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re: Does anyone have a family member alive that served in WW2?
Posted on 4/2/18 at 5:43 pm to jmarto1
Posted on 4/2/18 at 5:43 pm to jmarto1
My Dad lived all his life in a little town (pop. around 600) in NE Texas. He signs up for flight school as soon as he turned 18. He became a naval aviation cadet.
He went through flight school quickly. He was the first to get "all upchecks", which means he passed every level. So, while everyone else was training, he'd fly around in a trainer. One day, he started a mock dogfight with an instructor. He got disciplined by having to spend a day in the control tower. Dad said he loved it because everyone wanted to know what was going on.
New boss comes in. Everyone ships out, but they hold Dad to discipline him for the same dogfight. Told him he'd be a sailor. But, the big C.O. said "no double jeopardy" so he wasn't disciplined. But, everyone in his unit was gone so they shipped him to Pensacola (which was a much better place). He ended up a Marine pilot and by his 19th birthday was flying the USMC version of the B-24.
He went through flight school quickly. He was the first to get "all upchecks", which means he passed every level. So, while everyone else was training, he'd fly around in a trainer. One day, he started a mock dogfight with an instructor. He got disciplined by having to spend a day in the control tower. Dad said he loved it because everyone wanted to know what was going on.
New boss comes in. Everyone ships out, but they hold Dad to discipline him for the same dogfight. Told him he'd be a sailor. But, the big C.O. said "no double jeopardy" so he wasn't disciplined. But, everyone in his unit was gone so they shipped him to Pensacola (which was a much better place). He ended up a Marine pilot and by his 19th birthday was flying the USMC version of the B-24.
1
Posted on 4/2/18 at 5:46 pm to chinhoyang
Apparently, the Marines had an issue with their version of the B-24. The one squadron was shut down. Dad said that all he wanted to do was get out in the Pacific and into the war.
Finally, he gets orders to go to Guam. He's on the ship when the Military Police come up and tell him he's being arrested as a deserter. Dad is 18, very confused and wonders what is going on. When he gets to wherever they took him, the C.O. says "he's not under arrest ... we've restarted the B-24 squadron and we're short of pilots so he needs to get to the squardron ASAP.
Later in the war, he is the co-pilot as the B-24 is flying over some Japanese held area. My Dad looks out and tells the pilot "those are some odd looking clouds there." Pilot, who was probably 19 or 20, says "those aren't clouds its AA fire."
Finally, he gets orders to go to Guam. He's on the ship when the Military Police come up and tell him he's being arrested as a deserter. Dad is 18, very confused and wonders what is going on. When he gets to wherever they took him, the C.O. says "he's not under arrest ... we've restarted the B-24 squadron and we're short of pilots so he needs to get to the squardron ASAP.
Later in the war, he is the co-pilot as the B-24 is flying over some Japanese held area. My Dad looks out and tells the pilot "those are some odd looking clouds there." Pilot, who was probably 19 or 20, says "those aren't clouds its AA fire."
This post was edited on 4/2/18 at 5:48 pm
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