Sgt Edward Reilly 1945

My life began in Easton, Pennsylvania. A city on the Delaware River... A year later my parents moved, with me to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, just across the river. I attended St. Phillip and St. James School there until half way through the senior grade and then entered college at Lafayette College in Easton Pa. It was Jan 1943, I was still not 17 years old, and the war was on. My father had served in the army in WWI, and I wanted to serve in the Army too, but not in the infantry as he did. I wanted to be an Army AF pilot...I took the written test for acceptance into the pilot training program that June and was sworn into the Enlisted Reserve Corps and told that I would be called into active service when I reached the age of 18, the following January.

I did my basic training in Miami FL. There were 72 of us trainees in my training squadron. I attended Gunnery school and was shipped to Lincoln Neb. where we were introduced to the B-29. The most important occurrence in my life up to that time was joining Crew #7......

Ed Reilly 1st Crew Reunion 09/02/80

After the war, I returned to Lafayette for another year. Then I took a job with a financial corporation, which was expanding. I convinced a beautiful Yvonne Peterson to marry me and then I opened offices and managed for them in Gadsden Alabama, Philadelphia Pa, Albuquerque New Mexico, and San Francisco, Ca. I joined another finance corporation there and worked in Sacramento California. There I took a job with the State Of California, and stayed 25 years. I served as a Management Analyst performing a series of studies involving work processes and staffing. Later I was promoted and transferred to Fresno as Asst Deputy Director, in charge of personnel activities. I later transferred to San Diego, in charge of Human Relations activities. I did subsequently serve for 6 months as Deputy District Director in charge of all Administrative activities. I retired in Dec 1991. 3 members of crew 7 (Elmo, Ralph and Biff) attended my retirement party.

My wife of over 52 years Yvonne and I have 2 children, Peggy and Sean. Peggy and husband Marty Bell live in Miami only a block away from us.. They own and operate a tree nursery.. They have a 24 ft boat and regularly go out for the big ones. Sean is in a special training and development program in San Diego and visits us usually twice a year. Peggy spent over 20 years as a Flight Attendant for Eastern and Pan Am (both now defunct) and during the Gulf war she volunteered to transport our troops to the war zone... I advised against it but she did it, and was awarded a medal by the Air Force for her efforts.

We have a grandson, Jamie, who is currently 7 years old and enjoys going to Marlin, he is remarkable.

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