Evening star., 1943-01-23
Chicken Broth Made by Native Cooks Revives
Three of Rickenbocker Crew on Island

This is the 18th installment OF
the story OF Capt. Eddie Ricken-
backer and seuen companions
and their three Ueeks' fight for
life against the perils OF the
equatorial Pacific.
BY LIT. JAMES c. WHITAKER,
q. S. Army Air Force Transport Command.
As Told to Charles LesvelIe
| have had lot OF soup in my day
and probably will have a lot more
But the soup always will remember
was that rich chicken broth the ma
tives prepared for me last Novem-
Der 13 on a palm-covered island in
the Pacific.
1t was just what I needed after 81
days adrift in a rubber life raft and
two days of eating coconut and un-
cooked animal meat before the ma
tives found me and my two COM
panions, 1t. John De Angels and
Staff Sergt. James w. Reynolds.
They had been navigator and ra-
jio operator, respectively. of the Fly
ing Fortress we put down in the
sea, out of fuel, on October 21 while
carrying Capt Eddie Rickenbacker
and his aide on a War Department
mission Capt. Rickenbacker and
the others had been picked up at
sea by Navy scout planes after 1t
De Angeles, Sergt Reynolds and I
reached our island.
The soup, whose aroma had tam
taliZed me for hours. was wonder
fully strengthening It revived 1t.
De Angels also, but poor Sergt. Rey-
nolds was perilously near the end.
Help, however, was on the way.
Plane Brings Doctor.
The island garrison had radioed
for medical assistance and soon after
We had eaten our soup, Navy plane
landed, bringing a physician, a 1t.
Hall, who began the injections Of
glucose that saved Reynolds life. 1t
Hall also ministered to 1t. De An
gels and me.
We got first hand news of our
friends from 1t. d. g. Fred z.
Woodward, who had flown 1t. Hall
to our island. It was Lit. Wood
wards observer, Lester Boute, avia-
ton radioman, second class, whose
keen eyes had sighted the tiny raft
of Capt. William T Cherry, jr., our
Fortress pilot and commander. He
had struck out alone on the after
noon of our goth day
Capt. Cherry told his rescuers
that we three were in the area as
were Capt. Rickenbacker, Col. Hans
Adamson. his aide, and Pvt. Johnny
Bartek. who had been engineer of
our Fortress. We all owe debt of
gratitude to Boute. for Capt. Cherry S
rescue led to all the others,
Rick" Col Adamson and Bartek
owe a special debt of gratitude to
1t. william F. Eadie and his King
fisher squadron, who found them.
Here is how Eadie rescued the men:
The scout plane could not direct
surface craft to the Rickenbacker
raft because of rain squalls. 1t was
growing dark and there was danger
the little boat would be lost again, so
1t. Eadie nosed his plane down and
landed it on the rolling sea beside
the raft, 40 miles from land.
Landed on Wings.
Aided by his observer 1t. Eadie
got Col. Adamson out of the raft
and placed him in the rear cockpit
The colonel appeared to be near
death. They lashed Rickenbacker
and Bartek TO the planes wings.
This so loaded the light King
fisher that 1t. Esdie was unable
to get it into the air, so he started
taxing toward land over the rough
sea. After an hour of this he made
contact with surface craft to which
Rickenbacker and Bartek were
transferred.
Because of Col. AdamSons condi-
ton it was deemed best TO leave him
in the plane, which 1t. Eadie now
taXiied the remaining distance to a
marine manned island.
BY the time ! had learned these
details from 1t. WoodWard-Lt. Hall
was ordering me TO bed. Members
of the garrison gave up their hunks
TO the three of us and stayed up to
lend 1t. Hall any assistance he
might need.
The cot given TO me seemed to
have been afflicted with St, Vitus
dance or something. II dumped me
on the floor twice during the night
I guess l still was feXing myself
against the rolling of the raft I had
been in
Natives Bring Gifts.
/ The next day, November IA. was
my birthday and it was auspicious
in many ways. I felt 100 per cent
better that morning Before Ions
delegations Of native women began
arriving bearing gifts OF mats. fans
shells and grass hula skirts. We held
court like native chieftainS.
There was much bowing and gig
Cling. The tranSlating was done BY
the father of Toma. the head man
in the outrigger that picked me up
The father, sub chief of the tribe
had been a chef Oh a trading steam
er and had made a number of trips
to San Francisco. Through him we
told the ladies how much we ap-