The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-15
BY ERNIE PYLE

IN 1TALY,-(by wlreless)-Maj.
Burt Cochrane is executive officer
Of the squadron with which I've
been living. He is not flying man,
but he takes most of the onerous
duties off the shoulders of the
squadron commander, who is al
ways a flying man.
Major Cochrane IS the perfect
example of man going about
for his country He doesn't want
to be over here at all. He is SIS,
and a grandfather. But he fought
through the last war, kept his COM
mission in the reserve, and just
couldn't picture himself not being
in this one. He has been away
from home three years.
In civil life Major Cochrane is
what you might call a gentleman
cattle-raiseC'. He owns about 300
acres in the beautiful rolling coun-
try north of San Francisco, not
far from Jack London's famous
Valley of the Moon" The nearest
town is Kenwood.
He turns out about rs head of
beef cattle a year, has lovely
home, beautiful riding horses, and
lives an almost Utopian life. He
left the city eight years ago, and
says he never knew what happi-
ness was until he got out into the
hills.
Major Cochrane is quiet and
courteous. Enlisted men and Off
GERS both like and respect him.
He is so soldierly that he continual
ly says sir" even to me, although
I'm civilian and much younger
than he.
One of the newer and much trust
ed pilots in my squadron is a good
natured, tow headed youngster
named Lieut.. Leroy Kaegi (pro-
nounced Keggy). He is from Ash
land, Ore.
Lieutenant Kaegi had quite a
day recently. Two missions, morn
ing and afternoon. Returning from
his morning mission, he couldn't
get one of his wheels down. He
had to fly around for an hour and
finally stall the plane in order to
shake the wheel loose.
Then just as he was ready to
take off on his afternoon mission,
some major came rushing up to
the plane in jeep, jumped out
and yelled, Hey, wait minute.
This girl wants to kiss you good
by"
Lieutenant Kaegi had never seen
the girl before, but she was Ameri-
can and she was beautiful So out
he popped and gave her a great
big smackeroo, and then dashed
back in again. When he got back,
all he could talk about was this
strange and wonderful thing that
had happened to him. He said he
was so excited he took off with his
upper cowl flap open.
The girl. I found later, was
Louise Allb1ittop of Hollywood.
She's over with June Clyde, en-
PERTAINING troops for the USO. They
are both swell gals.
Since Lieutenant Kaegi's adven-
ture I've been hanging around the
planes at take-off time for a week,
just hoping, but nothing seems to
come of it except that I get lot
OF dirt blown i'll my face.
One day was standing around
an A-2O bomber when the crew
chlef came up and pulled clipping
out OF his pocket. It was a piece
about his plane written more than
year ago by my friend Hal Boyle
OF the Associated Press.
At that time the plane was the
most shot-up ship in the squadron.
WI, with more than 100 holes in it.
I'M rhe crew CHIEF, sergt. Earl Wayne
suffer Of d129 Lombardy Ave )
Oklahoma City has had this same
snip since just before thew left
Eng nearly year and IL ago
ne 5 very proud of its record And
1t still holds the record too Nv
!; now Wit it has more than 300 holes aoI. y
=. 5ut Suffer and his gang lust
pa'cn them up, and it keeps on