Jackson's Actions

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire. --Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) < Please visit Bev's new ART SHACK STUDIO

Here is Lt. Robert Jackson, age 89, in 2007 paying homage to the crew of his B-17, The Big Bitch. He is standing at my father's grave in St. James, France, at the Brittany-American Military Cemetery.




He is the only living survivor of the plane which went down in the village of Saint Vougay. They made a huge celebration for him when he visited, including parades and dignitaries, and military fanfare. 2,000 people showed up at the village of 800 to celebrate Bob Jackson's return. He was one of two that fell from the plane alive and was captured by the Germans and sent to POW camps. He lives in Kansas with his wife, Shirlee.





Monday morning I leave for the UK, and I will be on my way to France on May 12th. I stop first in St. James to see the cemetery and visit my dad. Then I drive to Saint Vougay where I will stay for two nights before going to Paris.

Thanks for all your good wishes. Thank you for the sales of the chapbook. They have been a dint in the trip expenses and I'm very, very grateful to you all.

I shall return with photos and stories, you can be sure!

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Wow, life is moving along rapidly now. I just read this morning somewhere

(excerpt)

When you are asked "Why do you do, or not do, so and so?" you are invariably aware that your real reason will not go into words, even when you have no wish to conceal it; consequently you rationalise your conduct, more or less dishonestly. I don't know whether everyone would admit this, and it is a fact that some people seem unaware of being influenced by their inner life, or even of having an inner life. I notice that many people never laugh when they are alone, and I suppose that if a man does not laugh when he is alone his inner life must be relatively barren.

George Orwell, New Words

Well, I most certainly DO laugh when I am alone, but what's more, Mr. Orwell is correct when he says that language is simply inadequate for communicating the true inner life. My own inner life is doing some kind of mosh pit maniacal detonational dance right now.

I just got off the phone with Lt. Robert Jackson, (the nicest man you'd ever want to talk to) who was the navigator of the B-17 on which my father was killed. He is the only survivor of a crew of ten that was blown out of the sky in 1942.

This is my original blog post, in case you haven't been bombarded with the info before:
The Big Bitch

Bob (Uncle Bob, he likes to call himself) is 89 years old and remembers it all. We talked about my father!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Dad was a little guy, about 135 pounds, who took his job very seriously,he said. He joined up early in the war, and died early in the war. Bob, being tactful and judicious, reflected on the fact that he knew there might have been some family problems there--with my dad--which of course there were! So, I was glad that he felt he could be that honest with me. They all spent close time together, these crews, and it was unbelievable to be talking to this man.

What's more.. in 2006, there was a huge reunion of the relatives of this plane's crew in France (where I'm headed next month). I found out there's an actual big memorial on the PLACE where The Big Bitch crashed, and my dad's name is on a wall in a tiny village somewhere in Normandy. I have to go and find it while I'm there. I think he said the village was St. Roget, but I can't find it on any map. I have another person to call tomorrow who was instrumental in organizing this reunion, and she may be able to tell me more. Her husband's cousin was the bombadier on the Big Bitch. So, they didn't know I existed and I missed that trip. I'm heartbroken. It would have been wonderful, wonderful to share it with the families (like me) that cared. I'm just heartbroken to have missed it.

BUT, I'm going on May 5th, by myself, and judging by emotional state right now, I think I'd better find a keeper in France. 65 years is a long, long time to suppress emotions. One would think they would wither and die with time...but they are like some Gahan Wilson cartoon, oozing out the windows and doors, puffing and expanding and becoming this torrent of moving and explosive FEELINGS, loosed and raging and
utterly out of control!

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Over at Vanessa Gebbie's Fiction Workhouse (where we practice writing and crit each other's work) we used one of my collages for a flash prompt.

We submitted all the flashes and the art to Eclectica, and the lovely Tom Dooley
accepted three of them! AND the artwork!

My piece is "Buddha Gold" and the art speaks for itself. (in the collection of John and Nancy Cottle of Destin, FL).

Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau (who wrote the second flash) is meeting me in Brittany next month with her French hubby to do a little sight seeing.

Anna Britten (third flash) I hope to meet in London on May 10th at our Writers Meet Up.


ECLECTICA

Woo Hooooo!!!

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It's time for the flowers to bloom!




It's time for Henry to start hunting critters! (notice catbib which shall foil his attacks).





It's time for the weeping cherry in the front yard to weep its beauty!!





Happy Spring, Everybody!!! Oh, it's so lovely!!

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Painting in colored wax (these are practice pieces, and alas, camera is out of focus. But you get the idea. It's very difficult to see the 'depth' of the wax in
photographs, but it's a wonderfully tactile and sensuous surface. I love this medium)



12" x 12" encaustic on birch plywood


12" x 12" encaustic on birch plywood


6" x 6" encaustic on birch plywood

Asheville High School - March 28, 2008

What I can say about this experience is that he is the most charasmatic guy I've
ever seen, and I'd vote for him in a red hot second (again). Smart, funny, good
looking, charming, informed -- he wowed us. I was wholly impressed (and I don't impress easily).

Pudding House Press 2008

Oh, it looks prettier than I imagined it would! The endpapers are black (I was pining because the cover wasn't black) which jazzes it up considerably. They did an excellent job on my artwork's color consistency, and cover design too!

So, for those who are interested: All profits go toward the trip to visit my real father's grave in France!

$11 to Paypal at litpot@veryfast.biz

or check to: Beverly Jackson, 102 Adams Hill Road, Asheville, NC 28806

Thanks so much! And anyone who would rather trade books, or barter or whatever just drop me a zmail. I'm open to all that. And if you hate poetry or my poetry...that's cool too. I'm just thrilled to get this baby out!


For those who don't know about my father, this is the blog story

2008 Mixed Media "Hide" (24" x 24" acrylic, encaustic, screen on Clayboard.)

This encaustic piece drove me crazy being unfinished, even though I loathe the piece...it just needed to be completed. So I opted for an Evangelical apocolypse, raining frogs and all. This amuses me, so I feel complete now. I can hang it in the guest bathroom for other people's amusement and eye-rolling.


Bus to Hereafter

Hallaluijia!!''

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I was on the web this morning, trying to find out what my young, dead father's medals represented. (besides his heroic death). A dear friend told me that oak clusters were additional commendations when added to an Air Medal. (he also got a Purple Heart).

I wasn't able to find any specifics about the two oak clusters I have of his, but I did find an article about Bob Jackson, the navigator of The Big Bitch, the B-17 on which my father was a tailgunner.

This is an account of what happened and where, on the day my Dad died. It is pretty amazing to read it today. (understatement).

Here's a link to the article about Bob Jackson. (SCROLL DOWN to Page 4, a Newletter article). My father, Andrew L. Jackson, is not mentioned by name, but this matches all the other details I have. I have a wonderful letter written by the pilot, John Bennett, and sent to my grandmother. John Bennett apparently died in 1991, but I have written to this website to try to get Bob Jackson's email. I have questions for him!!

This whole thing is pretty awesome reading for me!!!

By the way, my plans are made to go to my father's grave site in May 2008.
See Earlier blog post (and photos) about finding my dad: The Big Bitch

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