George Henry Rosenberg was born in Chicago, Illinois in June 1922. His father was able to retain a job in the railroad industry during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], so their family did not suffer too much. Rosenberg picked up a job as a delivery boy to make some extra money. He attended school and enjoyed life. He went to the World's Fair when it came to Chicago in 1933 through 1934. He was aware of the rising conflict in Europe and that the American government wanted the country to remain isolationist. As war production increased, it helped the country come out of the Depression. Because his father worked for the railroads, Rosenberg was able to travel the country and visit family. He attended a technical high school in Chicago in pursuit of an architecture job. After high school, he attended night school with courses in engineering. He was just 18 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. In August 1942, he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He was placed in the inactive Reserves until the Army Air Corps had enough facilities to accept more inductees. In the meantime, he worked for the railroad company. He was called to active duty in November 1942 and reported to Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio, and then on to Nashville, Tennessee for testing and orientation. He was then sent to Keesler Field in Biloxi [Annotator's Note: now Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi] for training for the B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. Because there were not enough instructors, Rosenberg was asked to stay an hour after classes to learn new material to teach to students the next morning. He enjoyed teaching. Once he completed training in the summer of 1943, he was promoted and sent to Harlingen, Texas to aerial gunnery school. He practiced on tow targets and learned about the various guns and bombs. After training, he was sent to Salt Lake City to a Repo Depot [Annotator's Note: A replacement depot in United States military terminology is a unit containing reserves or replacements for large front-line formations, such as field armies] and was assigned to a crew. His crew was sent to Peterson Field in Colorado Springs [Annotator's Note: now Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado] for several months to train as a crew and work as a team. He had a good crew. His crew received orders to report to Hutchison, Kansas to pick up a brand-new B-24. They were then ordered overseas. On their way overseas, there was a storm, so they had to delay for a few days before they could continue to Africa. Because he oversaw monitoring the fuel supply, he had to communicate with the pilot and co-pilot with the fuel status. His job was to conserve the fuel as much as possible. After 13 hours of in-flight time, they landed in Dakar, Africa. They spent a few days in Africa. They then went to Southern Italy to meet the 450th Bomb Group, 721st Squadron [Annotator's Note: 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 47th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force] to which they were assigned. They landed at a new base in Manduria, Italy and remained there for some more training, especially formation flying.

George Henry Rosenberg [Annotator's Note: with the 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 47th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force in Manduria, Italy] went on his first mission [Annotator's Note: in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber as a flight engineer] in Bologna, Italy to bomb marshalling yards. His crew came back unscathed. His crew went on their second mission to Munich [Annotator's Note: Munich, Germany] where the plane got some flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire], but the crew came home uninjured. After the first week, his crew were given missions to bomb the Ploesti [Annotator's Note: Ploesti, Romania] oil fields which was defended well by anti-aircraft guns. Because the Germans had superb radar, the Americans often dropped out chaff [Annotator's Note: radar countermeasure in which aircraft spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminum which appears as a cluster of primary targets on radar screens to confuse or distract] to disrupt the radar so the Germans could not locate them. Going through flak was like going through a wall of exploding shells. When his plane cleared from flak, the German fighter pilots were often waiting for them and began shooting in their direction. They had P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] meet them to help get them past the fighters. Rosenberg's crew's main missions were to bomb anything oil-related because that was the Germans lifeline. He also went on missions to bomb bridges in Yugoslavia, Romania, and Southern Germany. They were trained to never return with bombs, so they had a range of targets to make sure all bombs were dropped on target areas. There were times where the bombs got stuck, so Rosenberg had to go on the catwalk and fix the problem, so the crew could release the bomb. When they returned to base, they had to debrief about their mission to determine if it was successful. Rosenberg went on a total of 17 missions before he developed polio [Annotator's Note: poliomyelitis, an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system]. He and his crew were returning from a mission in France when he realized he could not swallow. He laid down on a cot until they reached base. The doctor initially thought he had battle fatigue [Annotator's Note: military term for an acute reaction to the stress of combat], but when he was not getting any better, the doctors did a spinal tap and diagnosed him with polio. He was sent to a general hospital in Italy and remained there for three months. He learned later that his plane crashed returning from a mission because the replacement flight engineer monitored the fuel incorrectly. All his crew members were split up to other planes after the crash. While he was in the hospital, he reunited with his navigator who became a prisoner of war in Yugoslavia after his plane was shot down. In October 1944, Rosenberg was sent back to the United States on a hospital ship. He was put on guard duty to monitor German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war].

After contracting polio [Annotator's Note: poliomyelitis, an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system] while serving in Europe during World War 2, George Henry Rosenberg [Annotator's Note: in the 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 47th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force] returned to the United States [Annotator's Note: in October 1944]. He reported to Camp Kilmer [Annotator's Note: in Central New Jersey] and then was given leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to return home for a little while. He then received orders to report to Santa Ana, California for further rehabilitation and checkups. He was reassigned to an airfield in Champagne, Illinois to work with civilians to draft depictions of equipment and tools. He was then transferred to the cadet center in Kelly Field [Annotator's Note: now Kelly Field, Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas] to join a cadre for processing returning airmen. He remained there until October 1945 and had enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on several factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to be discharged. He enrolled in college and finished his degree. He has been using the VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs; also referred to as the Veterans Administration] due to his health condition he contracted while serving overseas. His throat still does not work properly. Going back to his service overseas, Rosenburg was nervous about his first mission because he did not know what to expect, but it was impossible to retreat because there were planes on all side of them. His crew were always relieved when they got through the flak because the Tuskegee airmen [Annotator's Note: African American pilots; 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces; name applies to all associated personnel] were waiting for them to escort them back to base. He thought highly of the Tuskegee airmen, who protected them well. After one mission they were leaving the target area when they were attacked by several Me-109 fighters [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft]; a quick response of a squadron of Tuskegee airmen saved his squadron from further loss. Rosenberg and his crew flew a B-24 J model and an H model [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. The plane was very reliable and never had a problem with the equipment on board. His missions to Munich [Annotator's Note: Munich, Germany] had heavy fighter coverage and he felt more apprehensive about going there. When his crew dropped a bomb, the plane felt like it jumped because the weight of the bomb was so heavy. He was on a mission monitoring a turret when flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] knocked off the plastic of the turret cover. Rosenberg covered his face to protect himself from the bits of plastic. HE was responsible for monitoring many pieces of equipment on the plane to ensure the plane flew correctly. When the crew returned to base, it was his job to debrief the ground crew about what instruments and equipment on the plane that needed maintenance.

[Annotator's Note: The sound quality is diminished throughout this segment.] George Henry Rosenberg was changed by World War 2. He found out what teamwork is like and grew into a man that accepted responsibility. The war was good for America because it brought the country out of the Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. But war is not good because so many lives are lost on both sides. He is proud of his flag, his country, and fellow comrades. He would go back and fight for his country again if he had to. The war changed the world for good, but also for the bad too. Many countries feel entitled to American handouts. He believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because their fewer servicemen that fought in the war still alive. People need to learn about World War 2 to protect and take care for the country. Rosenberg and his crew did his job and proud to protect their country. He had a reunion with most of his crew members [Annotator's Note: 721st Bombardment Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group, 47th Bombardment Wing, 15th Air Force] and enjoyed catching up with them. His crew crash landed their plane after he was taken to the hospital after contracting polio [Annotator's Note: poliomyelitis, an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system]. No one was killed, but some were injured from the crash. He speaks highly of his crew members and how they were a close-knit group.