The Story
Danny flew 50 missions as a tail-gunner in a B-17 during the years of 1944-1945 at the age of 18 years old. My father met Danny Francisco a few months ago delivering meals to senior citizens in South Lake Tahoe, CA. His plane was called 'The Silver Dollar' and was based out of Foggia, Italy during the war.The message of this video is to understand that there are heroes around us every day - our veterans. They live in our communities and have stories as deep as Danny's. If some of our younger generations could find time to sit down and talk with our senior citizens, our world might be a bit more understanding.
Special thanks to Helen Francisco, Phil Ward, Jeanne Ward, and Ben Ward.
The Experience
After having the idea to interview Danny, we setup the camera at his house and had him recall being drafted into WWII. The attention to detail he delivered was amazing at the age of 93. Shortly after the interview, I read that one of the remaining six B-17 planes would be in Carson City just 20 minutes over the hill. We emailed them and they welcome Danny with open arms to fly 1000 feet above the valley floor. This video is a montage tribute to his story and those who served.
