The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-01-11

but he took my name and serial
number, and two or three davs IT,
er, when he got back to Washington
I was ordered to Mitchell Field. New
York.
As I drove my car towards nv
first tactical assignment | kent
reaching UP to feel my silver wings
on my chest--I wanted to prove that
il wasn't dream. This was what
I had been working for since 1000
Now was actually riding towards
the glory of tactical Army aviation.
I recall that I had Just about
completed the trip to Long Island
when something happened that will
keep me remembering the fall of
1888.
Just before ! reached the Holland
Tunnel. was suddenly forced to the
curb by three cars all bristling with
sawed-off shotguns and Tommy
guns. ] jumped out pretty mad. but
saw that many guns were covering
me and that it was the police
They looked at my papers, but said
anyone could have mimeographed
orders. They searched the car and
me, took down the Texas license
number, and even copied the engine
number. All the time tried to talk
with the flashlights in my eyes.
CHAPTER v
By this time, war with certain
countries appeared imminent. had
always believed that we would fight
Japan, and had always believed that
Japan would make the first thrust.
And ! tried to figure out" every
cadet that came through our school
tried by talking to him to find out
whether or not he had the urge for
combat, for / knew that the urge
was positively necessary. Not only
did man have to have that GER
tain incentive to fly and keep on
flying, until flying became second
nature, but he had to have the def
mite urge for combat. When he
learned to fly automatically he
would control the ship without think
ing about the controls and have his
mind free to concentrate on naviga-
ton and the aiming of his guns
besides watching his tail for the
enemy.
talked with the cadets many
times, and I was surprised to find
that lot of them still thought ii
was wrong to want to get in the air
against any enemy and fight. Some
times / was disappointed to find that
men lacked fighting instinct for the
coming war. Youngsters seemed to
think that combat was unnecessary.
Many of them, it seemed to me,
were learning to fly merely for the
high-paying airline jobs of the fu-
ture. But as time went on, I
changed my mind. There would al
ways be a few who didn't want to
fight, there would be some who were
uncertain, but from their attitude as
the war tension increased / knew
that when war came, as it inevita-
bly, would, these youngsters in the
fighting ships of America would do
their part.
From Ontario | went to Lemoore,
in the San Joaquin Valley of Cali
fornia, and there I went through
one of the low periods of my life.
1t was not that Lemoore was bad,
for the people were wonderful-but
war was getting closer and closer,
and was getting farther from COM
bat duty. Finally, after war had
opened on December 7, I began to
write Generals all over the country
in an effort to get out of the Train
ing Center. After all, I had been
an instructor for nearly four years
and 1t was pretty monotonous. /
knew that instructors were neces-
sary, but I wanted to fight, and !
thought that IL I could get out to
fight with my experience, could
come back later on and be even
more valuable as an instructor of
fighter pilots.
At last things began to happen.
On December 10, was hurriedly or
dered to report to March Field.
When these secret orders came, !
thought the day for my active entry
into the real war was near. Hardly
taking time to get my toothbrush
the radiogram said, Immediately"
Il jumped into car and drove
madly through the Valley and over
the pass of TETON through the snow
at the summit at nearly ninety miles
an hour, to March Field. ! arrived
there in blackout, and though I
was to see plenty of combat later on,
I'll take an oath that the nearest
I've been to death In this war was
when rode into March Field with
my lights out, trying to follow the
line in the highway that was not
there. Army trucks went by with
dim, pin-point blue lights, and as /
looked out of my car the trucks
would almost hit me.
When l finally got on the post
with my radiogram for admission,
! tore up to the headquarters and
operations Office, expecting any min
ute to be told to jump in a P-38
or a P-40 and go up to protect Los
Angeles. There were many others
like myself, for apparently all pi-
lots with pursuit experience had
been assembled.
No one knew what we were to do.
No sone knew We were supposed TO
be there. We could get no flying
time, and some of the old pursuit
pilots hadn't been in a single-seat-
er for years. We waited and waited
while rumors increased. Some said
we were going to the Philippines
by carrier; some ventured that our
destination was Java or Australia.