22 September 2025
Some journeys are more than travel. They are pilgrimages of the heart. For Rodney “Rod” Michaelson, a resident of Walnut Creek, California, his first trip to England was just that—a quest for connection, understanding, and a chance to walk in the footsteps of a father he lost far too soon.
Rod was only 12 years old when his father, James Michaelson, passed away in 1966. James had served as a B-24 Liberator Ball Turret Gunner with the 753rd Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, flying from Horsham St Faith during WWII. Like so many veterans, his battle didn’t end when the war did. He carried the invisible wounds of trauma home with him, and eventually, those wounds took their toll.
Now, nearly eight decades later, Rod travelled to Norwich—the very airfield where his father’s aircraft, A Dog’s Life, once stood ready for missions over Europe. For Rod, this was not just history—it was family.
From the moment Rod arrived, he was supported by Kerry Wilmot, Director of NEBOair and Trustee of the USAAF Heritage Trust, who has long been committed to helping the families of veterans connect with their history. Kerry juggled her busy schedule to personally guide Rod throughout his visit, showing him the key places tied to his father’s time in wartime England, and providing context and stories that brought history vividly to life.
Thursday evening began at the Silver Wings Exhibition at The Forum, Norwich, where Rod met many of those who helped put the exhibition together. With Kerry’s support, he could navigate the history, meet experts, and begin piecing together his father’s story.
Friday’s journey was a profound experience. With assistance from John Freeman and Nick Smith at Saxon Air and the New Farm Aviation Museum, Rod stood on the very hardstand where A Dog’s Life once rested. Beneath his feet lay a faint but undeniable mark—a B-24 tyre imprint preserved in the concrete since 1944.
Time seemed to dissolve. For a moment, Rod stood not just in a place, but in his father’s past.
The journey continued through the Liberator Café. Kerry ensured Rod’s visit also included every meaningful site: Old Catton, the location of the aircraft’s crash on 13th February 1945; Bungay, home to the 446th Bomb Group’s communal site now being restored by the USAAF Heritage Trust; and the City of Norwich Aviation Museum, where he could see the very artifacts linked to his father’s service, including a B-24 tyre matching the imprint on the hardstand.
The weekend was rich with encounters—wartime vehicles, reenactors, and personal stories at The Forum’s 1940s street party. Rod climbed into the only remaining USAAF Wrecker in the UK, swapped stories with jeep owners, and immersed himself in the daily lives of those who once supported the air war from the ground.
At the New Farm Aviation Museum, Rod received a gift unlike any other: a keyring made from Plexiglass recovered from his father’s B-24. It was a tangible piece of history, a fragment of his father’s story he could take home in his pocket.
And then, the skies opened. Saxon Air arranged a 20-minute flight over Norwich, giving Rod a breath-taking view of the landscape his father once flew over daily. It was, in many ways, a symbolic handover—from father to son, past to present, memory to legacy.
The journey ended at The Bull in Hellesdon, a pub once frequented by 458th servicemen. Over a traditional Sunday roast, Rod raised a glass to his father, reflecting on a weekend filled with answers, memories, and a renewed connection to the man he had lost.
Thanks to Kerry’s guidance and the support of Saxon Air and the museum teams, Rod’s trip became more than a visit—it became a deeply personal journey of discovery, bridging past and present, and honouring the legacy of James Michaelson.
