Going to war has always required courage and loyalty from our country’s warriors. In a quest to truly understand what they have sacrificed, we asked four veterans from four different wars to talk about the differences and similarities in their war experiences. Bob Stangier, Tom Tangney, Ron Jardine and J.D. Lambert talked candidly about living in a war zone, loss, patriotism and coming home.
Bob Stangier flew B-25 bombers in World War II.
Stationed in Italy, the Pendleton native and his six-man Army Air Corps crew destroyed railway and highway bridges as “bridge busters.” They often returned from missions with fresh bullet holes in the plane’s shell.
Unlike fighter pilots, who engaged in dogfights, the B-52s flew in precise patterns. Tight formations included six airplanes flying in double-decker vees. Along with bridges, the planes bombed railroad yards, electrical transformers, personnel and buildings. Needing to fly as close as possible, their wings sometimes overlapped. As Stangier’s plane roared on after the drop, his tail gunner would peer down and report whether the bomb had done its job. Nineteen-year-old Stangier flew 70 missions. He remembers debriefing sessions after each raid during which each crew member received a couple ounces of alcohol to calm the adrenaline levels.
After returning from war, Stangier flew a crop duster for a while before operating various businesses in Pendleton including an ice cream manufacturing plant, children’s clothing store and Hallmark shop. He and wife Mary Jane raised four children.
Tom Tangney was something of a golden boy during high school
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