William Harrell Nellis

I was born as Willem Nelis, which is by no means an accident considering what I have been through in my previous reincarnation. As a B-17 ball turret gunner, somebody like William Harrell Nellis was a literal life savor. The job of a bomber escort fighter pilot was to protect the B-17 flying formations on their missions.

However, in my case, I perished before it was common for fighter escorts to go further than the English Channel because they were very limited on range back then. Later in the war after 1943 is when the range got large enough to have fighter escorts all the way to the target and back.

I clearly remember the big sigh of relief upon flying back over the English Channel after returning from a mission in Germany. Because it meant that we made it. The P-51 Mustangs would come meet us and escort us all the way to base. We knew we made it through another mission when that moment arrived.

The opposite was true for when we were on the way to the target because it meant the fighter escorts were going to peel off as soon as we crossed the English Channel. Still to this day, I can feel the anxiety in my body when I recall that moment. We were on our own from then on until --if-- we made it back again...

The symbology behind the name

The primary reason for why I decided to name this project Project Nellis is purely symbolic to represent and reference the role that somebody like William Harrell Nellis had during my previous incarnation. It is a reminder and an excellent way for me to easily recall my past-life memories.

Did I know the man back then? Maybe. Time will tell. If I, as a B-17 ball turret gunner can reincarnate, then who knows; he can too.