Fellow American,

My plane was shot down by the Germans in my
first combat mission in World War II.

Our rookie B-17 crew was in "Tail End Charlie,"
which is what we called the last plane in the formation to pass
over the target. The Germans had zeroed in on us with 88
millimeter cannons -- which could fire five miles up -- and they
hit our number one and number two engine.

A B-17 is not made to stay up on two engines.
But with skill, determination, and good fortune, we crash-landed
in Belgium just over the Nazi lines.

Five days later, we were rescued ... and I went
on to fly 22 more missions.

















Above: The American Veterans Center recorded
and released a 30-minute video documentary with me about my
service in World War II.










A few years ago, my friends at the American
Veterans Center invited me to record a video documentary about my
experience in World War II.

I was proud to share my story with the American
Veterans Center (AVC), both to honor the memories of the brave
men I served with and to pass on our hard-fought lessons to the
next generation.

Right now, the American Veterans Center is
working around the clock to interview and record as many video
documentaries as possible with World War II veterans like me.

May I ask you to chip in $25, $50, $75, $100,
$250, $500, or more today to help fund the American Veterans
Center's critical video documentary project? As a non-profit,
AVC depends on the contributions of patriotic Americans like you.









Help the American Veterans Center










When the American Veterans Center records video
documentaries with veterans like me:
• The experienced AVC video team coordinates
travel plans with the veteran and his or her family. Oftentimes,
AVC will even send out their staff to veterans' homes - of
course, at no cost to the veteran.• AVC records a beautiful,
professional-quality video documentary that lets veterans tell
their own stories in their own words. A keepsake copy is also
given to the veteran and their family to enjoy.

• AVC makes available - for free! - these
powerful video documentaries to be used as part of our shared
American history. These videos reach millions on YouTube and have
been used by the Library of Congress, presidential museums, and
award-winning films.

Can I count on you to help the American
Veterans Center record even more video documentaries with your
gift of $25, $50, $75, $100, $250, $500, or more today? Your gift
is urgently needed for AVC to continue their efforts.









Help the American Veterans Center










The history books will teach you the facts, but
only the servicemen and women of World War II can tell you what
it was really like.

In the beginning of the war, they said if a guy
flew six or eight missions, he was on borrowed time.

There were many men who served with me who
didn't come home. They didn't get to be husbands, didn't get to
be dads, and none of them got to be grandfathers -- which you
can't understand until you reach that point in your own life.

Thanks to the American Veterans Center, and
generous Americans like you who made my video documentary
possible, my story, and the story of the young men in the Eighth
Air Force, has entered our shared American history.

To help preserve the legacy of more World War
II veterans like me, please make your most generous gift to the
American Veterans Center today.

I understand first-hand what good, important
work the American Veterans Center does - and why their mission to
record video documentaries with more veterans like me is so
urgent.

That's why I'm asking for your support of the
American Veterans Center today.

Thank you,

















Paul "Bud" Haedike
World War II Veteran
For the American Veterans Center









Support the American Veterans Center











 











The mission of the American Veterans Center and
the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote
the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty
service personnel from World War II through today.

A non-profit educational organization, the AVC
and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from
people like you. All contributions are tax-deductible.


© American Veterans Center1100 N. Glebe Road
Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22201

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