Joe Moser, WWII Fighter pilot who was one of 82 American's sent to Buchenwald after being shot down, was interviewed by KVOS TV's Deb Slater for Experience Northwest.

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Anne Rasmussen

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360.303.9219

Here is what is happening with media coverage of Joe Moser's 65 year late Distinguished Flying Cross award:

CNN.com coverage: January 30, 2009 (including video)

Story:   http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/30/wwii.vet.honored/index.html

Video  http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/30/wwii.vet.honored/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Seattle PI  (page A8 Wed Jan 28 paper)

Seattlepi.com story

Seattle PI Military Blog

Tacoma News Tribune--FOB Tacoma

RADIO Interviews

Live, KMPS, Thursday morning (time TBA)

Live, KIRO Ron and Don Show, approx 4 -4:30 pm Thursday afternoon

Online Coverage as of 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 28:

UPI

RssCA.net

Olympian Online

Mason County News

MORE COVERAGE

Tacoma News Tribune, Jan 30:

http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/military/2009/01/30/flying_hero_87_receives_distinguished_fl

Bellingham Herald Jan 30

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/774716.html

87-year-old Airman receives World War II medal

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. - Sixty-five years removed from
unknowingly earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Army Air Corps
veteran Joseph Moser will finally get his hard-earned day in the
limelight.

Mr. Moser, from Ferndale, Wash., will be presented the Distinguished
Flying Cross at McChord's Annual Awards Banquet Thursday night at the
McChord Clubs and Community Center. Two former members of the squadron,
Bob Milliken and Al Mills, will escort Mr. Moser to the stage when it
comes time for the orders to be read.

As a first lieutenant for the 474th Fighter Group during World War II,
Mr. Moser flew a highly successful bombing mission over a heavily
fortified target on July 30, 1944 and earned the Distinguished Flying
Cross. Two weeks later, his P-38 Lightning was shot down over Germany
and he was held as a prisoner of war.  Eventually, the Airman would be
sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Because of misplaced paperwork, Mr. Moser was never presented his
Distinguished Flying Cross. He didn't learn of the award until reading
about it in a squadron diary given to him by a friend in the early
1990s.

After a few unsuccessful attempts by his family to petition state
officials for a ceremony, the effort lost steam.

"I just figured it was lost and that I would never get it," said Mr.
Moser, now 87.

But momentum was re-ignited after author and friend Gerald Baron
discovered the oversight in interviews with Mr. Moser for a book he was
working on. Upon making some connections at a local Rotary Club meeting,
Mr. Baron contacted retired Chief Master Sgt. Rick Arnold, who helped
get the ball rolling again, he said.

"The whole process has been exciting and incredibly rewarding," Mr.
Baron said. "It's exciting to see what (the commitment to awarding the
Distinguished Flying Cross) means to the Air Force."

When Mr. Baron told Mr. Moser that he was finally going to be publicly
acknowledged, the 87-year-old lifetime Whatcom County resident could
hardly believe his ears.

"I thought he was pulling my leg - I didn't really believe it," Mr.
Moser said. "It still hasn't really sunk in - it's quite an honor."

When that honor comes, more than 30 of Mr. Moser's family members and
friends are expected to be on hand to share the historic ceremony.

"They're all really excited," Mr. Moser said. "I've never mentioned much
about what I did in the service. Since Gerald has been writing the book,
they're learning new things about me. It's been real good for me to get
(that information) out."

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to members of the Armed Forces
of the United States who have distinguished themselves in actual combat
in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while
participating in an aerial flight. The first recipient of the
Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh, of
the U.S. Army Corps Reserve.

-30-

MEDIA ADVISORY - The media are invited to interview Army Air Corps
veteran Joe Moser on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Mr
Moser is taking part of a base tour with friends and family members. The
tour includes a visit to one of McChord's C-17s and a chance to fly in
the C-17 simulator. Two of his World War II squadron mates will "fly"
with Mr. Moser in the simulator. Mr Milliken is a World War II "flying
Ace," and Mr. Mills earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.  Media
wishing to cover the visit need to call 253-982-5637 no later than 3
p.m. Wednesday. Showtime at the main gate for media event Thursday is 2
p.m.

Visit McChord AFB on the internet at: http://www.mcchord.af.mil

v/r,

Dean J. Miller, MSgt, USAF

Chief, Public Affairs

62nd Airlift Wing (AMC), McChord AFB, WA

(253) 982-5637

(Bellingham, WA)  Joe Moser, a furnace repair man in Northwest Washington for over 40 years, will receive his Distinguished Flying Cross medal from the US Air Force--64 years late. The presentation will be made by Col. Jeffrey Stephenson, the Wing Commander of McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington in a medal presentation at the base on January 29. Moser earned the award for action on July 30, 1944 when leading his squadron on a dive bombing and strafing mission in Normandy. According to the recently discovered award citation, Moser destroyed two locomotives and ten freight cars, and damaged two anti-aircraft batteries allowing his squadron to complete its mission unimpeded. The lifelong Ferndale, Washington resident was shot down on August 13 and captured by the Germans while trying to escape with some French farmers. Joe and 167 othe Allied airmen who were caught with the French Resistance were treated not as POWs but as terrorists by Hitler and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp where they were scheduled for execution on October 24, 1944.

The Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the nation's highest honors, is awarded for "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight." The award was established in 1926 and presented to such luminaries as Charles Lindberg, former President George H. W. Bush, General Hap Arnold, General Jimmy Doolittle, Senators John McCain and John Glenn.

The award ceremony at McChord Air Force base includes a number of medals honoring currently serving members of the Air Force. But the presentation to Mr. Moser, who completed his service as a Captain with the Air Force Reserve, will be the final medal presented.

The fact that the medal was never presented and Mr. Moser had never received it was discovered while conducting research for Moser's recently released autobiography "A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald: The Joe Moser Story." Bellingham author Gerald Baron discovered the award of the medal in an unofficial history book of Moser's squadron. "Joe is a very quiet and humble man and doesn't like to draw attention to himself," said Baron, "But he knew of Order Number 109 of the Ninth Air Force, issued June 22, 1945 that said he was awarded this honor. He just never really pursued it." Baron, as well as Joe's daughters, made some attempts to research military records and go through elected officials but the search was unsuccessful. "A friend, Duane McNett, made contact with a person who works with his company, McNett Corporation," Baron reported. That somebody turned out to be a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Rick Arnold, who himself earned the Air Medal for his heroism in helping rescue people in the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks. Chief Arnold, who led the Air Force's Survival, Escape and Evasion (SERE) training, went to work and contacted several Air Force offices holding archives and personnel records.

"It was amazing," said Baron. "This became a top priority mission for him. He said it was a 'once in a lifetime opportunity.'" Arnold confirmed that the award was ordered and dug until he found the actual Army Air Corp orders with the citation crediting Moser with the action leading to the award. When officials at McChord Air Force Base learned the story, they quickly arranged to make a special presentation to 86 year old Moser. Two special guests willl also be present for the ceremony. Two of Moser's three remaining squadron mates will be present to see their war-time buddy receive this honor. Alfred Mills, also a DFC recipient and Bob Milliken, the only ace of the 429th Squadron, 474th Fighter Group, will also be present to honor Moser. An ace is a fighter pilot who has shot down at least five enemy aircraft.

The book "A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald: The Joe Moser Story" details the experiences of Moser as a fighter pilot, his narrow escape from his burning plane, and the horrors of his capture, imprisonment, train ride to Buchenwald and the two months he spent in the concentration camp. He narrowly escaped death when the arms factory that was part of the camp was bombed by American B-17s and lost nearly 35 pounds in the two months he was in the camp reserved for Hitler's greatest political prisoners. More than 50,000 inmates died in Buchenwald. Moser and his group were rescued by the Luftwaffe who objected to treating prisoners of war in this way and were taken from the camp four days before their scheduled execution. He was sent to Stalag Luft III and placed in barracks 104, perhaps the most famous barracks of the war as it was under Moser's very camp stove that the tunnel for "the great escape" was dug just five months before he arrived. Moser barely survived the infamous 65 mile "death march" in 28 degrees below blizzard conditions, finally arrived in a hugely overcrowded POW camp in Moosburg from where he was liberated with 140,000 fellow prisoners.

He returned home to Bellingham, married his wife of 52 years, Jean, and raised five children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Joe worked as a furnace installer and repairman for Andgar Corporation for over 40 years. After the war he never told his story, particularly the horrors of Buchenwald. His wife first discovered what had really happened when she read about it an article in the Lynden Tribune in the 1980s. The book was published locally with the support of Moser's cousin Frank Imhof, and is available on Amazon, at Village Books in Bellingham, and online at www.joemoserstory.com. Andgar Corporation is hosting a community recognition event and book signing for Joe Moser on Thursday, February 5 at the Mt Baker Rotary Building at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, starting at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend this event.