The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-01-08
With
The AEF
By KENNETH L. DIXON

:. =.
Jan. .-(Delayed)-R-Hobo joe
and Charlie Moose are just cc,,-
pie of American crew chiefs WHO
keep a pair of A36 fighter-bomrers
flying their close support 10 re
ground troops in the drive Up I,s.
ly these days.
But their buddies think they c-r.
stitute about the only Chinese and
Chippewa crew chief combinar;o,
in the business.
Hobo's right name is SGT. Fo.
bart Joe, whose parents were born
in China, where his mother stilI
lives. His dad is in the grocery
business in Dallas.
The bespectacled, 21-year ola
Chinese wanted to be pilot when
war broke out but his ewes prs.
vented him, so he did the neyt
best thing, enlisti1g as mechsn.
ic.
He's been overseas about nine
months now, has been crew chief
on three Invaders. He's been cited
for having one ship in shape to fv
50 missions in SO days when thnqs
were rough in Sicily. That's Inf
of flying, even for the fierce Htne
fighter-bombers.
After this war is over he
wouldn't mind helping get a few
ships in shape for job on Tokyo,
but right now I'm sweating this
one out along with the rest of the
boys
He hears from some of his rela.
tives in Chinese. but answers in
English.
TOO much trouble for the cen.
sors if I answered in Chinese" he
said with a grin.
Charlie is 30-year-old Staff SGT.
Charles Moose Of Isle, MINI, a
stocky. slew moving Chippewa In,
dian with an easy grin. The plane
he's in charge Of servicing is
named the Chippewa Chief.
He's been in the Army three years
has had three planes under his
care but this is the only one he
has named personally. He is pref
ty proud OF it.
Before the war On, I didn't
do much Of anything" he said.
II enlisted in the Air Force be.
cause I thought I might as well
get a trade and follow it while
was fighting. After the war? Oh,
1 don't know. I'll wait until it's
over and thep decide
He'd like to be pilot. too. but
he was too old. Like other crew
chiefs, however. he taxis the In
vaders around over the field
"Cne night Charlie jumped in
and TAXED a newly returned plane
over to the service tent Lieut.
John Hendrickson, 27-year old
squadron engineering officer re-
lated. He hoped out and said
can any of you boys tell me what
field this isl" For a moment he
had everybody fooled, and now
they won't ever let him forget it."
Hoping to pilot warplane some
day is the chief ambition of most
of these boys VINO work through
the days and nights keeping the
fighter bombers in condlt o..
Three of their buddies who stood
around the engineering tent kid
ding the Chippewa and Chinese
crew chiefs about their publicity
already have applied for the avia-
ton cadet training system
They were Staff Sgt. Burney
Bielick. %, of San Jose. Calf,
Tech. Sgt. Hoyt L. Smith, 81, OF
Louisville. Ca, and Master Sgt
Jack T. Roark, %, of Okmulgee
Okla.
1T probably would save weal
and tear on lot of planes il
some of these boys got to be pi
lots" said Master Sgt. Earl L.
Schenk of Southland. Texas. the
group inspector.
That's right" 1t. Hendrick.
son agreed. They really know
how to take care of them. They
know more about their planes at
the start of their training than
most pilots do when they gradu-
ate"
So maybe they'll get chance
to show their stuff in the air as
well as on the ground some OF
these days. Meanwhile:
Gotta get back to changing
those motors said Hobo Joe
Excuse me-
Why don't you get some jazz
on that radio said Charlie
Moose. the Chippewa.
"