Evening star., 1943-11-28
Warrior and Writer Mold
Adventure in New Guinea

three years the IL Fortresses of this
group were the only ones in operation.
Rogers and Jack Sutherland, then q
lieutenant, now a colonel few as a
bombardment team which established
records for bombing accuracy for three
consecutive years and few the first
tests at Wright Field on the Spery
and Norden bombsights.
Organized Bomber Groups.
Few American officers had his expert
e.lce, and eventually he was recalled to
the United States to help organize heavy
bcmbardment groups under Brig. Gen.
Ted Timberlake
Early in l943 he few out to the South.
west Pacific areas with a unit com.
posed entirely of Liberators. On the
flight out one engine of his plane failed
and he had to return to Christmas
Island. He was reported lost at sea,
but soon landed safely in Australia.
His commanding officer was killed and
Rogers took over Soon thereafter the
crews under him became known as the
jolly Rogers. The unit will complete
its first year of combat service in Feb
ruary.
In their first nine months the Jolly
Rogers destroyed 1877 Japanese planes,
with Al more probables, and sank 54
ships aegregating more than 100000
tons. Air force experts said this record
had never been equaled anywhere
Rogers himself has flown many Of
the most dangerous missions. His plane
has been shot up half a dozen times.
Once, when the ships nose was badly
damaged, he made a crash-landing at
Port Morseby
He is dashing and debonair, sociable,
fond of company, but he has a deep
serious streak in his nature. About re-
ligion, for instance.
Il believe truly in the power of prayer"
he says, quietly.
The fellows don't say much about it.
but know that's the way they feel, too.
You can't be just good f1yer-you can't
keep on going on raids week after week,
month after month, without faith
without believing in something"
Flying and Religion.
Rogers says that although his parents
were good old Southern Methodists,"
he himself was an agnostic until he took
up flying.
Then" he says Il began to realizs
that there was something much more
important than myself, or than any
man. New York City, for example, had
always seemed so big and important.
But flying over it, I began to realize
that it was man-made, and not really
big at ALL
"One day was flying over some wild
country in Texas, and I got to think
ing about what tough place it would
be to come down in. Then began to
have feeling that my engines weren't
sounding just right.
Il checked and everything seemed
okay but still the engine sounded wrong.
l began to get pretty thoroughly worried,
and broke out in cold sweat. Then I
noticed a big star away up there-maybe
1t was Sirius. kept my eyes on it and
thought how small and insignificant I
was and everything down here was. And
realized that I'd just have to put my
faith in the Greater Power that con-
trolled the star as we'll as me.
Il began to 60 to various churches and
finally joined the Presbyterian churcn.
because there was something about thek
services that I liked the best.
1--WE have fine chaplain with tho
jolly Rogers and I try to go to his serv-
ices as often as possible. Many of the
men attend regularly, too. The men
who come the closest to death pay tho
most attention to religion; so per cent
Of our church attendance is made up Of
members OF combat crews"