By Senior Airman Brooke Moeder, 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published August 27, 2021
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey, 31st Fighter Wing commander, speaks at the Andraž Memorial at Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. ‘Dark Eyes’, part of the 96th Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group (Heavy), was on a mission to bomb the airdome at Klagenfurt, Austria, when it took on heavy flak, exploded, and went down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey, 31st Fighter Wing commander, left, Borut Pahor, Slovenian President of the Republic, middle, and Janez Jansa, Slovenian Prime Minister, right, commemorate a wreath dedicated to members with the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ that was shot down in 1944 in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. ‘Dark Eyes’, part of the 96th Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group (Heavy), was on a mission to bomb the airdome at Klagenfurt, Austria, when it took on heavy flak, exploded, and went down. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force leadership from the 31st Fighter Wing, attend the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. Members killed in action included U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Herman S. Lavine, 2nd Lt Arthur L. Hyatt, 2nd Lt George J. Seamans, Staff Sgt. Michael A. Croccia, Staff Sgt. Virgil Lazar, Staff Sgt. Oscar Rome, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Cary, Staff Sgt. Harold E. Hansen and prisoners of War included 2nd Lt Louis M. Boehm and Staff Sgt. Kenneth C. Cook. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force honor guard members assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing and Slovenian honor guard prepare to lay down a wreath in remembrance of the downed B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ which was shot down over Andraž on March 19, 1944, at the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to the B-17 Bomber was dedicated on March 22, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
Slovenian Armed Forces aircraft flyover the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. The American B-17 bomber flew 80 missions during World War II in the skies above occupied France, Italy, and Nazi Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
Military chaplain Matej Jakopic blesses a memorial plaque during the Andraž memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. Members of the crew killed in action are buried at the Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
Borut Pahor, Slovenian President of the Republic, speaks at the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. In December 2012, Pahor was elected the fourth President of the Republic of Slovenia and in November 2017 he was re-elected for a second term. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey, 31st Fighter Wing commander, signs a visitor’s book at the Andraž ceremony in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. ‘Dark Eyes,’ is an American B-17 bomber that flew 80 missions during World War II in the skies above occupied France, Italy, and Nazi Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
A helicopter flies over the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. Members killed in action include U.S. Air Force 1st Lt Herman S. Lavine, 2nd Lt Arthur L. Hyatt, 2nd Lt George J. Seamans, Staff Sgt. Michael A. Croccia, Staff Sgt. Virgil Lazar, Staff Sgt. Oscar Rome, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Cary, Staff Sgt. Harold E. Hansen and prisoners of War include 2nd Lt Louis M. Boehm and Staff Sgt. Kenneth C. Cook. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey, 31st Fighter Wing commander, middle, talks with Borut Pahor, Slovenian President of the Republic, right, and other leadership at the Andraž Memorial in Andraž nod Polzelo, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. In 1944, the U.S. B-17 bomber ‘Dark Eyes’ was shot down over Andraž nod Polzelo and the memorial to ‘Dark Eyes’ was dedicated on March 22, 2014. Members of the crew killed in action are buried at the Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Branden Felker, 31st Operational Support Squadron director of operations, looks at a helicopter at the Pivka Park of Military History in Pivka, Slovenia, Aug. 25, 2021. The museum is operated by the town of Pivka and the Slovenian Armed Forces and the exhibits illustrate history from World War II to the Cold War, the time frame of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooke Moeder)