Bernard "Ben" Guild (1924–2003), was an authority on Alaska mushrooms and a supporter of the founding of Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve.
Bernard "Ben" Guild | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 14, 1924 |
| Died | May 10, 2003 Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, US |
| Resting place | Fort Richardson National Cemetery |
| Known for | Author POW |
Every grave on the lands and in those oceans are a tomb to an idea. Some wrong, some right, but mostly political. But the graves are never wrong - they are monuments to the heroic men who sleep there. For who has the right to say that any man who has borne the brunt of the battle and given up his life in doing so, was wrong?[1]
— Bernard Guild on May 20, 2002
World War II
editBen was part of the Twelfth Air Force, 57th Air Division, 321st Bomb Group (see 321st Air Expeditionary Wing), 447th Squadron. He was shot down on 6 February 1945 on a mission to Rovereto Station to attack the rail bridge in Crema, Italy.[2] The plane was called May Be, and Guild was a radioman.[3] Ben was captured and became a POW held by Germany in Stalag Luft III Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser Stalag XIII-D) 49-11.[4] The story of Guild is discussed in the book The Story of the ‘Maybe’ The B-25J Mitchell bombardier that crashed on the 6th February 1945 at monte Brugnolo between valle di Gresta and Arco (first edition) publication date Sep 2014. [5][6]
Alaska
editBernard Guild was a microbiologist by training, and an ex-teacher of science and ecology, who moved to Alaska in 1970 to hunt and fish and photograph and write—mostly to write.[7]
Bernard Guild was a teacher and writer by profession, adopted Alaskan by avocation and a muzzle-loader for the pure sport of it.[8]
On an investigative trip out to the Caldera in August 1976, [Ralph] Root encountered one of Aniakchak's first non-hunting visitors since Hubbard, a mycologist and former hunting guide named "Ben" Guild. Root described Guild as 'very pro-park' in his 1976 report. He also noted that Guild had exchanged his rifle for a camera. Guild had spent six weeks in the Caldera three years earlier....Although the NPS appreciated his knowledge of the area, local residents in Port Heiden found it odd that anyone who was not there to hunt or trap would choose to live under such extreme conditions. Because of his apparent devotion to the wilderness, local villagers called Guild the 'Wild Man of Aniakchak.'[9]
Publications
edit- The Alaskan Mushroom Hunter's Guide (Paperback) (1977)
- The Alaska Psychoactive Mushroom Handbook (Paperback) (1979)
- Home Grown Mushrooms in Alaska (Or Anywhere Else) And How To Cook Them (Paperback) (1979)
- Cooking Alaskan (Paperback) (1983) One recipe included from Ben.
- Beyond Gorp: Favorite Foods From Outdoor Experts (Paperback) (2005) One recipe from Ben for "Boiled Fiddlehead Ferns" is on page 171.
References
edit- ^ "Memorial Day ceremony touches on battles past and present". Alaska Star. May 20, 2002. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
Bernard Guild, guest speaker for a Memorial Day ceremony at American Legion Post 33 in Peters Creek, talks about the sacrifices of those who died in the United States' eight wars and innumerable military exercises. Guild was a prisoner of war in World War II.
- ^ "Sheet No. 134". Historical Record, Twelfth Air Force, 57th Bombardment Wing, 321st Bomb Group, 447th Squadron: For the month of February 1945. Declassified IAW EO12958.
- ^ "12th Air Force, 57th Bombardment Wing, 321st Bombardment Group, History: February 1945" (PDF).
- ^ Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created 1942 - 1947, documenting the period 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946 - Record Group 389, World War II Prisoners of War Data File, 12/7/1941 - 11/19/1946, The National Archives
- ^ Carola, Chris. "Italian village honoring pilots of WWII US bomber". nbcdfw.
- ^ Antonella Previdi, Ben Appleby, Aldo Miorelli, Giacomo Zanetti. The Story of the 'Maybe' The B-25J Mitchell bombardier that crashed on 6th February 1945 at Monte Brugnolo between valle di Gresta and Arco. Press Up s.r.l. (2014). p. 199. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Guild, Ben. The Alaska Psychoactive Mushroom Handbook (Paperback). Back cover.
- ^ White, Doc. "CHISTOCHENA MOOSE 1972". Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ Ringsmuth, Katherine Johnson. "CHAPTER TEN: Hubbard's Aniakchak Legacy". BEYOND THE MOON CRATER MYTH, A New History of the Aniakchak Landscape, A Historic Resource Study for Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve. Report AR/CRR-2207-63. Retrieved 2009-10-07.