Monday, October 11, 2010
It was a warm summer day and I was on patrol as a Conservation Officer near the Old Plainville Reservoir in Southington, Connecticut. This was a newly assigned patrol zone for me. I noticed a man wearing a holstered revolver working near a horse paddock located opposite the reservoir and decided to introduce myself. I pulled into the driveway and the man walked toward me as I asked "why are you carrying the handgun"? The man replied "I am exercising my constituional right to bear arms and to self protection". I introduced myself and the man told me his name was John Perakos and that he was glad to see me on patrol in his area. I immediately sensed that John and I shared many of the same values and we soon became friends.
My patrol duties as a Conservation Officer would often have me working near the home of John and Marilyn Perakos and they were very expressive of their appreciation for the patrols I conducted in the area. John would often share memories of his younger days bird hunting and I just loved hearing his recollections.
Time passed quickly and eventually John and Marilyn had decided to move to Florida permanately, their Southington home had been put up for sale. John had called me from Florida and asked me if I could arrange a hunt in November. I asked John what he wanted to hunt and he replied "pheasants". I told John that I would make the arrangements and asked if he wanted to hunt a full day or a half day. John said "I don't think I can make a full day". I made the arrangements and told John I would pick him up at his home.
The day of our hunt had arrived and I made the drive to meet with John and Marilyn at their home in Southington. They had returned for the Thanksgiving holiday in Connecticut. Marilyn had prepared us a nice breakfast and John was dressed in his finest hunting attire. It was great to see John so eager for the hunt. I really wanted to see John have the opportunity to gun over some good pointing dogs and ruffle some feathers if the conditions were right. We did some walking that day and I kept a close eye on John whom at 82 years young was getting around in the field quite well. I was filled with joy when I watched John fold two beautiful pheasant with his fine double gun. For me, it was a treat to hunt with a gentleman gunner from the golden era of bird hunting. Hunting with John was like being transported back in time, to an age when sportsmanship and just sharing time afield with a friend took priority over how many birds were harvested. After some time, it had become apparent that walking in the challenging topography of the Connecticut uplands had drained John's energy and I noticed he had started to limp a bit. I suggested that we break for lunch and we shared some conversation and highlights of the mornings hunt over some stew and sandwiches.
After our lunch, John and I jumped in my truck and made way for his return home. I mentioned to John that I had noticed that he was limping a bit and wondered if he had hurt his leg during the hunt. John replied "I was injured before". Out of concern I asked John what had happened. John said "it was from when my plane went down during the war". I had known John for several years by this time, and it was the first mention that he had ever made of that event. John had mentioned to me that he had served in the military, and that he attended his bomber group reunion every year. It was obvious that John loved his country and was proud of his military service, but he had never told me about the crash until the day of our hunt. Shortly after disclosing the origin of his injury, John drifted off to sleep. I spent the remainding time of our ride back to John's home wondering about the things that he had endured during his time in service to our nation. This was the first and last time that I had hunted with John, as he moved to Florida shortly thereafter. It was my regret that I had not met John when we were both younger and could have hunted together often. I have spent many of the best times of my life hunting and fishing, but the time I spent with John that day was among the most memorable! From that time forward, I always called John on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day to thank him for his service to our nation.
John Perakos was a 2nd Lieutenant and bombadier in the Jolly Rogers 90th Bomb Group, and a flight crew member of the 319th Crosair. The Crosair went down on a single plane mission on 1 January 1943. Crew members were killed as a result of this crash and the Crosair was lost at sea. Lt. Perakos was one of the surviving members of the crew.
The story of the crash of the Crosair is tragic, the sacrifices made by the crew not only during their time in war, but those made throughout the remainding days of their lives are incredible.
John Perakos was a member of "The Greatest Generation", he was a decorated hero of World War II, he was a true gentleman, and I am proud to say he was my friend. I will be thinking of John again on Veteran's Day, and I will miss him.
