100th Bomb Group USO Party

The American Legion Post #32 & Auxiliary hosted its first 100th Bomb Group USO Party on Aug. 17 to honor the brave heroes who served in World War II. This special event featured Kalfell/Pisk Big Band Music, with highlights including the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again” sung by Prairie County’s own Andrews Sisters: Susan Tyler and Lisa Everett.

Special visitors were John E. Schwarz’s son Dave and his family, and John’s daughter Diane Ehman and husband Tim. The American Legion Department of Montana Commander Ken Simon and his wife also joined the festivities. The Prairie County Museum displayed authentic Prairie County World War II uniforms.

Terry native Jeff Scheid presented on Rosie Rosenthal, who flew 52 bombing missions with the 100th Bomb Group. Dave Schwarz shared a personal story about his father’s mission with Rosenthal, where their plane, the Royal Flush, made it back to base under dire conditions in 1943. The 100th Bomb Group, known as the “Bloody Hundredth,” flew 305 missions, losing 177 bombers and 700 lives.

The group also had the privilege of watching the 2024 documentary “Bloody Hundredth,” narrated by Tom Hanks and produced by Steven Spielberg. The documentary highlighted the bravery of the 100th Bomb Group through interviews and video footage.

Hanks and Spielberg also produced a nine-episode miniseries titled “Masters of the Air,” which chronicles the heroic missions of the Eighth Air Force and their strategic campaign against Germany’s industrial production in the months leading up to the June 6, 1944 D-Day. This series has revived interest in the stories of the 100th Bomb Group, further deepening the community’s connection to these wartime heroes. The 100th flew three missions on D-Day in support of the ground troops. The American Legion Post #32 plans to offer public showings of this miniseries this fall and winter.

Additionally, the American Legion Post #32 has an exhibit displaying restored photographs of colorful B-17 nose art that were part of the collection of John E. Schwarz, commander of the 100th Bomb Group Photo Lab in Thorpe Abbots England. Daily life of the airfield along with 16mm film seen in documentaries and movies involving B17s were taken by Captain Schwarz.

Through a grant from the Montana Department of Commerce and match money from the American Legion Post #32, Scheid, a long-time photographer in Las Vegas was given permission by the Schwarz family to reprint the photographs, place them in archive glass frames and display them under tract lighting. The Terry American Legion would like to expand the photo collection by forming a committee of individuals with the shared interest of promoting the gallery and applying for additional grant monies for the project.