Harvey L. Eustrom
Pilot, Claude L. Rains, Remarks
“…We left Lincoln, Nebraska, with a new plane. The first leg was to land in Goose Bay, Labrador. On the ground we were told to eat, get to bed and get some rest because we would be called to take off 30 minutes after call. I called my 18 year old Navigator into my room and told him that we were going to be over water for 6 to 8 hours and if we were going to get there, he would have to do it by celestial navigation and I would follow his headings. All night long he kept taking fixes on the stars and giving me slight changes. About daylight he had me make a 90 degree turn to the left. He had done a landfall of deliberately heading to the right of the base up to his E.T.A. at that spot. I made my turn and in a few minutes I picked up the radio range from Reykjavík, Iceland, and I complimented him and told him to take a nap – I can make it from here.“
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‘Bud’ Eustrom, 79, World War II POW By Joseph Garcia, Rocky Mountain News June 29, 2005It was Christmas Day, 1944. U.S. Air Force navigator Harvey L. “Bud” Eustrom was flying over Czechoslovakia when his plane was shot down by enemy fire during World War II. It can’t be known exactly what he was thinking as he plummeted toward the ground. His oldest son, Bill, wouldn’t be born for a little more than three years, so his thoughts couldn’t have been on his three sons and memorable summer days they would later spend together on the baseball field.. They couldn’t have been about his six grandchildren and four great- grandchildren he would enjoy later in his life. Mr. Eustrom had been married for less than a year at the time, so his mind may have been on his new wife, Kitty, waiting for him to return home safely. Wherever his mind wandered, he was faced with one horrifying and undeniable truth. His plane was going down. Mr. Eustrom survived the crash but was taken to Barth, Germany, where he remained a prisoner of war until May 2, 1945. His experience in the U.S. Army Air Forces earned him the Purple Heart and the Flying Cross military decorations. According to Bill Eustrom, his father never talked much about the experience. “He was tough,” said Mr. Eustrom’s youngest son, Pat Eustrom. “But he was fair as a father. He was very loving.” Born on June 5, 1925, in Grand Rapids, Mich., Mr. Eustrom died June 1, as a result of respiratory failure. He was 79. Mr. Eustrom’s prominent memory of his life may have come from that horrible day in the air, but to his sons, the memory to be cherished most were of those wonderful days on the ball field. “He coached us in multiple sports: baseball, football and bowling,” said Mike Eustrom. According to Pat, he made his players champions.“We took the state title in men’s fast-pitch league in late ’70s,” he said. Mr. Eustrom moved to Aurora in 1956 and served as the chief -resource manager at Lowry Air Force Base until he retired. “He got along with everybody,” said Pat Eustrom. “And those he didn’t get along with, they knew it.”Mr. Eustrom was preceded in death by his wife, Kitty M. Eustrom, and is survived by his three sons, Bill, of San Antonio; Mike, of Kansas City, Mo.; and Pat, of Denver; sister Adelyn Hillman, of Holt, Mich.; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and friend, caregiver and companion of three years, Gail Hendricks, of Kiowa. A visitation was held June 6, and funeral services were June 7, both at Olinger Aurora Chase Mortuary. Contributions may be made to VistaCare, 3801 E. Florida Ave., Suite 210, Denver, CO 80201. |