Chris Dracopoulos was born in Malden Massachusetts in 1925, the son of Greek immigrants; his father having gained US citizenship after serving in the First World War. As a schoolboy Chris had been encouraged to play the drums by one of his teachers and was 'hooked'. He went on to play in bands - piano and drums - organise dances and, in his senior year, formed a USO troupe with a view to going on tour after graduation.



By then however, June 1943, he was about to be drafted so instead volunteered to join the Air Corps. He was assigned to the 8th Air Force and sent to Atlantic City New Jersey for basic training where he was often able to meet up with his brother, also undergoing initial training. Whilst there he formed a small marching band with a boyhood friend from his home town. He was then based at Greensborough North Carolina for four months becoming somewhat surprisingly - still just 18 years old - a Drill Instructor and also forming yet another band.



In January 1944 it was back to New Jersey to embark on the 'Queen Elizabeth' for the rough four- day Atlantic crossing to Greenock in Scotland; from there a six hour bus ride to North Pickenham in Norfolk. Their task to prepare the base for the 492nd Bomber Group, his job Base defence. There was no entertainment at the base so Chris - now promoted to PFC - was given permission to put together a small band, run dances and compere pop radio.



The Liberators of the 492nd were to suffer very heavy losses and the Group was virtually disbanded after three months, being replaced in August 1944 by the 491st BG. Chris's band now consisted of the remaining 492nd base personnel plus men from the 491st including the Chaplain who played trombone; the composition of the band being totally democratic ranging from Private to Captain. On one occasion the pianist, a Lieut. Jones, had just finished playing at a function when he was unexpectedly called out on a mission. The 14-piece band, the' Rythmn Bombshells' went on to win the 2nd Air Division preliminary of the 8th AF Band Contest and played for the 100th mission base party that December.



When the war in Europe ended the ground support units were treated to 'Trolley Missions', sightseeing flights over Germany. Chris was taken over Coblenz 'an emotional and unforgettable experience' as his father had served there with the US Army of Occupation in 1918. While parts of the 491st were shipped to the Pacific he was sent back to the USA on a 30 day leave. Landing in New York where the first thing they did after kissing the ground ' was to get a COLD BEER'. He was to be discharged on medical grounds in October 1945 still only 20 years old.



Back home in Malden he immediately set up a new band playing at weekly dances, at one of which he met his future wife Terry. He then went to work at a radio store, progressing to TV sales, later joining Capitol Records where he came into contact with all the big names in the music business. His last job was in electronics distribution, retiring in 1991. After his wife's death in 2000 from Multiple Myeloma he became involved in fundraising for Cancer Research. In 2002 he joined the 491st BG Association and became Group Secretary until its dissolution in 2009.