Evening star., 1943-01-21
BY LIT. JAMES C. WHITAKER,
u. 8. Army Air Force Transport Command
AS Told to Charles Leavelle.

AS Told to Charles Lesvene.
The dawn of our 2lst day adrift
was the only one missed in the
entire three weeks. I had strained
my eyes In 20 dawns only to have
them disclose an empty ocean-an
empty world.
The most important dawn of all
I had to miss. The sun was al
ready up when I was awakened by
1t. John u De Angels, our navi-
gator on the Flying Fortress which
we had crash-landed at sea on Oc-
tober 81. Johnny was shaking me
as vigorously as his failing strength
would allow.
Cut that out!" snapped.
Whats the matter with you?'
"Jim," he said, Il think you'd
better take look. 1t may be a
mirage, but I think I see some
thing"
No Mirage; It's Land.
rolled over and sat up in our
rubber life raft. 1t was no mirage.
Across the horizon stretched a line
OF palm trees 10 miles long. At
that distance-about IL miles-I
couldn't see any actual land, but I
felt safe in assuming there would
be something substantial under
those palms.
looked for the other RATS car
rying Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and
his military aide, Col. Hans Adam
son; Capt William T. Cherry, our
pilot and commander of the Fort
ress, and Pvt. Johnny Bartek, our
engineer. They were nowhere in
sight.
At $50 am. on November IL. I
broke out our aluminium oars and
began what was to be q IN hour
pull to put dry land under our feet.
And during these hours I was to ex-
perience the second of the two di-
vine miracles that have changed my
entire life and redeemed me from
agnoticism to Christianity. What 1
did couldn't have been done without
divine help.
Mates Condition Pitiable.
My two raft mates were in pitiable
condition. Johnny De Angels could
still move about, but that was all
He helped me during the row to the
island, but he could manage only a
few minutes at time. In the first
place, he didn't know how. He'd
have worn out even under normal
conditions.
Staff Sergt. James w. Reynolds
was prone in the bottom of the raft
His eyes had sunk an inch and q
half and his resemblance to deaths
head was startling His norma,
weight was 13o pounds. He weighed
30 when picked up. The poor kio
exhibited the finest spirit of us all
Though he could hardly lift his heao
he kept saying: Il feel all right, Just
tired. I'll get up in minute ane
help you, jim
Jimmy lay just behind me, ant
despite his condition he heaved him.
self to sitting position and with
the fare shell dipped up sea water
which he poured on the back Of my
head and neck after the heat begar
to bear down at 10 am. Otherwise
I think I might have collapsed.
We had calculated to get in abou
noon and I was encouraged by th'
good time I made. Just before /.
o'clock we had reached point les
t than one city block from the shore
, IL was at the point of telling Johnn,
and Jimmy to start ordering thei
dinners. Then something happened
Boat Out Of Control.
The boat went out of control an,
, we started moving swiftly out t.
sea again. Nothing I could do will
) the oars was any help. A pervers,
5 current held us. When we f1nall,
got out of it, we were far out; i.
mile or so. The long, narrow islanc
was moving slowly across our bow
like giant ocean liner crawling
out to sea through the Golden Gate
I realized, of course, that tn,
island was stationary. We wer
drifting away, though it seemed
the island was leaving us instead
7 We had started in near the heat
: and now we're more than halfwa'
down It,
II ever I have cried out in anguish
1t was then. / was done, through