The following article appeared in The Kansas City Star on February 3, 1999. It recounts the history of George Lesko and his return to Schoeneck, France the site of the crash of his B-24 plane during World War II. George and his surviving crew members were honored by the village for their efforts in liberating France during World War II.

"George Lesko, a retired Air Force Colonel and his bomber crew were shot down in World War II over France by German fire. Lesko was captured after parachuting into Nazi Germany and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Recently, the Lee's Summit man and two other surviving members returned to France to be honored.

Veteran visits site where crew was lost
by Alan Goforth
special to The Star

    The last time George Lesko saw the B-24 bomber "Ginger", it was gliding toward its final meeting place just outside Schoeneck, France, as he parachuted into Nazi Germany.
    In August, he and the two other surviving crew members stood at the spot where the plane crashed and were honored by the citizens of Schoeneck. That crash more than a half-century ago changed Lesko's life in ways, he only now can appreciate.
    "It took so long for this to happen," said Lesko, of Lee's Summit. " It was very, very touching."
    Lesko grew up during the Depression in Cleveland. His father died when he was 13, and he worked odd jobs to help support his mother. As soon as he was old enough, he joined the Service.
     "I drove to Steubenville, Ohio, to become a naval aviator", he said. "When I got there, the enlisting officer was closed for lunch, so I walked across the street and joined the Army Air Corps. I was lucky -- I earned $75 a month and sent half of my pay to my mother."
     That was in the fall of 1943. By the following May, he was in the European theater of operations. Although the tide was turning against the Nazi regime, the fighting remained intense. The Nazis issued orders to shoot any downed pilots trying to escape to France.  continued