European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 02, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday. September 2. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here belgians dedicating memorial to Wii airman b David Tarrant Brussels Bureau in i or of c Honlon. A Small town in Eastern Virginia to provide him with the names of an Luing members of she family of Frt Perisher i Parramore. An american airman killed in Bel Gium during world War ii. Even More startling was the reason Van serum s group was planning a memorial Ibi Parramore and wanted to invite his family to Belgium for the Cere Mony. The letter had been forwarded to Marsh the younger sister of Parramore. She was sceptical. Who was Van scrum and Why would his group want to set up a memorial for her brother 45 years after his death Why single out Parramore when the area i which he trashed saw so Many Allied planes shot Down 1 she wondered whether it was a sick prank , someone preying on her memories to squeeze Money from her. I wrote them right Back but then i wondered if have written. 1 was t sure who these people were and what they wanted Marsh said. So she wrote a letter to the american embassy in Belgium to confirm the information in the letter. A embassy official wrote Back to say that the group was i am simply Over whelmed with what has been done. My family and i Are overwhelmed by the kindness the belgians have shown Rebecca Marsh legitimate and that the embassy s defense attache office also would attend the ceremony. We believe you will find the belgian hospitality warm and the folks putting the memorial together most helpful the letter ended. And so began a remarkable correspondence be tween several belgians and an american family who were to meet for the first time at today s official dedication of the George Fisher i Parramore memorial in a Legaarden. "1 am simply overwhelmed with what has been Marsh said after arriving in Belgium on thursday. My family and i Are overwhelmed by the kindness the belgians have shown the memorial a rough Hen obelisk shaped Block of Brown Slone. Is cast in a Wall of Gray Stone bricks and stands on the shoulder of a Road in Floe Gaarden near where i Parramore s plane crashed. The Stone is called Goben Ange. And it is As common to the ground in this part of the country As fighter planes were to the skies overhead during world Star staff sgt. George f. Parramore Iii was a 22-year old member of the . Army air Force based in England when on dec. I. 19-43, his Squadron at tacked several steel factories in the Ruhr Industrial area of Germany Parramore was a Crew member of the b-24 Liberator nicknamed the Fravega boys for the two Fravega Brothers who also were members of the Crew. While returning to its base in Britain the squad Ron was attacked by German fighters Between Dies Scudo of and Aachen in Germany damage to the plane forced the Fravega boys out of formation. Over Belgium. I Parramore s plane was attacked again this Lime by German anti aircraft guns near hoc Gaarden about 30 Miles Southeast of Brussels. One of the Fravega Brothers the commander of the plane gave the order to the other eight Crew members to bail out. Parramore although seriously wounded helped fellow Crew members into their parachutes before leaving the plane himself. But after jumping he hit the Tail of the plane and fell to his death in a Small Field near Hofgaarden. Parramore s body was provisionally buried by the germans in a War cemetery. In the night his grave belgian Urc up Hill his Stone memorial in Lii inn Geurge Parramore tin american airman killed in world War ii was decorated with Flowers and ribbons by members of the local resistance despite severe penalties aimed at deterring such action. Parramore was later awarded posthumously the air medal and the purple heart. Far less was known about the i cats surrounding the crash when several residents of Hofgaarden decided they would look into it As part of an Effort to research the history of the War in their area. Several belgians including Nick Van Eechaute a chief Petty officer in the belgian Navy and Van scrum. Who runs a museum in Hofgaarden decide Din 1987 to find out something about the Allied plane that had crashed near Hofgaarden. So Little was known about the event that even the nationality of the plane was Uncertain. The name i Parramore first occurred to me in a strange Story i was told by Vannerum who was a former member of the belgian resistance during world War ii. Said Van Eechaute who acts As spokesman for the Small group that Calls itself the Parramore the Only body found near the Allied air plane car ried the name Parramore he said. Who was he where did he come from so we started a quest looking for facts via embassies military attaches military historical services and private first they were certain that Parramore was Ca Nadian. But the Canadian embassy s military attach could find nothing for them. Neither could the Brit ish embassy. Or the air historical Branch of the Royal air Force in London. Another belgian to Verbeke a former warrant officer of the belgian air Force finally traced Parra More to an american outfit. Details of the final mis Sion began to emerge from members of the Crew who survived the Eechaute said that for the belgians near Hofgaarden. The i Arram orc memorial is a tribute to air Allied airmen who crashed or were shot Down in the area Between Saint Trond and Louvain in Eastern Belgium. To or Marsh and her two Brothers Thomas and Wil Liam Parramore it is a Chance to be United once More with their older brother and the people he helped liberate. We re going to slay in the area said Marsh. We re Only Here for a week and we want to meet the people Here. They Are very
