Honor Flight DFW profiles and interviews

James was born in Frisco Texas, graduating from high school in 1938. Moving to Dallas and living with his sister on Live Oak Street, James attended business college and worked part time. One day he decided that the Navy might be a good fit so he joined up and on January 16^th, 1939 he started basic training in Norfolk, Virginia.

What’s interesting is that James told this author that the door that he walked into the training base at Norfolk in 1939 is the same door he walked out of 21 years later when he retired from the Navy!

James soon found himself assigned to the battleship, U.S.S. New Mexico, traveling through the Panama Canal and eventually docking in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At Pearl, James was transferred to the WWII four piper destroyer mine layer, U.S.S. Tracey. During this time in the Navy, it was somewhat of an honor to be assigned to one of the WWII era destroyers. They were called four pipers because of the four smoke stacks.

On December 7^th, 1941, Seaman Rylie, aboard the Tracey, was raising the flag on that sunny Sunday morning. It appeared that it would be another slow, beautiful Sunday when planes began diving on the harbor. First it was thought that these were American planes, but as they flew over, strafing and bombing, the large red meatballs were clearly seen emblazoned on the Japanese aircraft.

James remembered a young crewman on the Tracey being one of the first casualties. He was standing at the stern of the ship when he was hit by gunfire. Ironically, this sailor was often teased because he had taken the maximum amount of insurance, $10,000, in case he was killed. He said that his family could really use it in case he didn’t come back.

James and another crewman used a 30 caliber machine gun to fire on the attacking planes. He thinks that they hit at least one, which crashed on shore. Some days later, James retrieved a parachute from the downed aircraft. He regrets that sometime during the war however, he lost this souvenir. James was detailed immediately after the attack, to search the U.S.S. California for bodies. He says that the next few days were a blur, and that he didn’t eat until the evening of the 8^th.

In the fall of 1942, the Tracey was detailed to mine the approaches to “The Slot,” the sea lane between Guadalcanal and Savo Islands. Mine lying generally happened at night, and on this particular night, just before the furiousness of the night battle between U.S. and Japanese navies, the Tracey layed mines that were immediately hit by Japanese forces coming down “The Slot.” The night battle that ensued earned this area the name “Iron Bottom Sound,” because of the large amount of ships from both sides sent to the bottom.

The Tracey had earlier participated in the Battle of Midway in the spring of 1942. At one point the Tracey laid a smoke screen around the stricken U.S.S. Yorktown. Unfortunately the carrier, which had been hit by Japanese dive bombers, was hit by a torpedo from a submarine, and sunk soon after.

James was later transferred to an invasion tanker. He was part of the ships shore party and often found himself on shore with a group of sailors that were handpicked for the job. Once, James and the shore party were taken into a cove where the Japanese were hiding 25 suicide boats. The crews began torching the boats and were surprised that some of the boats engines were stamped “GMC.”

One interesting story is when the tanker James was assigned to was fueling a PT boat in a remote harbor. James looked down to the smaller vessel and amazingly saw a friend from the nearby town of Prosper Texas. The two friends started talking when a Japanese plane attacked from over a mountain. The PT boat cast off quickly and sped away, firing at the plane. This was the last time James ever saw his friend.

James’s ship participated in actions around Saipan, Guam, Palilu, and Okinawa. At one point, James had the opportunity to visit his old ship, the U.S.S. New Mexico. He found an old friend on board who said that they had recently been hit by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft. The wreckage was scattered all over the ship. What was interesting was that the pilot of the suicide airplane was a woman!

James ended the war on a transport Coast Guard ship heading back to the states. It was very crowded and the sailors heading back could occasionally become unruly. James said that the Chief Specialist in charge of the ships security was actor Victor Mature!

James got out of the Navy in October 1945. Like many serviceman from WWII, he found out that civilian life didn’t suit him. He quickly joined the Navy once again, finally retiring out of the same doors that he had walked in so many years before.

James worked for Ford Motor Company in Dallas until 1970; he then worked for Western Electric until 1985. Not wanting to completely retire, James then began raising, and racing horses until 1996.

When asked what visiting the WWII Memorial will mean to him, James says that he will remember all the men he knew that didn’t come back, including the young sailor on the Tracey that was killed on December 7^th, 1941. 

Old Springer again

Honor Flight DFW function at DFW airport

Warrant Officer Owens, great guy, who flies the hot-rod Blackhawk helicopter, on his way back to Afganistan. Good luck and get back safe! Mr. Cash in the middle. He was a B-24 engineer/top turret gunner in the 8th Air Force stationed in England in 1943-44. Yours truly in his fashionable Honor Flight high vis jacket on the right.

Honor Flight DFW profiles and interviews

On a Sunday in December 1941 Bill was taking a Sunday ride in Sioux City Iowa with his parents. Suddenly the announcement came over the car radio that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. The first question was probably “Where’s Pearl Harbor?” Soon Pearl was the most famous harbor in the world.

 Bill was 18 when he joined the Marines in May 1943. Always dreaming of being a paratrooper, he was thrilled when he found out that the Corps had such a unit! Bill went to San Diego during basic training, and after that he did indeed train to be a paratrooper. He jumped 13 times before the Marines thought that most of the other parachutist’s time would better be served doing something else. Things were changing in the Pacific and the need for parachutists was waning because most of the fighting was in the dense jungle. This included Bill, who was assigned to an amphibious halftrack.

Bill was assigned to the 5^th Marine Division and soon found himself training, this time on the Big Island of Hawaii. After training on the Big Island, Bill’s next stop was a dot of land that smelled of sulpher in the Pacific that would known soon world wide as Iwo Jima.

Early on the morning of February 19^th, 1945 he was in his amphibious halftrack heading towards the beach at Iwo Jima. Bill says that he was 6 minutes behind the first wave. When the halftracks front door was lowered, all the Marine’s could see was a very high wall of black sand in front of them. Leaving the halftrack, the Marines went forward, only retrieving their halftrack days later.

Bill and his fellow Marines quickly dug foxholes in the fine black sand, which was a feat in itself! Later, Bill saw the raising of both the first and second American flags over Iwo Jima. Most thought that the battle was over, but there were many more weeks of fighting, as the Japanese had constructed miles of tunnels underneath the island, popping up constantly picking off Marines. 

Once, Bill was diving into a pillbox to escape a mortar attack by the Japanese. He landed hard and told his buddy that thought that he had been hit. Gingerly Bill felt around and looked at his hand. There was no blood! Bill searched further and brought out a hot piece of mortar shell that had embedded itself into his belt webbing! It hurt like everything but the webbing had saved him from serious injury. His only regret was that he didn’t save the piece of hot steel!

Bill thankfully made it through the Iwo campaign without too much further injury. Another time he was standing on his halftrack when a bullet whizzed by too close. He saw a Japanese soldier running away after apparently taking the shot at Bill. Other nearby Marines saw this and took out the soldier handedly.

After the battle, Bill went back to Hawaii for rest and further training, eventually finding himself doing occupation duty in Japan after the war. He got out of the Marines in 1947.

Once back in the states Bill married, began an equipment rental business, which his son still runs in Dallas. Bill proudly wears his Iwo Jima veteran cap. Not long ago, a man stopped him and exclaimed “You saved my life!” Bill was puzzled but then the man said that he was in one of the first damaged planes to land at Iwo after a bombing run over Japan. The island was still hot, with Japanese still mortaring the landing strip. The man credits Bill and the other Marines with keeping the Japanese at bay long enough so that his plane and crew were saved.

Bill says that going to the WWII Memorial will bring back memories of those days during WWII, both good and bad. He did his duty, what was asked of him, and certainly exemplifies the ordinary Marine, doing extraordinary things on Iwo Jima.

Asylum Mobilitarium March 2012

Motorcycle Officer Smith was 36 years old. Growing up in the area around Detroit Texas, he remembered at age 13 hearing his father coming home and saying that the known suspect named “Potts” who had killed Dallas Police Mounted Officer T.A. Tedford, on July 26, 1912, had himself been killed by a posse at Detroit that day. This was after Potts had also killed Red River County Sheriff Steven’s by a shot to the head. Smith had known the Steven’s boys, and the whole county mourned the loss of the popular lawman. The Sheriff’s sons were never the same after that, they withdrew into their family unit and eventually moved away.

Smith had decided that day, that he wanted to be a big city police officer. Now here I am he thought, sitting on a brand new Harley-Davidson Flathead VL. He was sitting on his mount in front of 106 S.Harwood Street, the police and courts building, while newspaper photographers were taking pictures of the new radio equipped Harley’s. There were five officers on the new bikes being photographed, the City making a big to do about being ready for the 1936 Texas Exposition at Fair Park with these machines.

The City had just taken delivery of the five police silver “receiver only” bikes. Even though the motor officer could only hear the radioman at the station, it was a leap in technology that he could actually receive calls, and then use a telephone to call in and report that he had received the call. The low bid radios had their problems and were considered fragile. With Harley-Davidson having no rear suspension, tubes and other parts would constantly break. The bad part was you never knew it was broken, until some other officer yelled at you that you were about to be chewed out by a sergeant for not listening to the broken radio!

Smith had reluctantly given up his trusty ’29 Harley to get this bike. The old Harley leaked oil like a sieve, which was typical with the engines cork gaskets, but started every time, and always brought him home.

Now that the photogs got all their pictures, it was time for him and his partner to begin their patrol duties in an area which included Deep Ellum and Central Track. Deep Ellum, is a phonetic spelling for a colloquial pronunciation of “Deep Elm” by African-Americans, Eastern European Jews, or both. The two different cultures did business here, and lived in the neighborhoods nearby. And since this was the far eastern end of Elm Street, hence the “Deep” designation. 

Smith kicked started his new Harley, and roared off from downtown east on Elm Street in search of bad guys. Deep Ellum was a dumping ground for police officers assigned to mounted units, horse and motorcycle, as well as foot patrolman. He knew that the outburst towards a station sergeant two months ago had put him here, for how long he didn’t know. He left a good gig up by Love Field, for this. At least he got to keep his motorcycle. He did not envy the foot patrolman who had the walking beat from Deep Ellum, all the way north on the Central Track railroad tracks towards Hall and Thomas Streets, Old North Dallas. Searing heat or biting cold, they walked. It was an area of pimps, prostitutes, dive bars on either side of the railroad tracks, and nightly killings where a body would be pulled out of the bar, and pushed and stuffed under a nearby car parked at the curb.

Smith also knew the hazards of riding a police bike in Dallas. Officer Dexter Phillips had been killed when his motorcycle hit a pot hole on Travis Street in 1923. A few months before, an attempt had been made on Phillip’s life, when he hit a rope that had been stretched across the street. He had been severely injured when his neck hit the rope and he had been thrown off his mount.  Strangely, freshly burned shotgun shells were found at the scene of the accident on Travis Street. They never did figure that one out. Bad luck some officers said. Others said somebody had it in for him for sure.

Continued next month.

Cycle Tracks Will Abound In Utopia. H.G.Wells

Pet Shop Boys

I heard this song for the first time heading to London in 1986, on British Calidonion Airlines.

Hnor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

Roberts experience in WWII could be made into a movie or a book written about it! A native of Rosebud Texas he graduated from Baylor University in 1941.He couldn’t get a job because employers knew a war was coming and he would be gone! However Robert finally got a job in California in an aircraft plant. In fact he was driving to California to this job when he stopped for gas in Phoenix Arizona. It was Sunday, December 7^th, 1941. He noticed that people were huddled around a radio in the station. They told him that Pearl Harbor Hawaii had been attacked by the Japanese that morning. Soon it was clear to him that he would probably be drafted even though he had an important job building airplanes, so to be the master of his own destiny, he joined the Army Air Corps.

Robert trained in B-24 Liberators. Unlike some pilots, he didn’t fly to England with a new B-24 that needed to be shuttled to England. He did however sail over on the then militarized, in part because it was painted grey, the Queen Mary, the Grey Ghost as she was called!

Once in England, he was based at Shipdam, west of Norwich. He started flying missions in late 1943. At this time there were no long range escort fighters that could go all the way and back to Germany, or over France for the most part. Losses were huge among bomber crews. You’re chances of surviving 25 missions at this time was about 1 in 5.

Robert was piloting a B-24 on his 14^th mission when over Germany; clouds obstructed the target of the day. The bombers could not drop their ordinance, and the lead commander ordered another pass. This was extremely dangerous since the German’s would now have the bombers zeroed in. Usually, a second pass was never done by American bombers!  Sure enough on the second run over the target the bombers were devastated. Robert’s B-24 was hit by flak. They were near the German, Swiss border. The Liberator was going down fast. Robert spied a field covered in snow and heroically belly landed the bomber. Luckily the snow was deep so the plane did not catch on fire. The Swiss, neutral but with well known German sympathies, interned the crew. 

After six months, and space limits here do not permit this author from telling the whole story, Robert escaped. He disguised himself as a woman and walked to a nearby train station. On the train he had a Swiss officer sit next to him and that officer started engaging Robert in lively conversation. Robert luckily knew some French and had a newspaper that he kept up to his face. The officer finally gave up trying to talk (chat up) this strange lady and a very nervous escapee got off the train in Geneva safely. He was taken to a massive safe house owned by an American. This rich American apparently helped get U.S. serviceman out of Switzerland. Arraignments were made to pay off border guards.

After a few other hair raising events where other escaped prisoners he traveled with were caught, because a particular guard was not paid enough, Robert climbed the fence between Switzerland and France and started running west.    

Robert eventually made his way back to England and was given a 30 day leave in London. Among all his bad memories of the war, this was mostly a very good one. Robert still remembers the afternoon tea dances, and of course late night pub crawling! Unfortunately, Robert also had to dodge the German V-1 Buzz bombs that rained over London during his time! He ultimately returned to the states and got out of the military in October 1945. He received 2 air medals, certificate of valor, and a European Theater medal.

Robert enjoyed a long career with IBM after the war. He still dabbles in rental property in Dallas today at age 91!  

In visiting the WWII Memorial Robert will remember among other things, the empty bunks in his barracks that greeted him after each mission, crewman that didn’t come back that day. The white sheets spread out in front of the barracks, soldiers placing the missing crew mans effects on the sheets to be bundled up to ship home. Robert thinks about the war almost every day. It’s never far from his memory. 

The WWII Museum,New Orleans La.

Honor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

Chester joined the Army on September 15, 1939 at 19 years of age. On Sunday December 7^th, 1941, he was driving back from his wife’s parent’s house in Divine Texas to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio where he was based, when he heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. At Fort Sam, Chester was assigned to the 15^th Field Artillery of the 2^nd Infantry Division.  He participated in the famous maneuvers that were held over thousands of acres in Louisiana, where armored units were for the first time, used as a separate offensive machine, not just supporting infantry.

Chester was originally trained as a cryptographer, and traveled the country instructing soldiers in the super secret codes of the time. He was shipped overseas in January 1945 to southern France and docked in Marseille. He was assigned to the 70^th Infantry Div. as an ordinance platoon Sergeant at this time, and eventually linked up with Patton near the Ardennes Forest, famous for the Battle of the Bulge.

The winter of 1944-45 was known as one of the coldest in European history.  Chester experienced what it was like to have your feet frozen, as did many who participated in the European campaign during this time. And that’s not all, at one point, Chester was attempting to hitch up a trailer to an army truck that was next to a bombed out building. As he moved the trailer, a blast blew up the building and Chester with it. The German’s had booby trapped the trailer. Thankfully he lived through it, but his feet were not getting any better. He was transferred to a hospital in Holland for frostbite, and that’s where he was when the war ended.

Chester served during the occupation of Germany, even though he was married with a family, and had enough “points” to get out. A certain Colonel thought he was really good at his job, and delayed Chester going home until after the Japanese surrender.

Chester finally made it back to Fort Sam Houston and out of the Army in December 1945. He worked for a freight line for over 30 years finally retiring in 1980. He makes his home in Garland Texas.

Chester feels bittersweet about visiting the WWII Memorial. He says that at 91, he has lived a long life and is glad to visit his memorial. However, most of his army buddies are not with us anymore, and of

Honor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

Chester joined the Army on September 15, 1939 at 19 years of age. On Sunday December 7^th, 1941, he was driving back from his wife’s parent’s house in Divine Texas to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio where he was based, when he heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. At Fort Sam, Chester was assigned to the 15^th Field Artillery of the 2^nd Infantry Division.  He participated in the famous maneuvers that were held over thousands of acres in Louisiana, where armored units were for the first time, used as a separate offensive machine, not just supporting infantry.

Chester was originally trained as a cryptographer, and traveled the country instructing soldiers in the super secret codes of the time. He was shipped overseas in January 1945 to southern France and docked in Marseille. He was assigned to the 70^th Infantry Div. as an ordinance platoon Sergeant at this time, and eventually linked up with Patton near the Ardennes Forest, famous for the Battle of the Bulge.

The winter of 1944-45 was known as one of the coldest in European history.  Chester experienced what it was like to have your feet frozen, as did many who participated in the European campaign during this time. And that’s not all, at one point, Chester was attempting to hitch up a trailer to an army truck that was next to a bombed out building. As he moved the trailer, a blast blew up the building and Chester with it. The German’s had booby trapped the trailer. Thankfully he lived through it, but his feet were not getting any better. He was transferred to a hospital in Holland for frostbite, and that’s where he was when the war ended.

Chester served during the occupation of Germany, even though he was married with a family, and had enough “points” to get out. A certain Colonel thought he was really good at his job, and delayed Chester going home until after the Japanese surrender.

Chester finally made it back to Fort Sam Houston and out of the Army in December 1945. He worked for a freight line for over 30 years finally retiring in 1980. He makes his home in Garland Texas.

Chester feels bittersweet about visiting the WWII Memorial. He says that at 91, he has lived a long life and is glad to visit his memorial. However, most of his army buddies are not with us anymore, and of

Beatles first performance on Ed Sullivan, Feb 9, 1964

My family sat around the really big Sears Silvertone B/W tv this Sunday night. I shoulda picked up a guitar. I've loved the Beatles ever since.

Honor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

George was born in McKinney Texas and attended school there.  On December 7^th, 1941 he was in the ROTC at North Texas Agricultural College, now UTA.  In October 1942, he and a friend enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Austin Texas. His friend became a P-38 Lightning pilot, George became a flight engineer (top turret gunner) in a B-17 Flying Fortress with the famous 8^th Air Force, 381^st Bomb Group, based in England.

The flight engineer on the bomber had dual roles. When he wasn’t in the top turret searching for enemy planes, he was between the pilot and co-pilot monitoring the fuel, engines, flaps etc. George told this author that in tight formations; sometimes he would lower the landing gear to slow down to keep from hitting another B-17. These formations were deadly in themselves. They were kept tight so as to protect the other bombers with their guns, but accidents happened often, especially in the fog and clouds over England and France.

George was shot down on only his 3^rd or 4^th mission after the bomber lost three and eventually four engines. The crews in back of the plane bailed out early and were captured. George and the crew in front of the plane waited until the last outboard engine caught on fire, then bailed out and landed in Luxemburg on Valentine’s Day. He made his way to Paris and finally was back in England where he joined another crew and flew until the end of the war in Europe. He was awarded the Air Medal, and Oak Leaf Cluster.

George was on a train in Ft. Worth Texas heading to an air base in Galveston when he and his buddies heard the news of the Japanese surrender. There was much celebration on the train to be sure!

George was out of the military in November 1945. He went to TCU and studied geology. He flew for a geology company after the war, but got married and settled down. He eventually worked for a mattress and furniture manufacturer, traveling all over the country, and also had his own upholstery business. He now lives in Dallas Texas.  

In talking with George, this author told him that I had found the 381^st Bomb Group Association on the internet. He didn’t know of this, and I also told him I found a picture of “The Fox,” his old B-17! He told me “The Fox” was named after a nearby English pub the crew frequented. Yes, the fox on the bombers nose art in the picture is holding a beer stein!

Honor Flight interviews and profiles

Peter has an interesting story, and he has written a book about his wartime experiences! Born in Cleveland Ohio, he received a coveted scholarship to the Cleveland’s School of Art, and later attended the famous Chicago Art Institute.

War clouds were forming, with the German’s and Italian’s marching into Europe and Africa since 1939, and the Japanese spreading their power throughout the Pacific, and especially China, where there were notorious atrocities committed  by Imperial Japan in that country. 

The U.S. had a draft lottery in 1941 in anticipation of war, and sure enough, Peter’s number was pulled, number 90 in the draft, and he was in the Army now! He was sent to Pine Camp New York for training, and eventually was sent overseas to Europe, arriving in Normandy 10 days after the invasion. An interesting aspect of Peter’s wartime career was that his brother also served in the 4^th Armored, of Patton’s famous 3^rd Army! Like Peter, his brother was a sergeant in an assault tank, which was basically a Sherman tank with a larger gun, with the top exposed to the brutal winter of 1944-45.

Peter kept a diary during his army career, and that with an excellent memory really brings to light the danger and excitement of Patton’s army pushing through France and Germany. Peter’s unit was involved in heavy fighting up to and including the Battle of the Bulge, then to the end of the war. Once, while he was on watch, and everyone else was asleep, he heard a dull thud nearby. He investigated the sound and found an artillery shell had landed in the midst of his unit. Not knowing if it was a dud, or time delay, he alerted his unit, including his brothers section, which was nearby, and evacuated the area. Later, the gunners fired several rounds at the partially buried shell, and it exploded!

Peter survived the war and earned 5 battle stars from his service in Europe. He immediately went back to the Art Institute of Chicago to continue his studies in the Fall of 1945. After graduation, he taught at a college level, but later had a career teaching art in the Chicago school system that lasted 25 years! He now lives in Saginaw Texas and continues to take classes in art from the local community college. He draws and paints every day, last year completing 200 works of art!

Peter says to visit the WWII Memorial will be a wonderful tribute to the people who served with him

The Door's on the Ed Sullivan Show.

The Doors. I've worn out a few 8-tracks, cassettes, CD's you name it. This was on Ed Sullivan. The title was an issue on the show, but cooler heads prevailed, and the show included it in the opening credits.

Honor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

Oliver’s father was in the regular army before WWII so as a young man, he lived in Panama, and at one time, lived a few blocks off Waikiki Beach in Hawaii! His father was still in the army, and Oliver was in school in Troy, N.Y. when he heard the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Oliver stayed in school, he was studying engineering, and since he was already in the enlisted reserve, he was told that the military needed engineers and to stay in school.

Things never work out exactly as planned, and Oliver was called up in August 1944 to the regular army. Oliver’s experience in WWII was straight out of a spy novel. After training on the west coast, he was transferred to North Carolina for additional training. At this point the military asked for 50 volunteers to go to Southeast Asia. He would be assigned to the O.S.S. This was the precursor to the C.I.A. Oliver volunteered thinking they said O.C.S! But the 50 volunteers were taken back to the west coast and eventually Catalina Island for some unusual training that only O.S.S. men would get.

He went overseas in August 1944 and arrived in Calcutta India after a 54.5 day trip across the Pacific and Indian oceans.   They were detached from the regular army and frequently wore civilian clothes. Oliver’s units regularly jumped from C-47’s in northern Burma, behind enemy lines, to disrupt communications, and were detailed to take back the famous Burma Road. At one point, Oliver marched 400 miles through dense steaming jungle to take another road south of the Burma Road that the Japanese were using to take supplies into Thailand.   

Oliver was involved in many tough battles in those jungles in a most famous, and unusual outfit. In the summer of 1945 he was sent to a hospital for a serious eye infection. When he got out, his detachment had been disbanded and the war was about over. He got out of the military in January 1946.

Oliver worked in the oil industry for years, taking advantage of his engineering skills. He worked and lived in southern California for many years retiring in the 1980’s. He now lives in Addison, Texas and is involved in the local Rotary Club.

Oliver has said that the pictures of the WWII Memorial are extremely impressive, and visiting the memorial will bring back memories of those sacrifices that he and his comrades experienced.

Honor Flight interviews and profiles

Mary is a refined and dignified lady who is from Bethlehem Pennsylvania, but now calls Dallas home. Her father served in the U.S.Army in London England in WW I. During WWII there were no person a wounded soldier would rather see coming through the door, than an Army nurse. This Mary did many, many times in hospitals from Hawaii to Japan.

She graduated from St. Lukes in Bethlehem in 1941. Mary remembers being in a lecture at the school when the announcement was made that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. The next day, FDR went before congress and described the surprise attack as “dastardly,” and the U.S. was at war. As Admiral Yamato lamented after the attack, “I believe that we have awoken a sleeping giant.” They had.

Mary joined the Army Nurse Corps at Ft. Meade Maryland for basic training as a 2^nd. Lieutenant in February 1945. Soon she became charge nurse at Camp Lee Virginia in the Orthopedic Ward. In May 1945, she was on a ship sailing to Hawaii arriving on Mother’s Day. She worked in the operating room, with many casualties of the horrific Okinawan campaign. Because of the massive American dead and wounded from this battle, as well as the suicidal resistance of the Japanese Army, the American military calculated that possibly a million people would be killed taking the Japanese home islands, and the war would go on until possibly 1948.

Mary treated an unknown amount of men and boys from this campaign. In August 1945, after experiencing an extremely powerful typhoon, she and 305 other nurses set foot on Okinawa. The island was not quite secure, and there were minimum facilities for the nurses to live and work. They were taken to a former prisoner of war camp where the conditions were less than hospitable, with little food or sanitary facilities. In October 1945, while on the island, Mary experienced yet another typhoon, she and the other nurses took shelter and rode it out in an old donut factory. During this storm, they lost most of their personal effects.

She sailed to Japan in November 1945 and took a train to Osaka, where she helped set up the 307^th General Hospital. This was in an old Red Cross hospital with no heat that had to be scrubbed and cleaned to prepare the way for patients to be admitted. Mary was promoted to 1^st Lieutenant in February 1946. She was mustered out of the service in March 1946, and was married just a few days later.

Mary came to Dallas in 1967 and worked at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital for 15 years in critical care.   

  

Honor Flight DFW interviews and profiles

Harlan is a native of Dallas Texas and grew up in the Oak Lawn area. As a young man, Harlan worked at Sears, Roebuck and Co. He attended North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA.) When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Harlan already had his civilian pilot’s license. Harlan loved to fly so it was obvious that this is what he would try to do once the war started.  

Harlan became a naval cadet and began his training at such places as the University of Georgia, the Dallas Naval Air Station and Pensacola Florida.

Harlan was assigned to the Naval Air Transport Command, VR-11. He flew the four engine R5-D Skymaster, which was the military version of the civilian C-54 aircraft. These aircraft had the very important duty to transport men and material to all four corners of the globe during World War II. And this Harlan did.

During the war, Harlan transported wounded, ammunition and other material vital to the war effort. Some of his exotic ports of call included Hawaii, Australia, the Philippine Islands, Guam, and other far flung bases too numerous to list.

The war ended finding Harlan once again transporting wounded to San Francisco California.  He obtained his discharge from the Navy in November 1945 but stayed in the Naval Reserve until 1956.

Harlan flew for American Airlines after the war, as well as Pioneer Airlines that later became Continental. He also had careers both in medical sales and real estate. He lived in Clearwater Florida for 23 wonderful years, and now calls equally wonderful Fairview Texas home.

Harlan is really looking forward to visiting the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.

Strokers

At the world famous ( or infamous) Strokers Ice House.  Your author to the left, the much older brother in the middle, and our lucky in love, all around American hero JD on the right.

Honor Flight DFW Interviews and Profiles

Jimmie was a freshman at the University of Texas on Sunday December 7, 1941 when, over the radio came the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Jimmie and his brother, also a student at U.T. had already joined the universities ROTC program in September 1941.

Fast forward to July 1943 and Jimmie was in the Navy (like his father in 1917-18)and was commissioned an Ensign in January 1944. He then began six month training in destroyer escorts in the Atlantic, making at least one trip to Africa. Jimmie was trained in an early form of computers, where sailors would enter data into ship board computers for fire missions.

In late 1944 Jimmie was assigned to the destroyer escort, USS Sands and was off the coast of the Philippines. The ship was part of a naval force that was preparing for the invasion of the Philippine Islands. The Sands had the very hazardous duty of sailing into Lyngayen Gulf before the invasion. The ship entered the Japanese held area to deliver frogman to search for underwater mines under the very noses of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The mission went off without a hitch, and mines were found and charted.

The Sands then sailed for Iwo Jima and participated in that campaign. Later Jimmie was off Okinawa and witnessed navy ships in his squadron being hit by Kamikaze pilots and naval craft. An interesting story is one where the crew of the Sands, including Jimmie, fired at a suicide boat that was attempting to ram the Sands. The boat was destroyed, Jimmie saying this was the only time in the war that he personally fired a weapon at the enemy.

Jimmie was in San Francisco when he heard of the Japanese surrender. He and his buddies celebrated the victory that day in a style that one only could in San Francisco! He got out of the Navy in July 1946. He eventually got his Masters degree while in San Francisco. Jimmie spent 55 years in San Angelo Texas where he owned a children’s clothing store. Later and up until a few years ago he was in the appraisal business. He now lives in Euless Texas.

Jimmie is a card carrying member of the “Greatest Generation,” and will be a proud man when he finally gets

Man Cave

My V-Rod, Limited, and Old Springer at rest.