Remembering the Fallen Heroes of the ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’

Jean-Paul Favrais is a french researcher of WW II crashes of Eighth Air Force planes in Western France. During the summer of 2007, George Ciampa met Jean-Paul Favrais in France, while filming his second documentary, “Let Freedom Ring…Memories of France”.

One of the sites researched by Favrais was that of Lt. Oran T. O’Connor, a B-17 pilot, who crash landed on a farm in a burning plane with only a wounded tail gunner aboard with him. SIXTY YEARS LATER in 2004, the pilot’s daughter, Kathleen Stanclift, was contacted by Favrais while he was doing research work. Hosted by him, in 2007, she visited the farm where her father crashed landed in 1943. Upon her return home, she met with George to tell of her experience for this documentary.

Upon meeting Jean-Paul, George was impressed with the amazing work he was doing which was motivated by the experience he had as a nine-year-old boy in witnessing a P-38 fighter plane crash near his home and seeing the pilot’s body. He was determined to find out the identity of the pilot who gave his life to bring liberty to his country and then to reach out to the pilot’s family.

In his retirement, he has devoted his time in the research of fallen airmen. Through the Internet, he searches for family members of those heroes who gave their lives for the liberation of France. He then hosts families while visiting the crash sites of their loved ones…for closure.

Actor Gary Sinise introduces this moving documentary which follows Jean-Paul’s footsteps and reveals experiences told by hosted family members of perished airmen as well as hearing from living veterans of the “Mighty Eighth.”

Film includes an
introduction by
actor Gary Sinise