It began simply enough, with an invite to a media preview of a refurbished B-17 airplane nicknamed, The Liberty Belle. Included in the event was the opportunity for a ride on the classic World War II craft.

Sounded to me like an interesting and fun way to spend a WNY summer afternoon.

However, as it turned out, the experience offered much more than summer fun, as a a serendippitous turn of events produced some particularly memorable moments, including an interview with a very special WWII veteran.

It all started when my trusted Buffalostyle videographer, WNYMedia’s own Marc Odien, was unable to join me for The Liberty Belle preview. Not wanting to waste Marc’s reserved plane ride, I contacted my friend, Lisa, whose father, Dick, is a Vietnam Vet. I asked if her dad might like to take a ride on The Liberty Belle as my guest? My answer came as Dick showed up at the Prior Aviation Airfield within minutes of my call, camera in hand.

Dick and I proceeded to join the circle of local media gathered in the Prior Aviation offices. The Liberty Belle staff welcomed us and began sharing statistical information about the grand old plane. Yet Dick didn’t seem overly interested in what was going on with the media. Rather, he was intent on regaling me with a story about a breakfast buddy who he joins each day at a local diner.

Initially, I found Dick’s story distracting from The Liberty Belle pr info that the rest of the media was devouring. Yet as this veteran soldier continued on about his morning ritual, I realized that he was providing me with a much more meaningful story relative to the war time aircraft.

As Dick explained, his buddy is a man by the name of Peter Sciolino. Peter is a bred and born WNY’er who served as a WWII bombadier on a B-17, just like The Liberty Belle. Despite the fact that Peter is now 85, he is reasonably healthy with a great memory and a “sharp as a tack” mind.

As Dick continued to describe his friend, my reaction was immediate. How could I find Peter Sciolino and bring him to the Liberty Belle? Was it possible to re-unite this soldier with the aircraft model that took him through untold bombing missions, and returned him safely everytime?

A quick call to the diner yielded Peter’s phone number. A successive call to the Sciolino home made the direct connection to Peter himself. Yes, he had heard about The Liberty Belle coming to Buffalo. Yes, he would love to come and see it.

Twenty minutes later, Peter Sciolino and I were comfortably seated in a pilot’s lounge, oblivious to all going on around us. As he began talking about his B-17 experiences, Peter’s words drew me in and virtually placed me on the war fields and in the foreign skies where he and thousands of other young Americans fought for our freedom and independence. Essentially, it was a history lesson in a first person format–intimately illustrating the realities of war.

Peter spoke with incredulity about shipping out to England on the Queen Mary, with as many as 20 young soldiers stacked on cots in individual state rooms usually reserved for two.

Peter talked with frustration over being pulled into the unexpected command of bombadier and never being compensated in rank or in pay for the elevated commission.

Peter described in detail the layer upon layers of clothing required to insulate B-17 flight crews from the minus 32 degree temperatures they endured while flying missions.

Peter recalled with caring passion the soldiers with whom he fought and survived, and with deep pain those whose lives were lost.

Peter lost and regained his composure time and again, acknowledging that he had never really talked about his war memories like this before.

Ultimately, when our interview was complete, we graduated to the reunion of soldier and plane. Again, the historical significance of this reconnection was fully realized as Peter detailed his bombadier duties and the B-17’s functionality. The former veteran’s focus and attention were riveted upon The Liberty Belle as he became momentarily oblivious to the surrounding photographers capturing his image and reporters recordind his words.

Then, as if waking from a dream, Peter turned to those gathered around him….we who were learning the history of World War II from this first person oracle. With tears welling in his eyes, Peter said that he couldn’t imagine why we were so interested in what he had to say. After all, he was nobody special. He was just a soldier, who did his job like everybody else who served.

And at that moment, it became clear why Peter and the thousands of WWII Veterans like him have become known as “the greatest generation.”