They still are. They belonged to Mosquito squadrons. When they weren't flying, they were at the front serving as forward air controllers, calling in fellow Mosquito pilots to mark enemy forces with smoke rockets and organizing bombing runs by Navy, Marine and Air Force bombers. There were no smart bombs in those days, only daring pilots. Darby and Voelker knew one another barely a month, but they became fast friends.
War encourages that.
Darby, a Rutgers University graduate, had logged 80 missions in a B-24 bomber and had a Distinguished Flying Cross for sinking a Japanese ship. At 36, he was old for the high-risk flying Korea required. He could have been home with his wife and three daughters. Voelker was 28 and had also flown B-24s. With a wife and daughter at home, he too went back to war.