Smyrna times., 1943-06-03

WHY NA1NfA AANNt' NNeaAN
ed this week. From now on the
boys will be going every day. No
one knows who, but seldom will you
ever hear any gripping about it. If
we go, we know that it is because
we are just not good enough to
learn to fly an airplane that will
keep up with the momentum of the
driving force that is collecting here
in the form of armed power, and
our place is somewhere else. The
fellows who are eliminated here will
go to Navigator or Bombidier
School, O.C.S., perhaps back to the
ranks to study to become tech
inicians. The wash out" route var
les with every class. Some classes
have as high as so percent whereas,
others have as low as 20 percent
1t is not that all these men cannot
fly a plane. Some may. become a
little scared and freeze at the con-
trolls, some may get air sickness,
others may not be abel to keep up
the pace, still others may become
ill and have to drop out entirely,
and then there are some fellows
that are just a bit too slow. Many
of these men might be able to over
come their defects if given a little
time, but that time is not available.
One thing 1 feel quite certain of,
and that is after the war is over,
95 percent of these fellows will
learn how to fly anyway. 1t gets
you more and more every day. /
don't know thing about drugs,
but if they effect person like fly
ing does, then believe could un-
derstand some of the things that
are said about them. A flyer cares
for nothing but flying. Everything
else must take second place, except
one-his wife, or sweetheart. I
mean one or the other, not both.
hope that will be able to quail
ify. If I CO, I will have to work
every single minute possible. In
the air, on the ground, and even
then 1 may be one of those who
can't quite keep up with the speed.
A flyer is required to be complete
ly relaxed, at the same time, to the
same degree alert. Coordination
must be perfect and judgment
fiawless. I might be just "Sun-
day" pilot. But, by the time I am
through Primary, 1 should be able
to keep on from there. If wash
out" in Basic or Advanced, it will
be because the instructor slipped
up, or I laid down on the job. One
thing is definite, if I graduate, and
get my wings, I'll be good. When
you stop to think of it, I am but
one of the many thousands of flyers
that is undergoing training
throughout these United States.
The folks back home, and the Boys
in the field, may feel very safe and
proud of the pilots who are flying
the planes all over the world.
Everyone is trained individually.
They have gone through one of the
toughest training courses ever put
out. AS the result, they will fight
to the very end, and it won't be
mechanical either. All mechanical
pilots are washed out.
The people of this United States
may be definitely sure that we are
going to win this war. If the train
ing required in all the other branch
es of our Armed Forces is as thor
ough as it is in the Air Corps, it
cannot possibly end in any other
way. One factor that have learn
ed to recognize since being in the
Service, and that is no one branch
is any more important than the
other. All must work together for
final victory. If l can't make the
grade here, then I will be placed in
another job where / can. What
ever happens, 1 will be at ease with
myself knowing that the smallest
soldier is just as important as the
largest plane when in their proper
places. And don't forget, each and
every one of you back home has a
certain job, or jobs, to do towards
winning this war. If we are going
to win, and win soon, we must all
give one long, hard, pull together.
Cooperation This will win! Our
all out effort will sweep the Axis
hordes from the face of the earth,
and Peace and Quiet will then pre-
vail over the world This must be
accomplished as team-together.
Good luck to all of you fellows
who have already received your
training, and again good luck to
those who are yet to follow.
want to say Hello" to all of my
friends back home, and trust that
things, as they are shaping up, are
not too bad for you. We are pretty
well taken care of down here at the
field.
l hope that this war will soon be
over so that all of us can get to-
gether again. Remember what /
have said pull together and VIC
tory will come more quickly. Less
gripping and more punching at our
real source of trouble-the Axis. ]