America's Veterans The Serbian People Are Heroes!

This was the largest rescue of American lives from behind enemy lines in American history. Heroic Serbia, Our Ally http://www.byzantinesacredart.com/blo... http://www.dojgov.net/kosovo_watch02.htm Richard L. Felman (May 29, 1921 -- November 13, 1999) was a distinguished officer in the United States Air Force who flew combat missions during World War II and the Korean War, receiving 27 awards and decorations over the course of his military career. Felman was born in the The Bronx, New York City. He was the son of American-born David and Dora, a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He had one brother, Irwin, born six years earlier. At the age of 21, Felman enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps on July 24, 1942 and became a master navigator. In early 1944 he was assigned to the 415th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force stationed in Lecce, Italy as a Second Lieutenant flying B-24s. His "Liberator" bomber, "Never a Dull Moment", would live up to its name. In July 1944, Felman's B-24 was hit by German ME-109s and 10 of the eleven-man crew bailed out from 18,000 feet over the Yugoslav hills. Felman was later awarded the Purple Heart for his service during the plane crash. The Americans, led by Felman, landed in central Serbia. Serbia, at the time, was a Nazi Germany-occupied territory, but controlled by the Chetniks, a resistance movement led by Draža Mihailović. The Chetniks protected them from the Germans, despite the fact the Germans burned the nearby village of Pranjani in retaliation, killing around 200 women and children. Felman and his men stayed safe with the Chetniks, and were airlifted out of Serbia on August 10, 1944. Felman became friends with Mihailović and his Chetniks, as did the other Allied airmen who had been gunned down over Serbia in the same year. Over 500 downed US airmen survived because of assistance from the Chetniks. Felman was personally decorated twice by King Peter II of Yugoslavia, first with the Royal Order of Ravna Gora, Yugoslavia's highest military decoration in 1946. The Chetniks were defeated by the end of the war. Due to unrelated war crimes, Draža Mihailović was accused by the Partisans in 1946. Felman and 21 others in April 1946 petitioned Harry S. Truman and the U.S. Government to be allowed to go, at their own expense, to Belgrade and present their testimonies to the jury on Mihailović's trial. They were denied by the State Department, because the U.S. had befriended the Communist Partisans in the latter stages of the war, and did not want to disrupt their relations with the Communist Yugoslav government that was created post war. Despite Felman's insistence, he was not able to reach Belgrade. Mihailović was found guilty of high treason, executed and buried in an unmarked grave on July 17, 1946. Because of his efforts, Mihailović and his organization, on the recommendation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, were posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit by President Truman for their contributions to the Allied victory and the rescue of American airmen from behind enemy lines. The Legion of Merit is the highest award the U.S. can give a foreign national, Felman continued arguing that Mihailović and his Chetniks should be honored for their rescue of US pilots. In 1970, he went on the Congressional Record pressing for legislation for a statue on Capitol grounds honoring General Mihailović. In 1976 and in 1977, the bill was introduced into the Senate by Strom Thurmond and Barry Goldwater. However, the legislation died in the House because of the aforementioned U.S. policy towards Yugoslavia. It was reintroduced over the next decades several times, but failed each time. Richard Felman retired from the United States Air Force in 1968. In 1995, for the 50th Anniversary of the VE Day, Major Richard Felman returned to Serbia after 50 years, accompanied by his wife Mary Anne as well as Captain Nick Lalich and Lt. Col. Charlie Davis. He was met on the mountain of Ravna Gora by 50,000 Serbian people who gave him a thunderous ovation. Felman died at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife Mary Anne and his brother Irwin. He had no children. On November 13, 1999 he was laid to rest at the "All Faiths Memorial Park" in Tucson, Arizona

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[PhiloAmericana]

Thank you Serbia. America was wrong to support the Albanians, they have done nothing but harm us. Just recently even, they killed our soldiers in Germany. Serbs seem to be a virtuous people, and I think America should admit to its mistakes and redress.

These veterans know best about the Serbian people, we should listen to them.

[CikaskiSrbi]

@PhiloAmericana Thank you! Serbs and Americans Are Friends!

[serbianpupil]

we are victims and we'll always stay, we were occupied by ottomas, nazi germany, usa bombed us, we had to fight against bulgaria, albania, croatia, bosnia, italia and many other countries, we survived a lot, we are still nice people, we will always protect the weaker one, god bless serbia, i'm proud serbian

[Scholli1972]

@Gjallarhornene Thank you brother!

[Scholli1972]

@PhiloAmericana Thank you brother!

[Gjallarhornene]

In Serbia, I discover reminiscents of a brave nation everywhere.How brave, with an ancient fame, a flame of resistance, triumphant in battles.For centuries your ancestors have been fighting for self-determination, your heroes are superb examples of selfdevotion.May Serbia rise like a star nobody can fail to see.Some may call it foolhardy but for their homeland, lots of Serbs are willing to go farther than many others.I'm full of respect for you Serbs.You're to shine like a star. Best regards.

[PhiloAmericana]

@conteVlaGa

Yes, you're right. I think any Americans committed war crimes should be prosecuted fully. It's a crime against the Serbian people, and a stain on the America's reputation. No one should accept this sort of conduct. As I said earlier, I was a child then, but I am still sorry. No one should have to go through that. It's not acceptable.

[conteVlaGa]

@PhiloAmericana That's correct. Almost every government don't do what his nation want to do, more or less. And again You're right- Serbs (most of us) attacking Americans (comments on YT), but You must understand what US pilots did in Serbia in '99.- they killed less than 500 soldiers, and more than 5000 civilians, many of them were children; demolished hospitals, even one maternity hospital with new born children, and many other civilian buildings.Thanks for Your explanation, it's more clear now

[PhiloAmericana]

@conteVlaGa And it seems to me that most Americans are learning foreign policy from the latter. It's going to take quite a bit of pain to wake America up, and remove it from its slumber. That's sad, but it's the truth.

[PhiloAmericana]

@conteVlaGa As I said, I think most Americans view life on a smaller scale than what's going on internationally. Their scope probally doesn't go passed what's going on in their own town, for most. This is obviously a problem, and you're feeling the effects. I think for most Americans, education is key on foreign relations, and it'd help to fix the issues. But there are two ways to go about education. A long term study and analysis of what is going on, or education through retaliation.

[PhiloAmericana]

@conteVlaGa Though, I can promise you this. If you were to come to the Southern United States (probally anywhere in the United States, actually) and visit, you'd be treated well. I don't think anyone here holds anything against Serbia, (why should they). But Americans need to pay much more attention to our foreign policy because the government is doing alot of things in their name that I don't think they'd really want if they were to pay attention to it.

[PhiloAmericana]

@conteVlaGa And even then, their understanding is purely through the lense of the narrative provided to them by the Clinton administration. That doesn't mean everyone agrees with it. There are quite a few Americans that do understand the conflict and support the Serbs. I think some Americans see Serbian comments about America on YouTube and then jump to conclusions. They get defensive and immediately go on the offensive. Of course, that's wrong.