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

eve weren't licked; it was only the
beginning, and from now on we would
get to work, all of US, and win. !
told him that whatever plane they
gave me later, Old SO would be fly
ing right in the formation, and on
night missions I would always see
Old 99's wing lights beside me, and
know that she was protecting me
with her crossfire, knocking down
Zeros that tried to climb onto my
tail. Yes, maybe that's where the
story begins.
"The 18th Bombardment Group
consisted of thirty-fve beautiful
shiny new Flying Fortresses, Of
which Old SO was one-we had
picked her up at the Boeing factory
just before she came off the line.
OF the Fortress series, they were
ID models-then the latest and finest
in the business. About a dozen of
our thirty-five were down at Del
Monte Field on the southern island
of Mindanao. The rest were at the
main bomber base, Clark Field,
about forty-five miles from Manila,
which was the headquarters Of Cen
eral Macarthur, the Commander in
Chief. Our immediate Air Corps
commander, General Brereton, was
constantly visiting us at Clark.
(, ION November n General Brere-
ton put us on the alert. He had re-
ceived the same State Department
warning they got at Pearl Harbor-
that war might be days or maybe
hours away. Within the limit of
what we had, the Air Force was
ready for it. The General was MAX
ing all the Reconnaissance he could,
and had picked his targets in For
mosa, from where we knew the blow
would come. Our machine guns
were in place and loaded.
GAS fast as our facilities would
permit, our shiny aluminium Queens
were getting their coat of dull war
paint, and I was notified that Old SO
was scheduled to get her camouflage
on December eighth.
''That's a date we who were in
the Philippines will never forget.
With you it's December seventh, but
don't be confused, for it's really the
same day, only because the Philip
pines are on the other side of the
international date line, we give it
a different number.
1.-THE Japanese struck at Pearl
Harbor at exactly 7:35 o'clock in
the morning Honolulu time. At that
same instant it was 4:35 o'clock in
the morning of December eighth in
the Philippines few hours before
dawn reached us. I was asleep in
the nipa shack which was the Off
GERS quarters on Clark Field.
IT got up at seven as usual and,
stumbling in sleepily to shave,
snapped on my portable as I always
did to get the early morning news
broadcast by Don Bell in Manila.
BY the way, one Of the first things
the Japs did when they entered the
town two weeks later was to shoot
the poor devil. In even more rapid
fire style than usual he told us the
big news-that the Japs had hit Ha-
wall.
eve gulped breakfast, and then
all the pilots rushed over to opera
tons meeting in the squadron's op-
erations tent, where Major Don
Gibbs went over the situation with
us. / can see him now, trim, alert,
boyish-looking for his rank and
years-if he'd lived out the war he
would surely be brigadier general
by now. He was as shrewd as he
was modest. 1t was his second tour
of duty out East, and he knew the
lay of the land.
Well, gentlemen, this is it, he
said. Then he stepped over to the
open flap and faced us. IF they've
hit Hawaii they can't miss hitting
us. I can't tell you when it will
come, but it will come. However, I
can tell you where it will come
from Here he raised the canvas flap
with one hand and pointed up and
to the north. 1T will be from right
over that hill,' he said.
1--WE looked at the hill, tree-clad.
velvety, beautiful in the sunrise. Be
yond it was Iba Field. Still farther
was the China Sea and then came
Formosa, the black forbidden hunk
of something had looked down on
the week before.
GAS we left, Gibbs said: You're
on the standby. Orders will be
coming through fast all morning
Then ! went back to Old SO. She
was one of the few which hadn't
been loaded with bombs, as she
had been scheduled for camou1ag-
ing that morning. Only the orders
that now came seemed conflicting
as those final hours slipped away.
First came one countermanding
the camouhaging. Seemed some
thing was afoot. and they couldnst
wait for il. Instead we were to
load bombs, SO we TAXED over to-
ward the ammunition dump. Then
Bill Cooke, who was to be running