Hicksville's Own WWII Survivor Takes Commemorative Flight

Hicksville's Own WWII Survivor
Takes Commemorative Flight

Hicksville resident Guenter Bier (right), who was on the ground in Germany during the bombings, and Westbury resident Seymour Cohen, a B-17 radio operator in 1945, and recently flew together through the Flight of Aces program. Also pictured is Faith Weiner of Stop & Shop Supermarkets.

Two Long Islanders - one a former B-17 radio operator who dropped weapons of war in April 1945 in the German city of Leipzig and the other who was on the receiving end of those bombs - recently flew together as friends in a World War II Flying Fortress from Republic Airport in Farmingdale. The flight, which took place last month, was made possible through Stop & Shop Supermarket's Flight of Aces program.

While volunteering at the American Airport Museum at Republic Airport, Guenter Bier of Hicksville and Seymour Cohen of Westbury realized they had met once before. Nearly 60 years earlier, Cohen tried to bring an end to the murderous Nazi Third Reich by dropping bombs from his bomber jet in Leipzig, some 20,000 feet above where Bier and his schoolmates had taken shelter.

Today, the two men have a friendship forged out of mutual respect and enormous camaraderie that was recently celebrated with the commemorative flight onboard one of the few B-17s still flying. The flight was courtesy of a family oral history project sponsored by Stop & Shop.

"This is an incredible program that has made our American heritage alive and vibrant for a new generation," said Cohen. "My story is one that shows the enormous strength and diversity of this nation. It was a wonderful opportunity to fly with Guenter and realize the incredible paths we have taken as fellow Americans."

Faith Weiner, an executive with Stop & Shop, said, "We know that each and every family has an important story to tell about the defense of liberty and freedom. The Flight of Aces program is our effort to make sure that these intensely personal images don't fade over time. This award winning intergenerational program ensures that we understand how personal courage and sacrifice has protected our nation and continues to do so."

Flight of Aces is a cooperative effort with the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport which operates a squadron of World War II aircraft from hangers built in 1943 for the purpose of building P-47 Thunderbolts. The museum is located at 1230 New Highway in Farmingdale, south of Conklin Avenue.