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To visit other Post 817 Heroes click below:
Melvin A. Cryder
Lt. Colonel Darwin L. Schuett
Ray Duffee
Don Schoof
David E. Mondt
Norman "Gene" Mondt
James Sieler
Melvin A. Cryder
Lt. Colonel Darwin L. Schuett
Ray Duffee
Don Schoof
David E. Mondt
Norman "Gene" Mondt
James Sieler
It is with the deepest regret that
Colonel Robert Forney passed
away . He was buried with full
military honors on 12-18-2006.
Colonel Robert Forney passed
away . He was buried with full
military honors on 12-18-2006.
Colonel Robert C. Forney
Colonel Robert C. Forney was born and raised in the small town of Pilot Mound in northern Boone County, Iowa.
Upon graduation from Pilot Mound High School in the spring of 1940, the young Forney joined the Iowa National
Guard, 34th. Infantry Division, the famous "Red Bull Division" in January of 1941. The division was activated the
very next month and Colonel Forney found himself in Camp Caliborne, La.
Forney was accepted into flight school in October 1942. He graduated from flight school in June 1943 receiving his
wings and a commission as a second lieutenant. Lieutenant Forney was ordered to Clovis, New Mexico in July 1943
for B-24 bomber pilot training. Forney graduated in October of 1943, was assigned a flight crew, and ordered to
report to Charleston, South Carolina to join the 454th. Bomber Group.
In December of 1943, part of his bomber group departed Charleston, flying their B-24s first to Trinidad, then to
Belem, Brazil, and finally to Dakar, Africa where they rendezvous with the remainder of the 454th. Bomber Group.
In early 1944, the bomber group flew on to southern Italy where they began to fly bombing missions into southern
Germany. On Colonel Forney's sixth mission, his plane was shot down over southern Austria.
Colonel Forney and five of his crew were able to make it out of the plane, but four of the crew went down with the
plane Forney noticed another parachute had landed in his vicinity but found himself entangled in a tree. By the
time Forney was able to free himself and arrive in the area of the parachute he had seen, the other airman was
gone.
Forney was then captured, along with some of the other airmen who were also on the bombing mission, by a group
of Hitler Youth and taken to Dulag Luft Interrogation Center. After Forney and the others were interrogated at Dulag
Luft, they were transported to Stalag Luft #1 in Barth, Germany for internment.
Forney was held as a POW for the next fourteen months before being liberated by the Russians in May 1945. Upon
liberation, the Russians asked the American POWs if there was anything they needed, and of course, one of the
things they asked for was food. According to Colonel Forney, a few days later the Russians drove some fifty head of
cattle into the camp. To quote Colonel Forney, the fact that the cattle were on the hoof presented no problem for
the resourceful American military as the cattle were soon turned into steaks!
The Russians planned to send the liberated airmen to Italy by train, but the senior American in the camp said NO!.
"If we flew into Germany, we will fly out." The air crews were then turned over to the Americans and flown to Reim,
France. They departed France late May 1945 on a captured Italian luxury liner arriving in New York late June.
Colonel Forney was then granted a sixty-day Prisoner of War Leave and he then reported to Miami Beach for
separation in late September of 1945.
The Colonel re-entered the service in late 1947 joining the Iowa Army National Guard where he remained a pilot for
the next thirty-one years attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Forney still resides in Boone and is very
active in all of the veterans organizations including VFW Post 817.
To quote Tom Brokaw, the Colonel is a member of our "Greatest Generation." One final note, in the preparation of
his book "The Greatest Generation," Mr. Brokaw had breakfast with the Colonel at his home. Breakfast was
prepared by the Colonel's granddaughters, Amber Feagins and Misti Whitmore.
With Deep Respect and Admiration,
Pete Jones, VFW Post 817 Commander
Upon graduation from Pilot Mound High School in the spring of 1940, the young Forney joined the Iowa National
Guard, 34th. Infantry Division, the famous "Red Bull Division" in January of 1941. The division was activated the
very next month and Colonel Forney found himself in Camp Caliborne, La.
Forney was accepted into flight school in October 1942. He graduated from flight school in June 1943 receiving his
wings and a commission as a second lieutenant. Lieutenant Forney was ordered to Clovis, New Mexico in July 1943
for B-24 bomber pilot training. Forney graduated in October of 1943, was assigned a flight crew, and ordered to
report to Charleston, South Carolina to join the 454th. Bomber Group.
In December of 1943, part of his bomber group departed Charleston, flying their B-24s first to Trinidad, then to
Belem, Brazil, and finally to Dakar, Africa where they rendezvous with the remainder of the 454th. Bomber Group.
In early 1944, the bomber group flew on to southern Italy where they began to fly bombing missions into southern
Germany. On Colonel Forney's sixth mission, his plane was shot down over southern Austria.
Colonel Forney and five of his crew were able to make it out of the plane, but four of the crew went down with the
plane Forney noticed another parachute had landed in his vicinity but found himself entangled in a tree. By the
time Forney was able to free himself and arrive in the area of the parachute he had seen, the other airman was
gone.
Forney was then captured, along with some of the other airmen who were also on the bombing mission, by a group
of Hitler Youth and taken to Dulag Luft Interrogation Center. After Forney and the others were interrogated at Dulag
Luft, they were transported to Stalag Luft #1 in Barth, Germany for internment.
Forney was held as a POW for the next fourteen months before being liberated by the Russians in May 1945. Upon
liberation, the Russians asked the American POWs if there was anything they needed, and of course, one of the
things they asked for was food. According to Colonel Forney, a few days later the Russians drove some fifty head of
cattle into the camp. To quote Colonel Forney, the fact that the cattle were on the hoof presented no problem for
the resourceful American military as the cattle were soon turned into steaks!
The Russians planned to send the liberated airmen to Italy by train, but the senior American in the camp said NO!.
"If we flew into Germany, we will fly out." The air crews were then turned over to the Americans and flown to Reim,
France. They departed France late May 1945 on a captured Italian luxury liner arriving in New York late June.
Colonel Forney was then granted a sixty-day Prisoner of War Leave and he then reported to Miami Beach for
separation in late September of 1945.
The Colonel re-entered the service in late 1947 joining the Iowa Army National Guard where he remained a pilot for
the next thirty-one years attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Forney still resides in Boone and is very
active in all of the veterans organizations including VFW Post 817.
To quote Tom Brokaw, the Colonel is a member of our "Greatest Generation." One final note, in the preparation of
his book "The Greatest Generation," Mr. Brokaw had breakfast with the Colonel at his home. Breakfast was
prepared by the Colonel's granddaughters, Amber Feagins and Misti Whitmore.
With Deep Respect and Admiration,
Pete Jones, VFW Post 817 Commander
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