The Teune brothers in their Army Air Corps uniforms. John is second from right.I experienced several raids on Ploesti. It brought to my mind a scene from a mission to Austria. We were on our way home and German fighters were shooting at our bombers, our guys floating in parachutes, B-24's smoking and trying to get hom with 2 of the 4 engines out and two propellers feathered. It was so bizarre . . . so awful, I couldn't believe it was happening in this world. The anti-aircraft guns were in the woods and these made a terrific noise. Ploesti was only five miles away. Pieces of flak fell all about. Most of the hospital personnel were in holes dug in the ground. We could hear the howling props of several stricken bombers. The Romanian people received plenty of notice of an air raid and they headed out to the country. Ploesti is in shambles.
We had visitors at least once a week. Miss DuQue, a Belgian girl, visited us and always brought some Vermouth, berries, eggs, etc. She always came with a relative, a cute chubby Dutch girl, Myram and her brother Joost. She was 18 and he was 21. We had many other visitors whose names I have forgotten. There were also pleasant Red Cross workers bringing cigarettes and other gifts. Suddenly, on or about July 1 (1944), Ed Lyman and John Mariolos were taken to Bucharest. Their friends at the hospital were sorry to see their departure and a few had tears in their eyes.
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