Evening star., 1942-12-19

watching. the boy drank some more
salt water.
Capt. Rickenbacker said he took
the i'll youth into his life raft and
tried to give him the warmth OF
my body for two nights. Then on
the morning of the 18th (day
af1oat, at about am, heard his
final gasp. In spite of the fact I've
taken them out of burning race cars
and airplanes, I've never had that
experience before. - The next
day 1 examined him carefully and
asked others to verify my decision.
Then we stripped him and lifted
him over gently and he disap-
pearcd"
On the l7th day afoat, he said,
they saw their first sign of life
one small single e-engined plane
about five miles away He added:
I'VE waved frantically, yelled,
which meant nothing He went by
and didn't come back, which was
heartbreaking. The next day two
planes again missed us. The
next day four more passed us up.
Were Drifting Southwest.
II want to emphasize that prob
ably one of the most difficult things
in the world is to try and see that
small an object the life raft when
breakers are operating"
He said they had no idea OF where
they were. I'VE were drifting
southwest and we were afraid we
were heading for Japanese-owned
islands"
Then on the night Of the Goth
day af1oat, he said, the little group
broke up, each Of the life RATS going
its own way. At that time, he said,
three Of the men couldn't have
lasted another 48 hours.
Capt. Cherry (alone in the little
boat) was found by a Navy plane
the other three drifted to an
uninhabited island. Late that
afternoon our boat was sighted by
two planes. One of them came down
and circled low. He waved" I
could see the smile on his face. I
waved back frantically. But the
plane left without landing"
Capt. Rickenbacker said he later
learned that the pilot was running
out of gas and returned to his base
to replenish his fuel supply. A squall
came up and they feared that the
planes could not relocate them.
But they. came through 1t and
found u.s.
Adamson Injured Back.
The pilot landed his plane and
TAXED up to the life raft. Col.
Hans Christian Adamson, who had
suffered an injured back when Capt.
Rickenbacker's ship landed in the
water, was lifted into the cabin.
Capt. Rickenbacker and one other
member of the group were lashed
to wing and the plane started
taxiiing to its base. Then q torpedo
boat came UP and took the two men
from the wings of the plane. Col.
Adamson was too Ill to be moved
and the plane continued 1t taxi trip
back to base escorted by the PIT
boat.
Capt. Rickenbacker said he
learned at that base that Capt
Cherry had been picked up and that
the others had been landed on an
uninhabited island and that the
| Navy was sending a doctor to bring
them to the base.
Fortunately, the Navy had Just
finished a little hospital there !
remember the palm trees and the
moonlight. 1t was a Shangri-La
If I ever saw one"
Throughout the story Secretary
Stimson sat quietly, watching
closely, and at Capt. Rickenbacker' s
conclusion arose to lead loud ap-
plause. remarking, Its an epic;
let it stand at that" and led the
flyer from the room.
Greeted by Wife Here.
Mrs. Rickenbacker. who never lost
faith that her husband would re-
turn to her greeted him when he
landed at Boiling Field after a flight
from the Pacific Coast, where he
had embraced his TO- year old
mother. Mrs. Eva Rickenbacker.
Their two sons. David and William,
also were at the field to greet the
flyer.
1t. Gen. H. H: Arnold. chief of
the Army Air Forces, and Robert
A. Lovett, Assistant Secretary of
War. welcomed Capt. Rickenbacker
in behalf of Secretary Stimson.
Col Hans Adamson of Washing
ton, who was forced down with Capt.
Rickenbacker. also was aboard the
plane from Los Angeles and was
greeted by his wife. He left the
! field in an ambulance