More 'bios of the banner brave' on Daniel Island
Editor’s Note: The following continues an ongoing series of biographical briefs celebrating those named on the Exchange Club of Daniel Island’s “honor banners” around the island. We wanted to feature a couple more profiles in conjunction with Memorial Day. Please watch for more bios in future issues.
Both honorees below trained/served in the Army Air Forces, which was formed from the Army Air Corps in 1941 as another step toward an independent aviation branch. In 1947, this group of the Army became the Air Force, a separate branch of U.S. military service.
Staff Sergeant Tileston Curtis (Curt) Power
Tileston Curtis Power, known to his friends and family as Curt, grew up on historic May Elm’s, a farm (and favorite vacation spot of American novelist Louisa May Alcott) in Norwell, Massachusetts. He grew up as an only child and was known for his carefree, happy go-lucky approach to life.
Prior to his military service, Curt worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Public Works Department as an electrical repairman. On October 19, 1942, at the age of 27, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces. “Life was about to get really serious,” relates his son, Bill Power, who initiated the Daniel Island Exchange Club’s honor banner program last year and purchased one of the first banners in tribute to his dad.
After finishing the Army Air Forces Technical School, Curt was assigned to the 334th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bomb Group, 8th Air Forces in England. He flew as a Waist Gunner, manning a .50 Caliber Browning machine gun, a Tail Gunner, and Toggler (Bombardier). In a B-17 Flying Fortress, he completed an astonishing 35 missions over enemy territory including Germany, Northern France, and Normandy. For his efforts, he was awarded the EAME Service Ribbon and three Bronze Service Stars, the Air Medal and one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After the war, Staff Sgt. Power returned to the U.S. through Denver. It was here that he met Betty Farthing at a USO event and, after dating for a relatively brief period of time, the two became engaged. Curt and Betty traveled to Alton, Illinois to meet her parents and get married, and then continued to the Boston area to settle down. Curt went on to work as a purchasing agent for a U.S. manufacturer of large antennas, and then as a mechanic and driver for a large quarry near his hometown. “He always worked hard to provide for his family and teach valuable life lessons to us all (twin sons, a daughter, and seven grandchildren) all,” states Bill.
His son also shares that, growing up, the family knew very little of Curt’s efforts in World War II, as so many from the “Greatest Generation” simply refrain from speaking about the war. But one day, a conversation was overheard between Curt and his first grandson, Bill’s son. “Dad told about one flight that he was asked to crawl through a tube to the rear of the plane to inspect for damage,” Bill relates. “As he was crawling back to the center of the plane, a bullet went through one side of the tube and out the other side, just in front of him. My son asked, ‘What did you do next, Grampa?’ Curt simply said, ‘I got the hell out of there!’”
Cadet/Trainee William (Bill) R. Haase III
The military story of Bill Haase is relatively brief. But as his daughter, Daniel Island resident Lee Harper, who honored her dad with the Exchange Club banner, points out, it nonetheless left an empty chair at his family’s dining room table for nearly two years.
Also an only child, Bill saw his country at war all through high school. During his senior year, he recognized that the odds were good he’d be drafted, so he decided to enlist in the Army Air Forces as an aviation trainee. At the onset of his training, he had to take a written exam, and his math skills were so strong that he was accepted into the navigation training program. Though it was designed as a 13-month program, it got dragged out over 20 months, as Bill was tasked with intermittent duties from military law enforcement to administrative roles. “One time, I even played on the baseball team!” he remarks.
As it turns out, World War II ended before Bill’s training was completed. “About a month or two after the war was over, they got our group together and said, ‘We don’t know what to do with you,’” he recalls. “We thought we’d go into military police, or to Japan or Germany. But ten days later, I was discharged, and got my railroad ticket home.” It was an honorable discharge, and though it left him flummoxed at the time, Lee points out that her father’s performance on that entrance exam and disjointed periods of classroom training and auxiliary jobs may have saved his life. “A friend of his that he started with did not do as well on the exam, received a different assignment, and was sent overseas,” she explains. “He never made it home.”
When Bill returned home, he received the high school diploma his parents had already accepted on his behalf. He then decided to play shortstop for Hickory, North Carolina’s “farm team” for the New York Giants. About a year later, he entered Syracuse University, where he would earn degrees in Mathematics and Physical Education. His love of baseball and basketball would be further indulged, as he supplemented his instruction of math with coaching of both sports. Earning advanced degrees in education, and becoming a member of the College Basketball Official Association, Bill would go on to become a principal, a superintendent, and a qualified official of New York state college games.
“My father has worn many, many hats in his 90-plus years,” acknowledges his proud daughter. “The best part of his life are the awesome stories of ‘back when I...’” One such tale surely details his efforts in planning the “new” Daniel Island elementary school after he and wife Petey moved to their new hometown in 2004. The couple now resides at Summit Place of Daniel Island.
The Exchange Club is close to filling all available light poles on the island, so those considering a purchase in honor of a family member or friend are encouraged to act soon. Banners are also available in tribute to police and firefighters; there are currently no first responders represented on the honor banners, something the Exchange Club hopes to see change in the future.
The cost of a banner is $250-$295, varying by the choice of single-side (honoring one individual) or double-sided (honoring two individuals). Details and order information can be found at http://bit.ly/Honor-Banner1.