Military Update (May Edition)

1st Lt. Mark W. Carpenter graduated from the U.S. Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He is pictured with his fiancee, Bianca Funer, originally of Ansbach, Germany. Carpenter is a 2008 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School.

We Should Take a Walk Someday "Our Lord's Corner" (May Edition)

     

         The first time I visited Miranda, the sun began to set low in the late afternoon over Schwamm (the meadowland of the Gilbertsville/New Hanover area). It had cast a shadow from behind the house, leaving me in the cool shade as I got out of my car. I wasn’t there to visit her.

          I had heard from my wife, Michele, that Miranda’s mother, a former student of Michele's, had some supplies that could be used at the nursing school from which she had just graduated. The supplies were no longer reusable from the standpoint of patients, but would help to supplement a lab.

          I was so drawn to Miranda Ram Nolte's story (she had been fighting cancer for the past six years), that I had forgotten about the supplies stacked neatly on the front porch. I had brought with me my two novels and thought maybe she would like an easy read.

          Once I got through to everyone who came to the front door who the stranger was, I was let in and was escorted to the second floor and Miranda’s room where her aunt was reading to her.

          Miranda, sitting on her side and under covers greeted me with a smile. I looked at the young girl with no hair and was drawn to her eyes. I believe that they are the windows to ones soul.

          I was nervous, as I introduced myself. I asked if she liked to read and she said, "Yes." I told her about my two books and told her that I would sign them. My older fingers shook as I tried hard to steady myself and put words to the front inside pages of the books. As I looked at her again, I found something very spiritually special about her.

          I was drawn to innocence, where I feel that these young people should not have to go through what they do, as I was reminded of another young girl in Florida who also finds herself in hospice care.

          I was drawn to the strength of this young girl who could still smile. I was drawn to something very magical that said, "know me".

          I was drawn to her talent. Beyond Tae Kwon Do, she can sing and she can write. I learned that she had completed her memoirs, and I wanted to know more about them. Knowing very little, I was convinced that they had to be special and I told her they could be published.

          When I got home I was drawn; God laid a path and I began to follow. I found two videos by her. In one, she was singing, beautifully I might add. The other was on faith, her faith. I immediately knew what she was speaking about. It was her perfect peace with our savior.

          A short time later, I received her memoirs, attached to messages on Facebook. As soon as I opened them, I recopied and began making a book. It was time consuming but flowed easily.

          On April 12th, I went for a visit. I spent somewhere just shy of an hour with her. I showed her the cover, which both surprised and thrilled her. We talked about pictures for her bio for the back of the book and additional chapters that I was going to need.

          When I was finished, I didn’t want to leave. As I Stood she pulled her hand out from under the covers. I reached out and took hold of it just for a moment. I felt her warmth.

          How strong we are physically, mentally, spiritually as humans. Miranda teaches us that, in the simplicity of faith, we can overcome- maybe not overcome death of the physical self- but we can overcome death of the spiritual self.

          In the Gospel, according to John, Jesus said to Martha, ²⁵ “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

          I ask you, do you believe this? What will you do? What have you done in your faith when told you will return home? ...That you will leave your temporary home and leave those you love behind?

          Miranda both teaches and reminds us very simply that, once you let go and let God, that there is absolute peace and tranquility.

          She teaches us as she sang that life is a journey, not a destination, that, yes, we can have peace in the face of both the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death and everything in between.

          Miranda smiles! She smiles and has joy! It is amazing what life in the eyes and a smile can teach us, remind us. I am joined with her in knowing this joy that comes from a simple faith. Now I ask you, do you believe this? 

Editor's Note: Miranda's book, We Should Take a Walk Someday, is expected to be released at the end of the month. We will follow up, in our June edition, with details about where to purchase it.

Beyond The Blue Skies (May Edition)

          It is only fitting when looking for someone to write about for my military article, I take into full consideration that it is Memorial Day.

          Looking into the blue skies over Boyertown we move from the air assets of today’s U.S. Army and now move to the U.S. Air force. More specifically what the Air force was before it was the Air force, the U.S. Army Air force.

          General Carl Andrew Spaatz, a Boyertown native, is the founder of the modern Air force. During WWII, General Spaatz at one point became commander of the 8^th Air force in Europe, May 1942, but I’m not going to speak of General Spaatz in this column.

          Earl R. Fryer was a member of the 38^th Fighter Squadron of the 55^th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air force. Capt Earl R. Fryer was a native of Boyertown also. He lived on the fringes of Boyertown in a place still know as Englesville, nicknamed "Spunktown".

          Captain Fryer, I have learned, was a colorful figure. A fighter pilot, fighter ace, he is credited with anywhere from 5 kills to 6.5 to 8 kills, dependent on the record. The fact remains that he is Boyertown’s lone fighter ace. This brings me to Boyertown and local resident and attorney, Charles Fryer. Mr. Fryer is the nephew of Captain Fryer.

          I met with Mr. Fryer at his home in Boyertown. We sat in chairs near the fireplace facing center room and angled to each other. We found that we both liked to talk and we both liked to listen as he began telling me the story of his uncle.

          Earl Fryer grew up on a farm in Englesville. He had an older brother, Lester, Charles’ father, of whom I was interviewing. A tech sergeant, Lester served during the war in Luxemburg. Charles shared a little more about his father, which will be an incredible human interest story for another edition. There was also the younger brother, Ernst, who also served in the war in Borneo.

          Charles shared about how the family was embarrassed that they didn’t have indoor plumbing, just after the war, and the $10.00 war bonds of the time went to pay for indoor plumbing. “It was a simpler time”, he brought up as he kidded about the outhouse and how it was used to hunt and shoot from.

          “Earl loved his education," shared Charles. At one point, during The Great Depression, Earl was told that he would have to quit school and find work. “He was seen crying with his head down on the kitchen table," Charles continued. To bring in money, Earl ran a produce route until the war to help the family.

          The war brought the Royal Air force down from Canada to the United States, more specifically, the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The Fryer boys piled into a car and pulled right up in front of the building and went inside. Disappointed, Earl found out that he needed a high school education to become a pilot.

          Once home at the age of 26, he went to Reading and finished his high school education. He then joined the Army Air force. While in California as a pilot, he found himself in a whirlwind romance and married a girl from Washington State.

          While an instructor at Hamilton Air Force base near San Francisco, he flew his P-38 underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Returning from his colorful flight, he was met by military police and escorted to the base commander. The story goes that he wasn’t punished- just asked to promise not to do it again- of which he couldn’t do. Charles and I had such a good laugh about this. Two weeks later he was in the European theater of World War II. 

          The Eighth Air force credits Capt. Earl Fryer with 8 kills, which makes him an “ace." 

          Charles shared with me that he had made contact with a Colonel Littlefield who remembered the Captain.        

          Colonel Littlefield, in his conversation with Charles, described one mission where 3 of his 8 kills came in 2 ½ minutes of one dog fight. He also described the Captain of having to bail out of his plane which was on fire over the English Channel. The Colonel described that it was not glamorous or heroic. They went out and did a job not much different than going to the office.

          On his last mission, Captain Earl Fryer, with his wing man, strafed a railroad in Holland. He was hit, his engine was losing coolant. While white smoke was billowing from the engine, he told his wingman “Tell my wife I’m ok.” His wingman had ammo left and wanted to go back and finish the job and the captain told him to take another of their squadron with him.

          Post War repatriation brought Hank Brink with his fiancée back to their farm in Holland. While walking through the woods they came across the remnant of the P-51 mustang with Spunktown on the side. Next to it was a cross marking the grave of Captain Earl Fryer. The Germans had buried him, wrapped in his parachute, next to his plane. They notified the Americans. It took about 2 years, but the remains of Captain Earl Fryer were finally returned to Union Cemetery, in Boyertown, for re-internment.

          This Memorial Day, while we remember those who gave all for this country, we look to those like Captain Earl Fryer and, while we look up, we look beyond the blue skies. 

Willard N. Carpenter & the staff of The Boyertown Bulletin wish to thank Charles Fryer, of Boyertown, for his invaluable and memorable interview.