The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-05-04

duate of the hard Army flying
school at Kelly Field, Lieuten-
ant Colonel in the Army Air Re-
serve and an airmail pilot with a
remarkable record.
1t was inevitable that he should
be called into consultation by the
Army and by commercial air
lines when they found that he
was not merely reckless stunt
flyer but a highly-educated evia-
ton engineer, with background
that commanded respect.
He has been a member of the
National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics since it was organic
ed, technical adviser to important
air lines and a confidential ad-
wiser to the Government on mill
tary aviation for years.
! Because he is not a talkative
person, and resents intrusions on
his private, personal life, Indy
has been more bitterly criticized
by little-minded and envious peo-
pie than any other man in recent
times.
PRIVACY fear
I have always found myself in
complete sympathy with Col.
Lindberg's desire to keep his per-
sonal and family affairs to him
self.
After the brutal kidnapping
and murder of his first-born son
the Colonel and his wife lived in
terror Of strangers intruding on
their privacy. When news photo
graphers tried to shove their ca
imeras through the car window to
photograph their second son, Jon,
they could not stand it any long
er. Col. Lindberg told a friend
that he was afraid of what he
might do to some such intruder,
England to live in a country
so he took his wife and child to
where private rights are still re-
spected.
After their third son was born
in England, and the Colonel had
found a new outlet for his engi-
neering genius in helping the
great French-American scientist,
DR.. Alexis Carrel, in developing
the artificial heart" for the stu
dy of cell growth in animals,
they moved to an island off the
French Coast close to the home
of DR.. Carrel.
The newspapers reported that
Indy had been in Russia and
Germany inspecting military air
equipment. What they did not
know was that he was an official
missionary for the United States
Army, and many printed articles
accusing him of having become a
traitor to his country.
ADVISER valuable
Now Col. Charles Augustus
Lindberg has been called back to
this country, to active service in
the Army Air Corps, as adviser
to the War Department on how
to build up the fighting strength
of our air force Already he has
given the sound advice that it is
more important to build the best
planes than to build a large num-
Der of inferior planes.
In a time like this, when the
problem of national defense ov-
ershadows everything else in Of
fetal circles, this seems to me
like wise move on the part of
the Government.
The prestige of Lindy's reputa-
ton, added to his unexcelled
knowledge of flying and of plane
construction, is probably of great
er value to the nation than any
thing which could be contributed
by any other one man.
cannot believe that America
is going to be involved in war, no
matter what happens in Europe.
The best way to assure our Sc
curity, however, is to prepare our
defense against the most danger
our point of attack, which is
from the air.
HOME background
Returning to Washington must
seem to Col Lindberg like reviS-
iting the scenes of his childhood.
Few people remember that he
was brought up in the Nations
capital. When he was five years
old his father was elected to Con-
greSS from Minnesota and served
for ten years. The boy Lindberg
went to the Washington schools,
played with Washington boys,