The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-03-10

II left the mess hall and ran into
Tex, looking for me. He had every
thing under control with Old SO,
the crew was standing by, and were
there any more orders?
81 told him not yet, / was going
over to the operations tent and
would be back with them in very
few minutes. Good old Tex, stand
ing there, apparently casual and yet
really alert as a fox terrier, getting
every word l said. A fine-looking
kid, twenty-five years old, he was
for me those extra eyes, ears, and
hands that every co-pilot should be.
II was worrying about what would
happen if while I was in that opera
tons tent, scout planes might report
a Jap bomber formation headed
down toward us from Formosa. /
trusted our fighter pilots at Iba, but
you never could tell-a few bomb
ers might slip through to Clark.
$50 said to Tex: Now look, boy
here's the dope. Make no mistake,
I don't want any slip-ups. Up to
now it's been all play-acting and
Boy Scout stuff, but this war has
really begun. If we get word in
Operations that we're about to be hit
here on Clark, we can get Old SO
off the field from where she is, with
out the usual runway procedure. So
watch for me to come pedaling to-
ward you on my bike from opera
tons tent. If drop my arm as you
see me come over the top of the rum
way crest, that means I want the
motors started by the time get
there"
'Okay, Frank he said quietly.
No saluting or heel swapping
there's not room for much of that in
the Air Force. Then he assured
me that the men had all been sent
to chow, the engines warmed and
checked. Now he turned, and went
on back to Old SO.
"The operations tent was crowded
with about forty pilots and naviga-
tors waiting for briefing to begin.
AS we waited, I snapped on my ra-
dio and we all listened to Manila.
This time Don Bell was really pack
ing it across in his excited deliv-
cry. Yet we didn't know that the
precious minutes had all slipped
away and only seconds were left.
We didn't know that General Brere-
ton had got permission from Cen
eral Macarthur for us to take off
on our Photographic expedition over
Formosa, to see if just possibly the
Japanese might be making prepara<
tons to attack US. We didn't real
ize that General Brereton had al
ready rushed to the telephone, and
was even at this instant clicking the
receiver, trying to get through to
us with this order.
'tNow Don Bell was saying that
bombs really were dropping on
Clark Field-he was broadcasting
from the top of one Of Manila's tall
est buildings, and from there he
could see big plumes of smoke ris-
ing from Clark Field.
1--WE all smiled at this. We didn't
know that he, from Manila, could
see around the little hill over in the
direction of Iba Field, and that these
plumes of smoke were from burning
P-40's there. The Japanese were
already tearing our American fight
er force to pieces. But we smiled,
and were listening for whatever
crazy thing Don Bell would say
next-General Brereton still trying
to get through to us on the phone
when private, standing just out
side the flap of our operations tent,
said, in an awe-struck, admiring
voice:
'Oh, gee! Look at the pretty Ma
wy formation
SIT froze me. / could hear a
drone. I think it froze all of us.
The next second, Lieutenant Lee
Coats, who was standing nearest the
tent flap, stepped to the opening.
We watched him look up.
Navy, hell! Here they GOMEZ
''We turned over tables in the con-
fusion of piling out of that tent, but
we're not yet frightened rats, we're
still human beings, still organized.
"There they came, the drone ris-
ing, right over the hill as Don Gibbs
had predicted they would-in an
enormous v of VS., three VS. in all
and about twenty-five Mitsubishi
bombers in each v, at about 1900
to $4,000 feet altitude-coming right
at us.
81 heard a scuff1ing and looked
around to see that / was alone ex-
cept for Lieutenant Glenn Rice-he'd
been detailed as Photographic Off
Ger and was grinding away with
his camera at that v of VS.. The
rest had all taken shelter in a big
drainage ditch near by.
81 stood there because thought
it would be five or ten seconds more
before they came to their bomb
release line, and / ought to see the
CLINT of their bombs turning over
as they came out of their bomb
bays--they seem almost to pause
under the plane before they start