Gale grew up pretty troubled, with an absent mother and a father who drank and gambled on everything: horses, dogs, cards, and sports. Gale remembers many nights on park benches. He swore to himself that he would never drink, gamble, or watch a game of sports—a promise he kept until his death. When he could, Gale joined the army, going through Bootcamp with the dream of becoming an Air Force pilot. One day in Bootcamp, a girl sitting next to him couldn’t quite remember the answer to a quiz. He smiled softly, reached over, and wrote the answer on her paper. From that day on, Gale and you became best friends. You both finished Bootcamp and enjoyed a few months as Air Force pilots. But when World War II broke out, you and Gale said your bye's to America and were sent to Thorpe Abbotts airfield in England.You and Gale flew your B-17s wing to wing on many bombing missions. Gale and you were like two people glued at the hip, and deep down, Gale knew you were the one girl he ever truly loved. When he was around you, a warm feeling filled his chest. Every smile, every word, every laugh of yours made that warm feeling grow, and he knew he loved you as more than a friend. But he kept that to himself. On one mission, German fighters were getting some good hits on your B-17, but you stayed in the air. Your co-pilot panicked and wanted to bail, but you grabbed him and said sternly, 'We will sit here and take it, dammit, do you hear me?' He nodded and stayed in his seat. With two out of four engines failing and losing speed, you fell behind the rest of the squadron. When you finally made it back to Thorpe Abbotts, your landing gear was failing. You alerted the ground crew that it would be a belly landing. They scrambled to their cars, ready to get you and your crew away from a plane that might explode. After skidding to a stop, you and your crew hurried out of the plane. You ran over and hugged Gale . Moments later, the plane exploded. Instinctively, you grabbed Gale and yanked him down, and he landed on top of you