Today is Veterans Day, a day to remember the men and women who have served in the military around the world. The two ladies who run this website are proud of their father, an American veteran. Please allow us to tell you about him.
Dad began his military service in February 1942. He was assigned to the Army Air Corps based in Kunming, China, as a mechanic on B-24 aircrafts. The China-Burma-India Theatre fought the Japanese who were attacking China. The only way to deliver supplies to the troops fighting in China and north of the Himalayan Mountains was to fly over the Hump, a perilous journey on any day. The planes that carried the supplies were the B-24 airplanes my dad serviced. He returned to the United States in October 1945.
Last week my father and 62 other WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans participated in an Honor Flight – a non-profit organization whose mission is to take every able veteran to Washington, DC, to see the national monuments which honor their service. Just a few weeks shy of his 92nd birthday, my father took his first commercial flight ever, spent a whirlwind day with comrades and volunteers touring the capital city, and returned to a 200-member motorcycle escort and a thousand well-wishers. The top picture is Dad at 22; the lower picture nearly 70 years later.
Only my father could get me to read military fiction. As Veterans Day was approaching, I began searching the Kindle Store for a book about where my dad had served. Last Known Position is just the book. Written by William L. Heath, the book was published in 1949. Mr. Heath received the Distinguished Flying Cross for service in the CBI Theatre and flying the Hump.
The book is short. The story is powerful. Four young men, the flight crew of a B-24, must deliver fuel to troops stationed north of the Hump. Each of them could be someone you know – a nephew, a neighbor, the young man working in a store you frequent, your son. They have been thrown into a war
and, even though they don’t understand all the implications of the world struggle, they know their responsibilities and perform them well. Each has a method of escaping the present to cope with the stress of war.
The story requires detail of the plane and the flying process. This is all woven into the story and doesn’t read like a technical manual. The story is suspenseful and I whispered a prayer for these young men, hopeful all would end well yet fearful that it wouldn’t.
Dad read the book on his Kindle. He said it is factual and that he knew the places in the book. I strongly recommend this book this Veterans Day. You will meet four young men who fought to preserve freedom in the world and you will remember that freedom isn’t free. God bless every man and women who has served to protect the world.
Book description: The planes these men flew were called tankers – B-24’s with the guns and turrets removed and four large containers of gas in the bomb bays instead of bombs. They flew these planes with a minimum crew of pilot, copilot, radio operator, and engineer; and they went out on their missions unescorted and defenseless, crossing the dangerous mountain terrain day and night in all forms of weather, most of it bad.
It was not as bad a war as some men fought, but there were times when it was bad enough. And since the real adversary was the weather through which these men flew, their most gallant campaigns aloft were reduced to lonely, private struggles for survival. The book is available today for $2.99.
Home
Check out our other sites:
Thank you for sharing your story about your Father. He will be in my prayers tonight along with all those who served and continue to serve our country. My Dad was a radioman who flew in B-24s in CBI. I grew up hearing stories about flying over the Hump and the crews who kept these big planes flying. I don’t know if your Father ever worked on one of the planes my Dad flew but it was hard-working men like your father that allowed my father to come home safely. Please give the Brown Family’s thanks to your Father.
Thank you for your comments about your father. I will share your words with Dad. Truly the greatest generation, the young men and woman drawn from all across our nation have set the example for all of us. We are truly blessed to be their sons and daughters.
–Paula
Please thank your father for me for his service. My Dad also went into the Army in early 1942 and stayed until most soldiers were already on their way home. He did a little of everything it seemed, Africa, Italy and ended up guarding German POWs at the end of the war. When I listen to those stories, I wonder if I would have had the courage and fortitude to do what they were asked to do. Their sacrifice is very much appreciated.
Geekamicus –
Thank you for sharing about your father. One of my favorite lines in the book Last Known Position is when one of the young men on the flight crew was thinking about the pilot. “Of the two of us,” he though wryly, “I’d be safer in his socks than mine.” I loved the expression. There are many people who would exceed my abilities, courage, and strength. I’m grateful they were in their socks when called upon.
–Paula
God bless your Dad and all the men and women who have fought and are fighting to keep our country safe and secure! Thanks for sharing his story. My father-in-law was in the Navy on a ship in Pearl Harbor during WWII. My step-son is a Commander in the Navy today. More than half a century separates their service, but their love for our country continues on day after day! My heartfelt thanks to all those who serve and have served our country in the armed forces!