“An insightful and remarkably detailed account of one courageous flyer’s journey through the Air Force’s formative years. Ralph Schneck’s wartime career clearly demonstrates why his generation has been called the greatest.”
Christopher M. Rein, Assistant Professor of History
U.S. Air Force Academy
Author of The North African Air Campaign (University Press of Kansas, 2012)
"Dedicated to the men who served in the 8th Air Force during World War II, Cheerio and Best Wishes is a fascinating and compelling read. Through the many letters he wrote home to family and friends we follow the story of Ralph Schneck’s career as a pilot with the US Army Air Force during World War II. In December 1943 he was assigned to the 445th Bombard Group at Tibenham in Norfolk, England, where he served alongside the famous “Jim Stewart." He was transferred to Hardwick and the 93rd Bomb Group in February 1944, becoming Operations Officer for the 329th Bomb Squadron, and later Squadron Commander. Ralph’s letters contain an amazing amount of detail, and it’s fascinating to read his accounts of what life was like flying combat missions from an American air base in England at that time, and the places he visited. Norwich and the Norfolk Broads were close at hand, and he visited London often. The letters are introduced and set in their historical context by Ralph’s son Donald, and the extensive notes at the end of each chapter are almost as fascinating to read as the letters themselves. However – the hero of this story is Ralph, and it’s his voice we hear telling it, through the letters he wrote."
Libby Morgan
Trust Librarian
2nd Air Division Memorial Library
Norwich, England
"Ralph Schneck, the pilot, represents millions of young American soldiers in his steadfast service to his country and fellow citizens, his courage in the face of harrowing air combat, and his ordinary rural-Midwestern decency in an era when decency was in short supply in the world. His letters convey not only the daily routine of a young American military airman but also the thoughts and aspirations of a brave American who joined millions of fellow citizens in sacrificing his personal freedom and security to serve the larger mission of defeating Axis tyranny in the 1940’s."
Tod Roberts, English Instructor
University of South Florida
Editor of RAF Wing Over Florida (Purdue University Press, 2000)
"These accounts are personal and poignant, the voice of a young man doing an amazing and heroic service. It’s a great read . . . "
