On the road

On the road

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Profiles Spring-Summer 2014 HFDFW


 

In 1942 Milton enlisted in the ROTC at the University of Illinois. He was accepted into the aviation cadet corps as a weather officer.

In June, 1943 he was called to active duty and completed his basic training at the Boca Raton Club in Florida. There he found out that the air corps didn’t need weather officers but did need communications officers. He was sent to Yale University and completed 5 months of training.

After the training Milton was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant and was assigned to Army Airways Communications service. AACS provided navigation aids to military aircraft and operated the control towers in combat areas.

In July, 1944 Milton and 30 other officers from the U.S., U.K. and other countries boarded a Norwegian freighter for a 29 day trip to Milne Bay at the tip of the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific. It anchored at this location because of a submarine scare. Milton was flown to Brisbane Australia. Then later he was flown back to Papua, New Guinea. This was a forward B-25 base. In January, 1945 Milton became part of the invasion force that landed at Subic Bay on the west coast off Luzon, Philippines.

By the summer of 1945 Milton found himself at Nichols Field which was the principle airfield in Manila, Philippines. Milton was still in Manila when the Japanese emissary’s for the surrender of Japan landed there in September, 1945.

With the surrender of Japan, Milton was part of the occupation force in Japan. He spent a total of 8 months in Japan and Milton says that this time was the highlight of his wartime experience.

Milton was in Tokyo until November, 1946 and was discharged with the rank of Captain.  

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