps. It is near Mont Blanc, the highest point in Europe and close to the French-Italian border. They were assigned to the European Air Transport Command, 61st Troop Carrier Group, 15th Troop carrier Squadron during World War II. Burke is the 437th Operations Group executive officer and the U.S. Air Force coordinator for the commemoration ceremonies and Boschis is a member of the committee for the commemoration of the B-17 of the Augille des Glaciers. Burke presented Boschis with his insignias after hearing his story of finding a pair in the mountains as a boy that belonged to one of the crew members of the B-17 but later lost them.

• Date Taken: 09.04.2011
• Date Posted: 09.07.2011 14:12
• Photo ID: 452580
• VIRIN: 110904-F-WA575-375
• Resolution: 4256x2832
• Size: 5.37 MB
• Location: BOURG SAINT MAURICE, 1, FR