I was fortunate to meet WWII Veteran Mike Bisek one day with the Cody Family. Our hero was so proud of the girls and the work they did honoring his story. I learned that their father, Matt, is Mike’s mailman. That’s how this love story with Mike started. Matt knew about my work and suggested his daughters get involved with the process. I’m so glad they did because Mike was grinning from ear to ear that day.

I think the heroes understanding their stories are going to live on for future generations is the greatest benefit. The students get very inspired. I’ve enjoyed watching them learn about courage and sacrifice from Mike who lived through such important historical events. Kids learn the value of bravery and the importance of standing up for what is right. Our veterans can share their experience and shed light on the realities of war, including the impact on individuals, families and communities. This understanding has the power to promote peace and realize the importance of conflict resolution. I believe this A BOOK by ME connection with great American heroes can help shape our youth into more compassionate, respectful and responsible citizens.

I love the photo of Cody’s family with Mike I’ve shared here. It’s appropriate. May God bless them all for sharing this important story.

Deb Bowen
Executive Director Understanding Works (501c3 nonprofit organization)

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 “We are glad to have met Mike and his daughter, Peggy, and really enjoyed hearing about his life. He is very nice and funny, too! Mike is a humble hero, whom we are happy to call a friend. Our dad says having Mike on his mail route is better than having any celebrity. We have a number of relatives who served in the military: a couple of great-grandfathers who fought in World War II; our grandpa was in the U.S. Army; and, a couple of our cousins are currently in the military. We appreciate anyone who is a veteran and helped make the United States of America the great country that it is today. Mike’s story in particular is very inspiring, and we are honored he agreed to let us share his amazing story. We learned a lot and encourage anybody interested to participate in the A BOOK by ME program. We are grateful for the opportunity and would like to thank everyone who helped us complete this impactful project.”

God bless the U.S.A.!
Piper and Ila Cody

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Michael Bisek
U.S. Army Air Corps WWII

Michael (Mike) Frank Bisek was born on April 7th, 1923 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mike’s family has roots from Czechoslovakia. Mike lived with his parents in a small house that was near the Cedar River and the Quaker Oats factory. Mike’s parents divorced when he was five, and his father moved out of the home. Albert was Mike’s dad, and Mike would see him occasionally after he left. Mike remained with his mother, Libbie, who raised him and paid the bills. Libbie struggled at times to cover rent and other bills and necessities. The rent was $7 per month, which doesn’t seem like a lot of money today, but it was then. Libbie worked at Quaker Oats, leaving Mike to explore on his own while she was working. The area of Cedar Rapids where he lived had a lot of Mexican immigrants residing there, giving it the nickname of “little Mexico.” Mike developed a lifelong love of sports, and he would sneak into a local YMCA to play them. He attended a church with his friend and it had a softball team. Mike wanted to play, so he started attending that church.

Mike graduated from McKinley High School in 1941 and got a job at National Oats to help his mom with expenses. It was hard work lifting sacks that probably weighed around half as much as Mike himself! Opportunity knocked when a friend mentioned to Mike that he could become a draftsman, which might not have paid as much at first, but Mike trained to do that at Iowa Manufacturing. Mike had an artistic talent and enjoyed the mental challenge. He also thought if he didn’t wear out his body with manual labor, he would be in a better position to play sports! Mike made enough money to get a car, and he enjoyed driving his car, which he named Gizmo.

Many Americans enlisted in the armed forces to help the United States in WWII, and others were drafted. Mike volunteered to join the Army Air Corps on December 8, 1942, but first he paid off his car and other bills because he didn’t want to leave his mom with debt. In the Army Air Corps, he drafted maps and made scale models which would be used by the military. He was proudly promoted to Staff Sergeant.

Eventually, Mike volunteered to be a photographer in B-24 Liberator Bomber planes. Photographers were responsible for taking pictures of areas the planes flew over so the Army Air Corps could know of potential targets, and could also become aware of and report damage caused from the bombing raids. B-24s were flying into enemy fire from Axis planes and anti-aircraft weapons, so they were often damaged from bullets or flak. With every mission, the crew on board never knew if the plane would come back in one piece or if it would explode in the air from the fuel lines being ruptured and enflamed, or it might crash on the ground. These were incredibly brave soldiers who put their lives on the line every time they flew to fight for their country and end grave injustices that the Axis powers were committing. Mike wouldn’t always fly in the same plane, and he went on 22 different missions. Some bombers would have pin-up girls painted on them. Mike remembers one bomber he flew in was called “No Time for Lovin.”

On Mike’s 23rd mission he was assigned to the Sorgenfrei crew, which consisted of 10 men, including the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, and gunners at the top turret, nose, tail, ball turret, and the left and right waists. On July 19th, 1944 they flew in a squadron formation to drop bombs over a rail yard in Munich, Germany. Their goal was to cripple infrastructure that allowed the Nazis to transport equipment and soldiers. The Sorgenfrei B-24 was damaged during the mission, and two of four engines stopped functioning. The crew released their payload and started throwing any weight they could from the plane in hopes that they would be able to land in neutral Switzerland. Mike remembers throwing ammunition and even his camera off the plane, which was heavy. The third of four engines blew up and a gas line was ruptured, so the pilot gave the order to bail out! The crew jumped out and pulled their rip cords for their parachutes to open so they could float down. Mike hadn’t jumped out of a plane before, and something scary happened while he was on board. Mike recalls, “I felt no fear, though. It was a big gamble, but we just had to jump, without hesitation. From my place in the aircraft, I had to crawl in the fuselage. As I was doing so, the handle caught something and the parachute opened. I gathered the canopy in my arms, I held it all pressed hard on my chest, jumped into the air and then let everything go. I knew our Lord was with me…” Mike let go and floated down, and recalls watching their plane losing altitude and crashing.

The Sorgenfrei crew landed on the ground, and were approached by French partisans. The Sorgenfrei crew came to the grim realization they had landed in Nazi-occupied France. There were orders given and signs posted that any Allies were to be turned over to the Nazis, where they would become prisoners of war, facing the possibility of being tortured and/or killed. French partisans hid the Americans on a farm, disobeying the Nazi order and also putting themselves at risk if they were discovered harboring Allies. They could turn them in for a monetary reward, but risked being shot on sight or being placed in a concentration camp.

The Sorgenfrei crew had to remain hidden, and then they moved to different places for safety. The French Resistance helped them plan a route to hike through the Alps. During this daring escape, they helped to evacuate, escort, and rescue patients and vital equipment from a hospital that was in danger of being destroyed. An attack already happened at a nearby town that was known to have French partisans. The Sorgenfrei crew was considered to be missing for weeks. After an arduous journey the Sorgenfrei crew, French partisans, and patients made it to safety. Miraculously, everyone survived by encouraging and helping each other. Mike also relied on his faith in God to see them through the ordeal. When France was liberated from Nazi control, there was finally a light at the end of a very long tunnel for the Sorgenfrei crew. Kennon Sorgenfrei, the pilot, had come into possession of a German Luger. While somebody was looking it over, he shot a bullet through Ken’s leg and it went into Mike’s leg. Mike was treated at a field hospital in France.

Mike was finally stationed at a base in Mississippi. He would go to a church on base for sandwiches and hear beautiful piano music being played by a beautiful woman. Her name was Myron and he got to know her. Mike and Myron fell in love and were married on October 6th, 1945. Mike was honorably discharged and received military medals. He and Myron had three kids named Peggy, Pat, and Michael. Mike worked at Iowa Manufacturing for 40 years before retiring. Because he loved sports, he enjoyed helping and working with the Kennedy High School athletic program over the years. He is in the Cedar Rapids Softball Hall of Fame. Today, Mike enjoys his large, extended family of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

 

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The Caterpillar Club

On July 19th, 1944, Staff Sergeant Mike Bisek was initiated into the Caterpillar Club when he and the Sorgenfrei B-24 Liberator Bomber crew had to bail out of their damaged plane and float to the ground in their parachutes. When they landed in Nazi-occupied France, they were discovered by French partisans and would soon realize that they were starting on a grand adventure. The Sorgenfrei crew would need to work together and work with the French partisans in order to avoid becoming prisoners of war or even being killed.

This book tells Mike’s amazing true story. Readers will discover fascinating details about this humble hero and his life before, during, and after his time in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.

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Link to purchase books from the Hero series >

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A BOOK by ME, a book series developed by Deb Bowen, empowers students to preserve history by telling the story of unsung heroes in our communities. For the young participants, it’s a guided cross-curricular project that gathers stories of people who do amazing things but have received little or no recognition. Students learn how to publish a picture book that is a primary source document with photographs and a biography.

Since 2003, Deb Bowen has been arranging meetings between students and individuals from the WWII generation. This intergenerational storytelling results in unique storybooks written and illustrated by kids for kids in the A BOOK by ME series. More about Deb Bowen >