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North Shore Towers Courier n November 2016 13 That “hell” came in the form of Flak. A contraction of the German, “Flugzeugabwehrkanone,” meaning “antiaircraft cannon,” Flak was fired from the ground from large artillery pieces and would either detonate at a particular altitude or when the shell came into close proximity of an aircraft. The idea was not necessarily to take out individual bombers, but rather to disrupt large formations, breaking them into smaller packets, which were easier to deal with. There was little space for the ten crew members to move in the cabin, and the temperature was 20–40° below zero at 25,000 feet, the altitude at which the bombs were released. “You dropped your payload and then skedaddled,” Reveman said. “When you saw smoke… okay. That means the bombs exploded. If there was no smoke… uh, oh!” It was just such a circumstance, during what would turn out to be Reveman’s last mission, which nearly ended the radio operator’s life for a second time. It wasn’t, however, a bomb in Queenie, which malfunctioned, but rather one in a plane just ahead. Something had gone awry with the release mechanism on the bay doors of the aircraft, so the crew were ordered to manually release their payload. When the explosive finally dropped, it detonated immediately. The tight formation, which served to gird the fleet during runs, now proved calamitous. Six planes were taken out, including Queenie, which lost two of its four engines in the explosion and was careening toward a crash landing behind enemy lines. An airfield spotted in the distance seemed the crew’s only salvation, but it proved too far for the rapidly descending B-17 Flying Fortress, which struck an outcropping and split in two as it hit the ground. Reveman awoke amid an inferno unable to move. Fortunately, two mates discerned him in the conflagration and pulled him out, but not before Reveman’s size 12 boots were torn free of his feet! By this time in the war, Patton was racing through the countryside to beat the Russians to Berlin and it was his army which found the young radio operator and the surviving members of his crew. For the injuries he sustained in combat, Reveman earned the illustrious Purple Heart. And for his military service overall, he received a standing ovation from the packed stands at Yankee Stadium. The original House that Ruth Built was dismantled after the 2008 season. The new ballpark opened for the 2009 season right on the site of McCombs Dam Park, where Reveman played ball as a youth. He’d returned eighty years later to get the ovation he’d always dreamt of, not as a baseball hero, but as an American hero. Behind every great man… Would you trust a car salesman for a potential love connection? That’s just what Joe Reveman did. Following the tragic loss of his first wife to cancer, Reveman was approached by a longtime family friend, a Cadillac dealer in Rockland County, about meeting his aunt, Sylvia. The car salesman had furnished Reveman with automobiles for many years, and Reveman’s late wife, a school teacher, had even taught the dealer’s children, so his family and Reveman’s were very close. But Reveman also knew the dealer’s mom—Aunt Sylvia’s sister— as being many years Reveman’s senior. So when the salesman spoke to Reveman about meeting his aunt, it was only natural for Reveman to picture someone around the same age, and Reveman politely declined the invitation. For many months, the dealer and his family persisted, trying to set-up Reveman with Sylvia. Despite their assertion that Aunt Sylvia was many years younger than her sister, whom Reveman had met, their efforts proved fruitless, until they mentioned that Sylvia loved to play golf. An aficionado himself, Reveman finally relented and agreed to a golf date with Sylvia, who lived at North Shore Towers. Reveman recalls being “impressed with the grandeur” of North Shore Towers on that first date, but even more struck by Sylvia. “She opened the door… a very attractive blonde… and invited me in for a bite,” he said. Sylvia had laid out a nice spread, prompting Reveman to think her a “Balabusta,” a Yiddish expression describing a good homemaker. “I was very impressed that she was feeding me on our first date,” he recalled. “She was a good golfer and I was taken by how well she swung at the ball and swiveled her hips!” The two married soon thereafter and this year Joe and Sylvia are celebrating 30 years as man and wife. Flak saturated the sky during every mission Reveman’s “home” for 24 missions Reveman stands behind home plate while being feted by fans


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