As Bruce Unwin backed his 1967 Sea Ray into Lake St. Clair, you could see a calm wash over him.
It’s been a long journey to this point. His boat, once bought on Ebay for a mere $10, has been a labor of love for two-plus years.
“It was fun, real fun,” said Unwin. “A real labor of love.”
Believe it or not, Unwin had never done maintenance on a boat. He’d learned to love the water from his father, but he had never built a boat — something required after he essentially picked up a gutted hull two years ago.
Unwin wasn’t sure what exactly he got himself into at first. It’s only now that Unwin can laugh about the 20 pounds he lost while overhauling the boat end-to-end.
”When you put that much effort into something, when you work really hard it makes it that much sweeter.”
Nothing would feel as sweet as Memorial Day weekend. Unwin rushed to get his boat finished up. It ran last summer, but it didn’t have a name until recently.
There was no crowd, no cheers, but on Friday Unwin had to feel like a million bucks with his latest accomplishment. With his wife by his side he christened his boat “Missing in Action,” an homage to his father Second Lieutenant Clifford B. Unwin.
Unwin went missing on August 26, 1944. He, along with nine other members of the 8th Air Force 448th bombing group, were shot out of the sky moments after dumping their payload on a small town in Germany. Second Lt. Unwin was the only member of his crew wearing a parachute, the other nine men were sucked out of the aircraft and killed.
“About half way down he woke up,” said Unwin, of his father’s frantic fall from 15,000 feet. “He was blown out of the plane, and pulled his parachute. He told me a Messerschmidt, a German Messerschmidt, was circling his plane and could have taken him out.”
It didn’t. Instead Unwin landed with his pistol in-hand ready to fight. He didn’t stand a chance with troops bearing down on him. He’d become a prisoner of war, but no one would find out for nearly a month. He was officially listed as Missing in Action, a telegram would be dispatched to his mother and passed along to his wife.
Unwin’s son still can’t imagine how his parents must have felt.
“They were kids, I mean they were kids,” uttered Unwin, looking out at the water onboard the boat bearing his father’s name. “He was the only one married on his crew and he was the oldest at 21. They were just a bunch of kids and they were blown out of the sky.”
The older Unwin persevered on. Eventually it was learned that he was being held by Germans - word got back home thanks to a second telegram. He would return home nearly a year later after General Patton arrived to liberate his camp.
Second Lt. Unwin had burns across his exposed face from the explosion and had a damaged back he’d live with the rest of his days, but otherwise walked away from the fighting in Germany upright and ready to begin civilian life.
It would take several decades until he was awarded the Purple Heart, his son tells 7 Action News there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Years after his father’s death, Unwin holds back his own tears. His father was his mentor and his best friend. It still hurts to think of him being gone.
“He’s looking down on us right now,” said Unwin before a long pause.
Regaining his composure, Unwin continued: “I believe it. I’m wearing his bracelet, his pilot wings.”
Unwin motioned to his wrist, and the pilot wings that once hung on his father’s chest. He’d fabricated them into a bracelet years l later, now Unwin wears them. It’s a conversation starter, much like the boat will be, a chance for Unwin to remind others what our veterans risked to fight for freedom.
Despite the connection to his father, Unwin noted that this weekend the boat means a little bit more than his father.
Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans day, as Unwin pointed out the federal holiday is meant to honor those who died while serving the country’s armed forces.
Unwin made it home, but not before watching his closest friends and colleagues die. He said the flag on his boat will fly for them, and those who gained that “Missing in Action” distinction only to never return home. Unwin said, honoring those men would be one more way to make his father smile.
