WWII Airman Receives Honor 63 Years After Service

SAFETY HARBOR - From August 1944 to March 1945, World War II airman George Costage saw no shortage of combat missions.

A nose gunner in a B-24 bomber, Costage and his crew flew 35 times over occupied Continental Europe, dropping missiles on oil refineries, rail yards and other targets.

Today, 63 years after the fact, Costage was presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross, an honor he said he was supposed to have received before he left Europe and returned to the United States.

"It's a big surprise," said Costage, 84, who was told only hours before that he would be receiving the medal. "I really didn't think I'd get it, not this late. It's 60-some years."

With help from the office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, Costage was able to have his service record corrected to reflect his achievements in aerial combat during World War II.

Bilirakis said Costage, who served as a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army Air Forces, mentioned during a discussion they had a few months ago that he never received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

"He said, 'I earned it, but I never received it,' said Bilirakis, who has known Costage for about 25 years."He didn't push for it, but I said he deserved it. He's a true hero."

A speechless Costage received the medal during a short ceremony at Briar Creek Mobile Home Park, where he and his wife of 52 years, Nancy, have lived since 1977. About 50 friends and neighbors attended and gave him a standing ovation.

He said he doesn't consider himself a hero.

"The heroes are the kids that are buried," said Costage, who also served in the Korean War as a medical officer. "They're the heroes. We were the lucky ones. We lived through it and got to come home."

He doesn't like to talk about the times when he was shot down or crashed over Europe or when he had to be smuggled out of Nazi-occupied France by the underground. But his wife does, to his chagrin.

"I was very grateful to the French underground," said Nancy Costage, 79. "Because if it wasn't for them getting him out I wouldn't have a husband."

He still has the pocket calendar in which he wrote down each combat mission flown by his 458th Bombardment Group, based in Norwich, England. They raided places like Mainz, Berlin, Lubeck and other German cities.

At the end of the list, Costage wrote "Finito" and the number of combat hours he logged -- 229.

"To say I wasn't scared I'd be lying," said Costage, who was injured by flak on some of his raids. "At first I wasn't afraid because I was too dumb."

After his last mission he returned to the states - without his medal.

"I was supposed to get it in Europe, but we left," he recalled. "And when we left and then I came out of the service for a while, I really forgot about it. And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to get it, that's it.' "

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity of the U.S. Army, distinguishes himself or herself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.

In presenting the medal to Costage, Bilirakis cited his "bravery and courage" on each mission he flew and that he demonstrated "skill and outstanding proficiency in aerial combat" under "very trying and life-threatening conditions."

Frank Chicollo, who chairs the congressman's veterans' advisory committee, also cited Costage's 35 missions. The medal is awarded after completing 25 missions, he said.

The son of Greek immigrants, Costage is a retired Detroit firefighter and also served as a Safety Harbor city commissioner from 1986 to 1992.

"I tell everybody to enjoy your life while you can," he said. "Because you never know what's going to happen. And I feel sorry for these mothers and fathers who lost their sons and daughters.

"War is hell, period."