Making the Connection

Continued from previous post “Locating My Father’s Pilot” . . . . .

After I copied the information from Lawrence Cook’s daughter’s email, my first project the next morning was to try to contact the author of the email, Laurel Youde.  I called the operator and gave the name and Town of residence and was given the number.  Backing up a little, I failed to mention that the previous evening after locating the message, I sent an email to the address that was listed but it was returned.  I was afraid that would happen because after all it was written 6 years prior to the time I found it.

But, the email problem no longer mattered because I was able to get the telephone number for Laurel.  I called her after waiting until I thought it was late enough California time and she answered.  It was such a wonderful day for me, to talk to Dad’s Pilot’s daughter.  I told her that my Dad was the ball turret gunner on her Dad’s B-17.  We were so pleased to meet each other.  I think that Laurel was as excited as I was.  She told me that she would call her Father to make sure it was okay for me to contact him.  We exchanged our email addresses and I told her that I looked forward to hearing from her but also that I would understand if her Father didn’t wish to talk to me.  After all, I knew that I would have so many questions and it was obviously not an easy thing for any of those men to talk about.  It sounded from Laurel that her Father was as silent about his WWII experience as my Father was.  I was just so happy to have talked to her – to actually find a family member of Lawrence Cook – this man that I had been searching for for months!