Like most residents of La Jolla, I’m not only grateful for but proud of our famous landmark atop Mount Soledad. The beautiful white cross with its surrounding memorial to those who served our country is truly one of La Jolla’s unique treasures. I was very young during World War II, and few memories of those years remain. Most of them are about my siblings who served in the military. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, my oldest brother Gus, who was in his second year at San Diego State College, immediately joined the Army Air Force. He was stationed at Santa Ana before being sent to Kansas and Louisiana. After bombardier school he was assigned to a B-17 squadron outside of London. They flew many successful missions, but on the last one his plane was shot down over Holland, which at that time was occupied by Germany. A Dutch family hid him in a windmill and kept him safe for six weeks before he was captured. He spent two years as a prisoner of war in Stalag 7. Those two years left their mark and greatly affected the rest of his life. There was no such phrase as post-traumatic stress, and apparently counseling for these young, innocent heroes was not considered necessary. Gus never spoke of those two years except once, when I picked a dandelion puff and blew the seeds to make a wish. He told me that while in prison he learned that dandelions were good to eat and that whenever possible the prisoners would reach through the fence, as far as they could, to pick the leaves and flowers. Fred, the brother closest in age to Gus, was full of life and had just graduated from Sweetwater High School, where he received honors in sports. At the early age of 17, Fred followed in his big brother’s footsteps and also enlisted in the Army Air Force. Trained as a tailgunner, he flew in a B-24 squadron based in Tunisia, North Africa. Sadly, one day a telegram arrived stating that Master Sgt. Fredrick Anton Fleischbein was missing in action. His plane had been shot down on a raid over oil fields in Pulaski, Austria. There were no survivors. After a long, morbid year, Fred was officially declared killed in action. My mother had his body, or at least his dog tags, brought home in a coffin. He was buried with a military funeral at Holy Cross Cemetery. I can still remember the piercing gun salute and the folded flag being handed to my mother. Another young brother, Ruben, also graduated from Sweetwater High at 17. With the bravery and enthusiasm of youth, he too decided to enlist in the Army Air Force. While stationed in Colorado, he contracted acute rheumatic fever and was hospitalized for one year. Because the miracle drugs were not available at that time, the hospitalized soldiers were treated with experimental drugs. When Ruben was sufficiently recovered, he was sent to San Antonio. The next family member to join the service was our sister Mary Kay. She joined the WACS, and because she had attended secretarial college, she was assigned to office positions. Most of her time was spent at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. When she came home, I remember one night overhearing her telling our parents about some of the atrocities inflicted on American WACS that had been captured. To this day, I find it hard to forget the indescribable cruelty she related. It was not until the Korean War that our youngest brother Robert was old enough to join the Army. He wanted to be a paratrooper and was sent to jump school at Fort Benning, Ga. After graduation he was stationed in Japan. When the Korean War ended he spent the remainder of his service time in Germany. I wanted to purchase a family plaque with their names and photos at the Mount Soledad Memorial Park but was told that I would have to purchase five separate plaques. The rules state that only individual plaques are allowed. Since I felt that these five family members, all natives of San Diego, deserve recognition for their military service, I decided to write this article about the five Fleischbeins who helped protect our country in time of war. — Florence Lambert of La Jolla is active in animal causes.
