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"My Impressions of World War II" - Life Magazine 8/89 [5]
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s): FOIA Number: S FOIA MARKER This is not a textual record. This is used as an administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential Library Staff. Record Group/Collection: George H.W. Bush Presidential Records Collection/Office of Origin: Speechwriting, White House Office of Series: Speech File Draft Files Subseries: Chron File, 1989-1993 OA/ID Number: 13499 Folder ID Number: 13499-010 Folder Title: "My Impressions of World War II" - Life Magazine 8/89 [5] Stack: Row: Section: Shelf: Position: G 25 6 4 5 JUL-28-89 FRI 13:35 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.01 TIME a LIFE BUILDING TIME ROCKEFELLER CENTER WIREROOM NEW YORK 10020 INCORPORATED FAX: (212) 522-0907 522-0908 522-0909 PHONE: (212) 522-1567/8 DATE 1/28 FAX COVER SHEET Chriss Winston FAX # 202-456-6218 TO FROM Mary Semons DEPT Lizi ******* NUMBER OF PAGE (S) TO FOLLOW: 12 ******* JUL-28-89 FRI 13:36 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.02 SEPWWII V:01 HJ:Y 00343 28-JUL-89 13:09 PAGE: 1 OP:PERICH;07/28,12:46 OR:FGAN FR:LAN-LFE FMT:12p6 FG:LFE MS: OK: RP:8 NO:e10 ID:09-01-89 PF:g *** D 0001 LIFE SEPTEMBER WORLD WAR L 0002 II Pps 70-78 LN0003 colt/howe/simons/bentkowski/ L 0004 goldberg/ryan L 0005 LN0006 GHC PR LN0007 L 0008 LAYOUTS TK L 0009 L 0010 MY IMPRESSIONS<--> L 0011 WORLD WAR II L 0012 L 0013 December 7, 1941 1 ! 0014 I was walking across the campus at 0 1 0015 Andover when I heard the news. I was 1 0016 17. It came as a shock<-->a jolt<-->an LIFE MAGAZINE SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0002 0 0017 awakening. I did not fully comprehend 2 0018 world affairs. My interests were our 0 0019 undefeated soccer season just finished, - 0020 basketballk-->baseball coming up. 2 0021 Christmas vacation only a couple of 0 0022 weeks away, graduation, then college. 5 0023 Things changed instantly. I knew 0 0024 right then that I wanted to go into the L 0025 service. LN0026 L 0027 December 8, 1941 1 ) 0028 Our headmaster, a great historian and 0 ) 0029 tough disciplinarian, summoned us all 1 0030 into George Washington Hall, the ) 0031 school's assembly place. There was the $ 0032 normal joking, kidding, sloppy pos- ) 0033 ture. Dr. Fuess called to order the 800 i 0034 students by saying something like ) N0035 this: ``Your country is at war. We have 0036 just played the Star Spangled Banner. 4 0 0037 From now on when the Star Spangled 4 0038 Banner is played you will stand at at- 0 0039 tention, hands at your sides and you 0040 will show respect. From that day on, 0041 without fail, I have stood at attention L 0042 when the national anthem was played. L 0043 L 0044 Early June 1942 1 0045 Secretary of War Henry Stimson, an 0 0046 alumnus of Andover, gave the com- 13:38 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.01 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0003 0047 mencement address. He encouraged 0048 the graduating class to get some col- 0049 lege education before serving. I was 0050 determined not to go on to college but 0051 to become a Navy pilot. Secretary 0052 Stimson was a towering world figure L 0053 but I wondered about this call of his. L 0054 L 0055 June 12, 1942 1 ) 0056 On my 18th birthday I was sworn into 0 I 0057 the Navy as a Seaman 2nd Class, the 0 0058 first step towards becoming a Navy pi- 2 0059 lot. The Navy had just changed the 1 0060 rules. It no longer required two years (left out:) 1 0061 of college before becoming a Navy pi- 1 0062 lot; pilots were urgently needed. Wal- acapt High School the Navy moved do graduates for pilot 1 0063 ter Levering, LT USNR, swore me in training. 0 0064 at Boston. I went on active duty as an L 0065 Aviation Cadet August 6, 1942. L 0066 L 0067 August 6, 1942 1 3 0068 I climbed on a southbound train at Acture duty at last, o 4 0069 Penn Station. My dad was a big, 0 0070 strong guy. He put his arm around me 2 0071 and said goodbye. I'd never seen my L 0072 dad shed a tear before. L 0073 L 0074 June, 1943 1 1 0075 Having been stationed at Chapel Hill 0 0 0076 for preflight, Minneapolis for Primary JUL-28-89 FRI 13:39 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.02 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0004 1 0077 Training, and Corpus Christi for Ad- 0 0078 vanced, I received my Navy wings and 3 0079 Ensign's Commission June 4. I was 2 0080 still 18 years old. I wanted to fly in 1 0081 combat. All my classmates wanted to -xflyin combat. 0 0082 as well. Our country was at war<-->unit- 1 0083 ed. I selected Torpedo Bombers ... I 1 0084 fell in love early on with the 'low and 2 0085 slow' TBF. The Grumman Avenger 2000 lbs. 2000 lbs. 0 0086 carried a ton of bombs, the biggest sin- 0 0087 gle engine aircraft in the fleet. It had a 1 0088 crew of three. I went off to Fort Lau- 1 0089 derdale to learn to fly it. Training up 3 0090 and down the East coast, dropping 3 0091 torpedoes off Cape Cod, bombs and 4 0092 torpedoes in Lake Okechobee, Fla., - 0093 Chincoteague, Va., Charleston, 0 0094 Rhode Island, Miami ... I saw 'em all. 1 0095 I had an ensign's stripe and an admi- L 0096 ral's confidence. I was a Navy pilot. L 0097 L 0098 Spring-Summer 1944 1 2 0099 I was assigned to Air Group 51, the 0 1 0100 first to be aboard the new fast carrier air group 2 0101 San Jacinto, CVL 30. We went on a 4 0 3 0102 11 shake down cruise to Trinidad, put 1 0103 San Jac into commission at Philadel- 4 0 2 0104 phia, headed for the Pacific via the 1 0105 Panama Canal, touched the USA one 1 0106 last time at San Diago and then went JUL-28-89 FRI 13:39 TIME INC. LIFE MAGAZINE P.03 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0005 L 0107 West. 0 0108 . Many of the Air Group and Ship's 3 0109 company had spend no time at sea. 3 0110 One roommate, subsequently killed, 2 0111 Tom Waters had a red face, but the 0 0112 seas were so bad that his face literally L 0113 turned green. 0 0114 We struck Wake Island on May 23, 1 0115 1944. My close friend and roommate, 1 0116 Jim Wykes went off on a search mis- 0 0117 sion, and never came back. I lay in my 2 0118 upper bunk and cried for my friend. L 0119 No one saw me<-->that wouldn't do. L 0120 L 0121 September 2, 1944 1 1 0122 Over Chi Chi Jima, my plane was hit 0 0 0123 by anti-aircraft fire at about 8:30 a.m. 0 0124 The submarine FINBACK picked me D 0125 out of the water close to the Japanese 1 0126 held island of Chi Chi Jima, I learned ) 0127 later that my crewmen were killed. In I 0128 that life raft for about 2 hours, won- ! 0129 dering if my life would be spared, I ) 0130 prayed to God, I was sick to my stom- shed a dear. ! 0131 ach and again I cried. I was a very I 0132 scared kid, just 20, away from his 0133 mother and dad, paddling against the 0134 wind trying to get farther away from further L 0135 the Japanese held island. L 0136 JUL-28-89 FRI 13:40 TIME INC LIFE MAGAZINE P.04 SEPWWII L 0137 V:01 PAGE: 0006 September 1944 1 (Caps) 0 0138 The Finback stayed on its war patrol in Daboard the 0 4 0 2 0139 Japanese waters, and I along with 2 FINBACK in 3 0140 other rescued pilots and 2 crewmen 3 0142 and counting my blessings. We got 0143 depth charged by Japanese ships. The (caps) LookingForward 3 Forward Japanese waters. 0 0141 spent the next 30 days standing watch submarine 0 0 0144 submariners in Finback didn't seem too 4 0 1 0145 concerned about that, but Jim Back= 1 0146 man, Tom Keene and I, the 3 rescued 1 0147 pilots, didn't like that a bit. Finback's (Caps) 4 0 2 0148 skipper won a silver star for sinking L 0149 Japanese ships. L 0150 L 0151 October 1944 1 1 0152 Back in Pearl Harbor for a week at a o Kane 2 0153 ``rest home then hitch hiked back ) 0154 to the fleet<-->Task Force 38 under Ad- ) 0155 miral Bull Halsey off the Philippines. I 0156 wondered at the tremendous naval 0158 at Ulithe speking? Atoll. You could feel things Bio Nickolas -zodays RDR some flying, 1 I saw ) 0157 power in and around Pearl Harbor and 0159 moving our way. We were shown the 0160 pictures of Japanese atrocities. It was 0161 Hirohito's fault. Hitler was beginning 0162 to get kicked hard in Europe but for us 0163 there was one unifying symbol<-->Hiro- 0164 hito and the evil he represented. I 0165 wanted badly to rejoin my squadron<--> L 0166 to fly more, to do my part. JUL-28-89 FRI 13:40 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0007 0167 0168 November 1944 1 0169 I flew my final combat mission (the tk 0 hos 1 has uezm areas 0170 tk) over Luzon Bay, November 19. 1944, 0171 Puffs of antiaircraft fire, black and 0172 menacing, but nothing like the concen- 0173 trated fire over Chi Chi Jima. Still you prons! 0174 wonder. There was a sense of exhilara- 0175 tion in our ready room. We were going in time 0176 home. We'd probably make it for 0177 Christmas. Several of our VT 51 : 0178 squadron mates had been killed, but 0179 that was accepted. In a sense, the fe- the was had a US $ 0180 rocity of the battle helped heal the 2 0181 hurt for our fallen comrades. It was together track. on one ) 0182 our duty, our honor. We were fighting 4 0183 for the USA against tyranny. The 1 0184 country was united. We, on a carrier, 2 0185 were a part of something great and 3 0186 good. At times we were scared, but L 0187 there were never any doubts. L 0188 L 0189 Christmas Eve 1944 1 0 0190 I arrive home. I stop at the Rye (N.Y.) 0 1 0191 Station on the the way to Greenwich. 1 0192 There my fiancee, Barbara, climbs on 3 0193 the train. We go the 10 minutes to 1 0194 Greenwich. My mother and dad meet 1 0195 us. I was glad to be home for Christ- 2 0196 mas. I was glad to be surrounded by JUL-28-89 FRI 13:41 TIME INC. LIFE MAGAZINE P.06 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0008 1 0197 love. At church the next day, Christ- 0 0198 . mas, I thanked God I was home<-->and 2 0199 in the quiet of our chruch I thought I blessings. counted my 2 0200 about Jim Wykes, Dick Houle, Ted 1 0201 White, John Delaney, and the others 5 0202 who would never come home for L 0203 Christmas. think & 1 0204 I asked "Why," but there was not 4 0205 any agony about the cause. There 1 0206 were no divisions about the war. We 1 0207 were right. God was on our side. We 2 0208 had suffered a surprise attack and, 0 0209 now three years later we were winning; D 0210 and 1, a 20 year old Lt. (j.g.) was part of 5 0211 the greatest fighting force in the 2 0212 world. I had grown up. I had flown I 0213 with the best off a great carrier that I 0214 flew the Texas flag into battle. I was 0215 part of a team. We cared about each 0216 other in our squadron. We understood i 0217 each other's fears and loves. We : 0218 played together, sang together, flew 0219 together. We bitched about our 0220 Squadron Commander<-->too tough, 0221 too demanding, too serious. But we 0222 loved to fly on his wing<-->we respected L 0223 Don Melvin. 0224 If we hot dogged it or risked the 0225 lives of the ship's crew by some care- 0226 less maneuver, Captain Beauty Mar- JUL-28-89 FRI 13:43 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.01 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0009 1 0227 tin would kick some serious butt, but 0 0228 we bragged about him. He didn't know 4 0229 me from Adam's off Ox. But why 3 0230 should he<-->I had one stripe, finally 0 0231 1<1/2>, and he had 4. We gave him a lot of L 0232 room, a lot of respect. 1 0233 We were the best pilots. When we 3 0234 ground-looped on land, it was that 0 0235 damned gust of wind, or it was low hy- 2 0236 draulics in the left brake. When we 1 0237 missed the proper wire landing on the 1 0238 carrier, it was that crazy landing sig- 0 0239 nal officer ``Damn fool, had me too 1 0240 high all the way in, or too fast, or too 0 0241 slow'; but we never told him. He held 0 0242 our lives in his hands. And besides, the L 0243 skipper always thought he was right. 1 0244 We were the best cocky devils, 0 0245 sure of our ability, sure of our mission. 20 years old, and 2 0246 We knew exactly what had to be done. L 0247 We knew we would win. what had to be done we knew exactly L 0248 We knew we were L 0249 Winter - Spring 1945 right and 1 1 0250 Barbara and I were married January 0 2 0251 6th. We had time for a honeymoon, 1 0252 then off we went to carrier re-qualifi- 0 0253 cation in the Great Lakes. We bought D 0254 our first car<-->a 1941 Plymouth<-->price I 0255 $350 and drove across Canada to join 1 0256 our squadron in Lewiston, Maine. Up JUL-28-89 FRI 13:43 TIME INC. LIFE MAGAZINE P.02 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0010 0 0257 and down the East Coast in VT 153, a 5 -0258 - new torpedo squadron manned by 0 0259 some of my pals from VT 51. I checked 0 0260 out in the F4U, the hot-shot gull wing 0 0261 Corsair fighter and for a moment I 1 0262 wondered if ``low and slow was good 3 0263 enough for me anymore. A fleeting 1 0264 thought only, since by now the feel of 1 0265 the TBF was a part of my very exis- 2 0266 tence. The TBF was a forgiving air- 4 0267 plane<-->and though 1 was a pretty 1 0268 good pilot, I'd still make some pilot's L 0269 errors that needed forgiveness. L 0270 L 0271 August 1945 1 1 0272 I'm just 21 now. We are based in Vir- 0 I 0273 ginia. Barbara and I are having more 2 0274 time together. As our new squadron, I 0275 with orders in hand to go back to the ! 0276 Pacific, starts our final training, the 1 0277 war ends. I'll never forget the scream- 0278 ing and the cheering and the dancing 0279 in the street and the praying. Bar and 0280 I went to church and we said thanks. 0281 The war's end meant we would not 0282 have to be separated, and that I would 0283 not have to cover any more landings of 0284 marines on beaches<-->seaing them get 0285 slaughtered as the Japanese dug in to L 0286 defend their homeland. JUL-28-89 FRI 13:44 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.03 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0011 L 0287 L 0288 September 18, 1945 1 3 0289 I am discharged from the Navy on 0 1 0290 ``points'' and now I go to college. The 0 0291 togetherness of it all is gone. We re-fo- disperses. 0 0292 cus. It's soccer, baseball<-->it's our first 1 0293 baby, and economics classes. Barbara 1 0294 and I know family joy, and the happi- 0 0295 ness of being at school and looking for- 0 0296 ward shortly thereafter to a new life in 0 0297 our west. We have lots of new friends. 2 0298 The letters from the shipmates slow 0 0299 down. They are finding their new way, L 0300 too. L 0301 L 0302 June, 1948 1 0 0303 A brand new college grad, my first job 0 1 0304 ahead, I drive to Odessa, Texas. The 2 0305 war seems, far behind<-->ahead lies a long ago, L 0306 whole new exciting life. L 0307 L 0308 January 20, 1989 1 0 0309 I am sworn in as President of the Unit- 0 0 0310 ed States. A TBF on a float goes by in 1 0311 our Inaugural parade. On it are some 0 0312 squadron mates from VT 51 and a cou- 5 0313 ple of old submariners who were 2 0314 aboard Finback caps when she picked me 4 0 3 0315 out of the drink off Chi Chi Jima. 1 0316 They are smiling and waving. No one JUL-28-89 FRI 13:44 TIME INC.LIFE MAGAZINE P.04 SEPWWII V:01 PAGE: 0012 L 0317 knows who they are. But I know. L 0318 L 0319 February, 1989 1 I 0320 I am in Japan for the funeral of Em- 0 ! 0321 peror Hirohito. It is an icy cold day ! 0322 and the long ceremony is beautifully } 0323 done. Sitting there in the cold, sur- I 0324 rounded by World leaders, 1 had time 3 0325 to think. Yes, I thought about the 0 0326 burst of anti-aircraft fire from Chi Chi 1 0327 Jima that killed my friends, but that 1 0328 thought did not dominate. I thought 1 0329 about Hirohito going to call on Mac- 1 0330 Arthur, about Japan's remarkable re- 3 0331 covery and about her democracy. I 0 0332 thought about the quiet little man and 1 0333 his love of nature and how that con- 1 0334 trasted with the horrible pictures we 1 0335 saw 45 years ago ... I thought of Ja- 0 0336 pan. And I thought of forgiveness. Our 3 0337 alliance is strong, our friendship is 2 0338 genuine. They are now a democracy. 1 0339 How remarkable that is. Maybe Ted 0 0340 White, Jack Delaney, and Jim Wykes 0 0341 did not die in vain. It was right that I 1 0342 went back to Japan to the Emperor's L 0343 funeral. .... {END} AUG- 2-89 WED 10:48 TIMEINC NYK P.01 Please FAX to Aug I S 01 PM '89 clustine bear 202-456-6218 -456 -6218 from 212 MARY 522 SIMONS 0908 (FAX) SEPWWII V:07 HJ:Y 00323 01-AUG-89 17:49 PAGE: 1 OP:PERICH;08/01,17:40 OR:FGAN FR:PERICH-LFE FMT:26 FG:LFE MS: OK: RP:8 NO:e8 ID:09-01-89 PF:g *** L 0001 LIFE SEPTEMBER WORLD WAR II Pps 70-78 L 0002 Bush/simons/bentkowski/ L 0003 goldberg/kinney/Geeslin L 0004 GHC PR NOT CG L 0005 L 0006 Caps 3, 4, 5 (DEPT SLUG) L 0007 L 0008 ANNIVERSARY L 0009 L 0010 Cap 7 (ART) L 0011 LN0012 A BOY LN0013 GOES TO LN0014 WAR L 0015 « 0015 5 (uflhed) AUG- 2-89 WED 10:48 TIMEINC NYK P.02 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0002 « 0015 (cp22,,20p) L 0016 Cap 2 L 0017 LN0018 by GEORGE BUSH L 0019 ««« 0019 (cp28,30,16p6)(xh)(rr) 0 L 0020 Cap 8 5 L 0021 LN0022 THE PRESIDENT RECALLS LN0023 HIS THREE-YEAR TOUR LN0024 OF DUTY AS A LN0025 NAVY PILOT IN THE LN0026 PACIFIC L 0027 L 0028 « 0028 (st) 0 L 0029 4 L 0030 Cap 1 PRECEDE TK L 0031 L 0032 (cbp71,c1,151) 0 PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 51 LINES DEFINED (cbp72,c1,129,c2,129) (cbp74,c1,l34,c2,134) (cbp75,c1,134,c2,134) (cbp76,c1,124) L 0033 « "December 7, 1941 0033 1 (ir581,6p,171,10p,331, 0 0034 I was walking across the campus at Andover when I 0033 0 6p,11,7p9,31,6p,251, AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.03 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0003 heard the 0033 10p,431,6p,251,10p,391, 1 0035 news. I was 17. It came as a shock<-->a jolt<--> 0033 6p,11,7p9)(il871,0,171, an awakening. I 0033 4p,421,0,251,4p,431,0, 0 0036 did not fully comprehend world affairs. My 0033 251,4p) interests were our 1 0037 undefeated soccer season just finished, basketball<-->basebal 0 0038 coming up. Christmas vacation only a couple of weeks away, 1 0039 graduation, then college. Things changed instantly. I knew L 0040 right then that I wanted to go into the service. L 0041 L 0042 December 8, 1941 1 1 0043 Our headmaster, a great historian and tough 0 disciplinarian, 1 0044 summoned us all into George Washington Hall, the school's 0 0045 assembly place. There was the normal joking, kidding, sloppy 0 0046 posture. Dr. Claude M. Fuess called to order the 800 students 1 0047 by saying something like this: ``Your country is at war. We 0 0048 have just played the Star-Spangled Banner. From 4 0 now on when 0 0049 the Star-Spangled Banner is played you will stand 4 0 at attention, 0 0050 hands at your sides and you will show respect. From that day AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.04 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0004 0 0051 on, without fail, I have stood at attention when the national L 0052 anthem was played. L 0053 L 0054 Early June 1942 1 2 0055 Secretary of War Henry Stimson, an alumnus of 0 Andover, 1 0056 gave the commencement address. He encouraged the gradu- 0 0057 ating class to get some college education before serving. I was 0 0058 determined not to go on to college but to become a Navy pilot. 2 0059 Secretary Stimson was a towering world figure but I won- L 0060 dered about this call of his. L 0061 L 0062 June 12, 1942 1 0 0063 o On my 18th birthday I was sworn into the Navy as a Seaman 1 0064 Second Class in Brooklyn, the first step towards 0064 (co CHK brooklyn) becoming a 1 0065 Navy pilot. I was a scared nervous kid. The Navy had just 1 0066 changed the rules. It no longer required two years of college 1 0067 before becoming a Navy pilot; pilots were urgently needed. 0 0068 Walter Levering, Lt. USNR, swore me in at Boston. I went on AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.05 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0005 L 0069 active duty as an aviation cadet August 6, 1942. L 0070 L 0071 August 6, 1942 1 0 0072 I climbed on a southbound train at Penn Station. 0 My dad was 0 0073 a big, strong guy. He put his arm around me and said goodbye. 0 0074 I'd never seen my dad shed a tear before. We arrived in Chapel 0 0075 Hill, N.C. and I met my great friend The Splendid Splinter 1 0076 Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. We all stood in awe of L 0077 the famous hitter who was in the same program. L 0078 L 0079 June, 1943 1 1 0080 Having been stationed at Chapel Hill for 0 preflight, Minne- 0 0081 apolis for primary training, and Corpus Christi for Advanced, 0 0082 I received my Navy wings and Ensign's commission June 4. ! June 9 Don Rhodes 0 0083 was still 18 years old. I wanted to fly in combat. All my class- END OF BLOCK PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 PAGE 72 COLUMN 1 29 LINES DEFINED SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0006 1 N0084 mates wanted to as well. I fell in love early on with the 'low 1 N0085 and slow' torpedo bombers. The Grumman Avenger carried 1 0086 2,000 pounds of bombs, the biggest single-engine aircraft in 0 0087 the fleet. It had a crew of three. I went off to Fort Lauderdale 0 0088 to learn to fly it. Training up and down the East coast, drop- 0 0089 ping torpedoes off Cape Cod, dummy bombs and torpedoes in 4 0090 Lake Okeechobee, Fla., Chincoteague, Va., Charlestown, 1 0091 Rhode Island, Miami I saw 'em all. I had an 0 0092 ensign's stripe and an admiral's confidence. I was L 0093 a Navy pilot. L 0094 L 0095 Spring-Summer 1944 1 2 0096 I was assigned to Air Group 51, the first to be 0 0 0097 aboard the new fast carrier San Jacinto, CVL 30. 4 0 0 0098 We went on a shakedown cruise to Trinidad, put 0 0099 San Jac into commission at Philadelphia, headed 4 0 2 0100 for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, touched o N0101 the U.S. one last time at San Diego and then went L 0102 West. 2 0103 Many of the air group and ship's company 1 0104 had spend no time at sea. One roommate, subse- 1 0105 quently killed, Tom Waters had a red face, but 0 0106 the seas were so bad that his face literally AUG- 2-89 WED 10:50 TIMEINC NYK P.07 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0007 turned L 0107 green. 0 0108 We struck Wake Island on May 23, 1944. My close friend 0 0109 and roommate, Jim Wykes went off on a search mission, and 1 0110 never came back. I lay in my upper bunk and cried for my L 0111 friend. No one saw me<-->that wouldn't do. L 0112 END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 1 PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 29 LINES DEFINED L 0113 September 2, 1944 addition 1 T 0114 On this day at 07:15, a division of VT-51, 0 composed of Com- 2 0115 mander Don Melvin, Doug West, Milt Moore and myself, 1 0116 took off from the San Jacinto (my 50th combat mission) fly- 2 N0117 ing about 70 miles to destroy two radio stations at Chichi 1 N0118 Jima in the Bonin Islands. At reaching the target area, the 1 0119 sky was thick with black clouds of exploding enemy antiair- WED 10:50 TIMEINC NYK SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0008 1 0120 craft fire. Don Melvin led the attack on the tar- L 0121 get, followed by Doug West and then me. 2 0122 At about 08:30, and moments after pushing 0 0123 over into my dive at 8,000 feet, I felt a jolt as if a 0 0124 giant fist had rammed into the belly of the plane. 0 0125 My plane had been hit in the engine area. Smoke 1 0126 poured into the cockpit and flames were spread- 0 0127 ing aft toward the fuel tanks in the wings. Navy 0 0128 training had taught us to complete the mission. I 1 0129 instinctively continued in the dive, homed in on 0 0130 the target, unloaded our four 500 hundred pound 0 0131 bombs, pulled away heading East toward the sea. 1 0132 A few miles from shore, I told my crewmen, Ted 0 N0133 White and John Delaney, to bail out. As I baialed 0 N0134 out, my head struck the tail of the plane momen- 1 N0135 tarily knocking me out. I was landing in the wa- 1 N0136 ter when the Japanese sent two boats out after 1 0137 me. Melvin, West and Moore along with our Helicat fighter L 0138 escorts drove the boats away. 0 0139 I was in the life raft about two hours, wondering if my life 1 N0140 would be spared. I prayed to God, I was sick to my stomach 0 N0141 and again I cried. I was a very scared kid, just 20, away AUG- 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.09 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0009 END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 PAGE 74 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED 0 0142 from his mother and dad, paddling against the wind trying to 0 N0143 get farther away from the Japanese held island. I later learned 1 N0144 that my crewmen had been killed. Observers said that two 2 0145 persons were seen leaving the plane. The para- 0 N0146 chute of the other person never opened, but mine 0 0147 did. God had spared me from that fate for what- 1 0148 ever reason. Hellcat fighter pilots flew over my 0 0149 raft until I was rescued by the American subma- L 0150 rine U.S.S. Finback around noon. 4 0 L 0151 L 0152 September 1944 1 0 0153 The Finback stayed on its war patrol in Japanese 0 4 0 0 N0154 waters, and I along with two other rescued pilots 0 N0155 and two crewmen spent the next 30 days standing 1 0156 watch and counting my blessings. We got depth 1 0157 charged by Japanese ships. The submariners in 2 0158 Finback didn't seem too concerned about that, 4 0 1 N0159 but Jim Backman, Tom Keene and I, the three 2 0160 rescued pilots, didn't like that a bit. Finback's 4 0 2 0161 skipper won a Silver Star for sinking Japanese L 0162 ships. L 0163 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.10 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0010 L. 0164 October 1944 1 3 0165 Back in Pearl Harbor for a week at a ``rest 0 2 N0166 home**<-->then after some essential refresher fly- 1 N0167 ing, I hitchhiked back to the fleet<-->Task Force 1 0168 38 under Admiral William "`Bull'' Halsey off the 0 N0169 Philippines. I wondered at the tremendous Naval 0169 (co William(?)) 1 0170 power in and around Pearl Harbor and at Ulithi Atoll. You 0 N0171 could feel things moving our way. We were shown pictures of 0 0172 Japanese atrocities. It was Hirohito's fault. Hitler was begin- 0 0173 ning to get kicked hard in Europe but for us there was one uni- 0 0174 fying symbol<-->Hirohito and the evil he represented. I wanted L 0175 badly to rejoin my squadron<-->to fly more, to do my part. END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 1 PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED L 0176 L 0177 November 1944 1 0 N0178 0 I flew my final combat mission, the 58th, over Luzon Bay, No- 2 0179 vember 19. Puffs of antiaircraft fire, black and November 29 - - Don Rhodes SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0011 0 N0180 menacing were nothing like the concentrated fire 1 0181 over Chichi Jima. Still you wonder. There was a 0 0182 sense of exhilaration in our ready room. We were 1 0183 going home. We'd probably make it for Christ- 1 0184 mas. Several of our VT 51 squadron mates had 0 0185 been killed, but that was accepted. In a sense, the 0 0186 ferocity of the battle helped heal the hurt for our 1 0187 fallen comrades. It was our duty, our honor. We 1 0188 were fighting for the USA against tyranny. The 0 0189 country was united. We, on a carrier, were a part 1 0190 of something great and good. At times we were L 0191 scared, but there were never any doubts. L 0192 L 0193 Christmas Eve 1944 1 0 0194 I arrive home. I stop at the Rye [N.Y.] Station 0 on 0 0195 the the way to Greenwich. There my fiancee, Bar- 0 0196 bara, climbs on the train. We go the 10 minutes to 1 0197 Greenwich. My mother and dad meet us. I was 0 0198 glad to be home for Christmas Day, I counted my 0 0199 blessings. I was glad to be surrounded by love. At 0 0200 church the next day, Christmas, I thanked God I 3 N0201 was home<-->and in the quiet of our church I 3 0202 thought about Jim Wykes, Dick Houle, Tom 0 N0203 Waters, Ted White, John Delaney and the others 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.12 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0012 L 0204 who would never come home for Christmas. 1 N0205 I asked ``Why?'' but there was not any agony about the 0 0206 cause. There were no divisions about the war. We were right. 1 N0207 God was on our side. We had suffered a surprise attack and 1 N0208 now, three years later, we were winning; and I, a 20 year old 0 0209 Lt. (j.g.) was part of the greatest fighting 7 was force in the world. I END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED 1 0210 had grown up. I had flown with the best off a great carrier 0 0211 that flew the Texas flag into battle. I was part of a team. We 0 0212 cared about each other in our squadron. We understood each 0 0213 other's fears and loves. We played together, sang 2 0214 together, flew together. We bitched about our 1 0215 Squadron, Commander<-->too tough, too demand- 0 0216 ing, too serious. But we loved to fly on his wing< --> L 0217 we respected Don Melvin. 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.13 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0013 1 0218 If we hot dogged it or risked the lives of the 1 0219 ship's crew by some careless maneuver, Captain 0 0220 Harold M. ``Beauty'' Martin would kick some se- 1 0221 rious butt, but we bragged about him. He didn't 2 0222 know me from Adam's off Ox. But why should 1 N0223 he?<-->I had one stripe, finally 1<1/2>, and he had 4. L 0224 We gave him a lot of room, a lot of respect. 2 0225 We were the best pilots. When we ground- 0 0226 looped on land, it was that damned gust of wind, 1 0227 or it was low hydraulics in the left brake. When 0 0228 we missed the proper wire landing on the carrier, 0 0229 it was that crazy landing signal officer `Damn 0 0230 fool, had me too high all the way in, or too fast, or 2 0231 too slow**; but we never told him. He held our 2 0232 lives in his hands. And besides, the skipper al- L 0233 ways thought he was right. 0 0234 We were the best cocky devils, sure of our 3 0235 ability, sure of our mission. WE knew exactly L 0236 what had to done. We knew we would win. L 0237 L 0238 Winter - Spring 1945 1 0 0239 Having been engaged since the Fail of 1943 while 0 I was train- 0 N0240 ing up and down the East Coast, on January 6, 1945, Barbara 2 0241 Pierce and I exchanged wedding VOWS at the AUG- 2-89 WED 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.14 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0014 Presbyterian 1 0242 Church in Rye, N.Y. I was probably wearing my Navy uni- 1 N0243 form. My VT-51 squadron mates, Richard B. Playstead and END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED 0 N0244 Milton Moore were in attendance. Barbara and I had time for L 0245 a honeymoon at Sea Isle, Georgia. 1 0246 Then off we went to carrier re-qualification in the Great 2 0247 Lakes. We bought our first car<-->a 1941 Plym- 0 0248 outh<-->price $350 and drove across Canada to join 1 0249 our squadron in Lewiston, Maine. Up and down 1 0250 the East Coast in VT 153, a new torpedo squad- 1 0251 ron manned by some of my pals from VT 51. I 1 0252 checked out in the F4U, the hot-shot gull wing 0 0253 Corsair fighter ... and for a moment I wondered if 0 0254 ``low and slow was good enough for me anymore. 1 0255 A fleeting thought only, since by now the feel of 1 0256 the TBF was a part of my very existence. The 2-89 WED 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.15 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0015 o 0257 TBF was a forgiving airplane<-->and though I was 0 0258 a pretty good pilot, I'd still make some pilot's er- L 0259 rors that needed forgiveness. L 0260 L 0261 August 14, 1945 1 0 0262 I'm just 21 now. We are based in Virginia. Barba- 0 1 0263 ra and I are having more time together. As our 0 0264 new squadron, with orders in hand to go back to 3 0265 the Pacific, starts our final training, the war 3 0266 ends. I'll never forget the screaming and the 2 0267 cheering and the dancing in the street and the 1 0268 praying. Bar and 1 went to church and we said 0 0269 thanks. The war's end meant we would not have 0 0270 to be separated, and that I would not have to cov- 0 0271 er any more landings of marines on beaches<--> see- 1 0272 ing them get slaughtered as the Japanese dug in to defend L 0273 their homeland. L 0274 L 0275 September 18, 1945 1 1 0276 I am discharged from the Navy on ``points'' and 0 now 1 go to 1 0277 college. The togetherness of it all is gone. We re-focus. NYK P.16 SEPWW!! V:07 PAGE: 0016 END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 24 LINES DEFINED 1 0278 It's soccer, baseball<-->it's our first baby, and economics classes. Barbara and I 0 0279 know family joy, and the happiness of being at school and looking forward short- 1 0280 ly thereafter to a new life in our west. We have lots of new friends. The letters L 0281 from the shipmates slow down. They are finding their new way, too. L 0282 L 0283 June 1948 1 0 0284 A brand new college grad, my first job ahead, I o drive to Odessa, Texas. The war L 0285 seems, far behind<-->ahead lies a whole new exciting life. L 0286 L 0287 January 20, 1989 1 o 0288 1 am sworn in as President of the United States. 0 A TBF on a float goes by in our 0 0289 Inaugural parade. On it are some squadron mates from VT 51. They are smiling L 0290 and waving. No one knows who they are. But I know. L 0291 L 0292 February, 1989 1 0 0293 I am in Japan for the funeral of Emperor 0 AUG- 2-89 WED 10:53 TIMEINC NYK P.17 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0017 Hirohito. It is an icy cold day and the 0 0294 long ceremony is beautifully done. Sitting there in the cold, surrounded by world 0 0295 leaders, I had time to think. Yes, I thought about the burst of anti-aircraft fire 1 0296 from Chichi Jima that killed my friends, but that thought did not dominate. I o 0297 thought about Hirohito going to call on MacArthur, about Japan's remarkable 0 0298 recovery and about her democracy. I thought about the quiet little man and his 1 0299 love of nature and how that contrasted with the horrible pictures we saw 45 1 1 0300 years ago ... I thought of Japan. And 1 thought of forgiveness. Our alliance is 1 0301 strong, our friendship is genuine. They are now a democracy. How remarkable END OF BLOCK PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 WARNING: NO MORE BLOCKS DEFINED o 0302 that is. Maybe Ted White, Jack Delaney, Jim Wykes, Dick Houle and Tom Wa- 0 0303 ters did not die in vain. It was right that I went back to Japan to the Emperor's L 0304 funeral. *1a 0304 1 (ufbox) (END) - 2-89 WED 10:48 TIMEINC NYK P.01 Please FAX to Aug I 6 01 PM '89 clustine bear 202-456-6218 from 212 MARY 522 SIMONS 0908 (FAX) SEPWWII V:07 HJ:Y 00323 01-AUG-89 17:49 PAGE: 1 OP: PERICH; 08/01, 17:40 OR:FGAN FR:PERICH-LFE FMT:26 FG:LFE MS: OK: RP:8 NO:e8 ID:09-01-89 PF:g *** L. 0001 LIFE SEPTEMBER WORLD WAR 11 Pps 70-78 L 0002 Bush/simons/bentkowski/ L 0003 goldberg/kinney/Geeslin L 0004 GHC PR NOT CG L 0005 L 0006 Caps 3, 4, 5 (DEPT SLUG) L 0007 L 0008 ANNIVERSARY L 0009 L 0010 Cap 7 (ART) L 0011 LN0012 A BOY Italics = CAPS LN0013 GOES TO LN0014 WAR L 0015 A 0015 (uflhed) 5 AUG- 2-89 WED 10:48 TIMEINC NYK P.02 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0002 « 0015 (cp22,,20p) L 0016 Cap 2 L 0017 LN0018 by GEORGE BUSH L 0019 ««« 0019 (cp28,30,16p6)(xh)(r) 0 L 0020 Cap 8 5 L 0021 LN0022 THE PRESIDENT RECALLS LN0023 HIS THREE-YEAR TOUR LN0024 OF DUTY AS A LN0025 NAVY PILOT IN THE LN0026 PACIFIC L 0027 L 0028 « 0028 (st) 0 L 0029 4 L 0030 Cap 1 PRECEDE TK L 0031 L 0032 (cbp71,c1,151) 0 PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 51 LINES DEFINED (cbp72,c1,129,c2,129) (cbp74,c1,134,c2,134) (cbp75,c1,134,c2,134) (cbp76,c1,124) L 0033 « "December 7, 1941 0033 (ir58l,6p,171,10p,331, 1 0 0034 I was walking across the campus at Andover when I 0033 6p,11,7p9,31,6p,251, 0 AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.03 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0003 heard the 0033 10p,431,6p,25l,10p,391, 1 0035 news. I was 17. It came as a shock<-->a jolt<--> 0033 6p,11,7p9)(il87I,0,171, an awakening. I 0033 4p,421,0,251,4p,431,0, 0 0036 did not fully comprehend world affairs. My 0033 251,4p) interests were our 1 0037 undefeated soccer season just finished, basketball<-->baseball 0 0038 coming up. Christmas vacation only a couple of weeks away, 1 0039 graduation, then college. Things changed instantly. I knew L 0040 right then that I wanted to go into the service. L 0041 L 0042 December 8, 1941 1 1 0043 Our headmaster, a great historian and tough 0 disciplinarian, 1 0044 summoned us all into George Washington Hall, the school's 0 0045 assembly place. There was the normal joking, kidding, sloppy 0 0046 posture. Dr. Claude M. Fuess called to order the 800 students 1 0047 by saying something like this: ``Your country is at war. We 0 0048 have just played the Star-Spangled Banner. From 4 0 now on when 0 0049 the Star-Spangled Banner is played you will stand 4 0 at attention, 0 0050 hands at your sides and you will show respect.' From that day AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.04 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0004 0 0051 on, without fail, I have stood at attention when the national L 0052 anthem was played. L 0053 L 0054 Early June 1942 > June 12, 1942 X 1 2 0055 Secretary of War Henry Stimson, an alumnus of 0 spoke X 1 0056 gave the commencement address He encouraged the gradu- 0 0057 ating class to get some college education before serving. I was 0 0058 determined not to go on to college but to become a Navy pilot. 2 0059 Secretary Stimson was a towering world figure but I won- L 0060 dered about this call of his. L 0061 L 0062 June 12, 1942 1 the same day, + 0 0063 o n On my 18th birthday I was sworn into the Navy as a Seaman 1 0064 delete Second Class in Brooklyn the first step towards 0064 (co CHK brooklyn) + becoming a 1 0065 Navy pilot. I was a scared nervous kid. The Navy had just 1 0066 changed the rules. It no longer required two years of college 1 0067 before becoming a Navy pilot; pilots were urgently needed. 0 0068 Walter Levering, Lt. USNR, swore me in at Boston. I went on AUG- 2-89 WED 10:49 TIMEINC NYK P.05 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0005 L 0069 active duty as an aviation cadet August 6, 1942. L 0070 L 0071 August 6, 1942 1 0 0072 I climbed on a southbound train at Penn Station. 0 My dad was 0 0073 a big, strong guy. He put his arm around me and said goodbye. 0 0074 I'd never seen my dad shed a tear before. We arrived in Chapel 0 0075 Hill, N.C. and I met my great friend `The Splendid Splinter 1 0076 Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. We all stood in awe of L 0077 the famous hitter who was in the same program. L 0078 L 0079 June, 1943 1 1 0080 Having been stationed at Chapel Hill for 0 preflight, Minne- 0 0081 apolis for primary training, and Corpus Christi for Advanced, 0 0082 I received my Navy wings and Ensign's commission June 4. ! June9 -Don Rhodes x 0 0083 was still 18 years old. I wanted to fly in combat. All my class- END OF BLOCK PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 PAGE 72 COLUMN 1 29 LINES DEFINED AUG- 2-89 WED 10:50 TIMEINC NYK P.06 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0006 1 N0084 mates wanted to as well. I fell in love early on with the 'low 1 N0085 and slow' torpedo bombers. The Grumman Avenger carried 1 0086 2,000 pounds of bombs, the biggest single-engine aircraft in 0 0087 the fleet. It had a crew of three. I went off to Fort Lauderdale 0 0088 to learn to fly it. Training up and down the East coast, drop- 0 0089 ping torpedoes off Cape Cod, dummy bombs and torpedoes in 4 0090 Lake Okeechobee, Fla., Chincoteague, Va., Charlestown, 1 0091 Rhode Island, Miami ... I saw 'em all. I had an 0 0092 ensign's stripe and an admiral's confidence. I was L 0093 a Navy pilot. L 0094 L 0095 Spring-Summer 1944 1 2 0096 I was assigned to Air Group 51, the first to be o ) 0097 aboard the new fast carrier San Jacinto, CVL 30. 4 0 ) 0098 We went on a shakedown cruise to Trinidad, put ) 0099 San Jac into commission at Philadelphia, headed 4 0 ! 0100 for the Pacific Via the Panama Canal, touched ) N0101 the U.S. one last time at San Diego and then went L 0102 West. : 0103 Many of the air group and ship's company 0104 had spend no time at sea. One roommate, subse- 0105 quently killed, Tom Waters had a red face, but 0106 the seas were so bad that his face literally AUG- 2-89 WED 10:50 TIMEINC NYK P.07 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0007 turned L 0107 green. 0 0108 We struck Wake Island on May 23, 1944. My close friend 0 0109 and roommate, Jim Wykes went off on a search mission, and 1 0110 never came back. I lay in my upper bunk and cried for my L 0111 friend. No one saw me<-->that wouldn't do. L 0112 END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 1 PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 29 LINES DEFINED L 0113 September 2, 1944 addition T 0114 1 On this day at 07:15, a division of VT-51, detate: 0 + composed of Com- 2 0115 mander Don Melvin, Doug West, Milt Moore and myself, 1 0116 took off from the San Jacinto (my 50th combat mission) fly- 2 N0117 ing about 70 miles to destroy two radio stations at Chichi 1 N0118 Jima in the Bonin Islands. At reaching the target area, the 1 0119 sky was thick with black clouds of exploding enemy antiair- AUG- 2-89 WED 10:50 TIMEINC NYK P.08 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0008 1 0120 craft fire. Don Melvin led the attack on the tar- L 0121 get, followed by Doug West and then me. 2 0122 At about 08:30, and moments after pushing X deter: 0 0123 over into my dive at 8,000 feet, I felt a jolt as if a 0 0124 giant fist had rammed into the belly of the plane. 0 0125 My plane had been hit in the engine area. Smoke 1 0126 poured into the cockpit and flames were spread- 0 0127 ing aft toward the fuel tanks in the wings. Navy 0 0128 training had taught us to complete the mission. I 1 0129 instinctively continued in the dive, homed in on 0 0130 the target, unloaded our four 500 hundred pound 0 0131 bombs, pulled away heading East toward the sea. 1 0132 A few miles from shore, I told my crewmen, Ted 0 N0133 White and John Delaney, to bail out. As I baialed X typo 0 N0134 out, my head struck the tail of the plane momen- 1 N0135 tarily knocking me out. I was landing in the wa- 1 N0136 ter when the Japanese sent two boats out after 1 0137 me. Melvin, West and Moore along with our Hellcat fighter L 0138 escorts drove the boats away. 0 0139 I was in the life raft about two hours, wondering if my life 1 N0140 would be spared. I prayed to God, I was sick to my stomach D N0141 and again I cried. I was a very scared kid, just 20, away AUG- 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.09 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0009 END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 PAGE 74 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED 0 0142 from his mother and dad, paddling against the wind trying to o N0143 get farther away from the Japanese held island. I later learned 1 N0144 that my crewmen had been killed. Observers said that two 2 0145 persons were seen leaving the plane. The para- 0 N0146 chute of the other person never opened, but mine 0 0147 did. God had spared me from that fate for what- 1 0148 ever reason. Helicat fighter pilots flew over my 0 0149 raft until I was rescued by the American subma- L 0150 rine U.S.S. Finback around noon. 4 0 L 0151 L 0152 September 1944 1 0 0153 The Finback stayed on its war patrol in Japanese 0 4 0 o N0154 waters, and I along with two other rescued pilots 0 N0155 and two crewmen spent the next 30 days standing 1 0156 watch and counting my blessings. We got depth 1 0157 charged by Japanese ships. The submariners in 2 0158 Finback didn't seem too concerned about that, 4 0 1 N0159 but Jim Backman, Tom Keene and I, the three X 2 0160 rescued pilots, didn't like that a bit. Finback's 4 0 Beckman 2 0161 skipper won a Silver Star for sinking Japanese L 0162 ships. L 0163 AUG- 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.10 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0010 L. 0164 October 1944 1 3 0165 Back in Pearl Harbor for a week at a ``rest 0 2 N0166 home <<->then after some essential refresher fly- 1 N0167 ing, I hitchhiked back to the fleet<->Task Force 1 0168 38 under Admiral William "`Bull'' Halsey off the 0 N0169 Philippines. I wondered at the tremendous Naval 0169 (co William(?)) 1 0170 power in and around Pearl Harbor and at Ulithi Atoll. You 0 N0171 could feel things moving our way. We were shown pictures of 0 0172 Japanese atrocities. It was Hirohito's fault. Hitler was begin- o 0173 ning to get kicked hard in Europe but for us there was one uni- 0 0174 fying symbol<-->Hirohito and the evil he represented. I wanted L 0175 badly to rejoin my squadron<-->to fly more, to do my part. END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 1 PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED L 0176 L 0177 November 1944 X 1 ) N0178 I flew my final combat mission, the 58th, over x 0 the Luzon Area Bay, No- ! 0179 November 29 -Don vember 19. Puffs of antiaircraft fire, black and Rhodes AUG- 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.11 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0011 0 N0180 menacing were nothing like the concentrated fire 1 0181 over Chichi Jima. Still you wonder. There was a 0 0182 sense of exhilaration in our ready room. We were 1 0183 going home. We'd probably make it for Christ- 1 0184 mas. Several of our VT 51 squadron mates had 0 0185 been killed, but that was accepted. In a sense, the 0 0186 ferocity of the battle helped heal the hurt for our 1 0187 fallen comrades. It was our duty, our honor. We 1 0188 were fighting for the USA against tyranny. The 0 0189 country was united. We, on a carrier, were a part 1 0190 of something great and good. At times we were L 0191 scared, but there were never any doubts. L 0192 L 0193 Christmas Eve 1944 1 0 0194 0 I arrive home. I stop at the Rye IN.Y.) N.Y. Station X clelete [] on 0 0195 the the way to Greenwich. There my fiancee, Bar- 0 0196 bara, climbs on the train. We go the 10 minutes to 1 0197 Greenwich. My mother and dad meet us. I was 0 0198 glad to be home for Christmas Day, I counted my 0 0199 blessings. I was glad to be surrounded by love. At 0 0200 church the next day, Christmas, I thanked God I 3 N0201 was home<-->and in the quiet of our church I 3 0202 thought about Jim Wykes, Dick Houle, Tom D N0203 Waters, Ted White, John Delaney and the others AUG- 2-89 WED 10:51 TIMEINC NYK P.12 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0012 .L 0204 who would never come home for Christmas. 1 N0205 I asked ``Why?^' but there was not any agony about the 0 0206 cause. There were no divisions about the war. We were right. 1 N0207 God was on our side. We had suffered a surprise attack and 1 N0208 now, three years later, we were winning; and 1, a 20 year old 0 0209 Lt. (j.g.) was part of the greatest fighting L force in the world. I END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED 1 0210 had grown up. I had flown with the best off a great carrier 0 0211 that flew the Texas flag into battle. I was part of a team. We o 0212 cared about each other in our squadron. We understood each 0 0213 other's fears and loves. We played together, sang 2 0214 together, flew together. We bitched about our 1 0215 Squadron Commander<-->too tough, too demand- 0 0216 ing, too serious. But we loved to fly on his wing< i L 0217 we respected Don Melvin. AUG- 2-89 WED 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.13 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0013 1 0218 If we hot dogged it or risked the lives of the 1 0219 ship's crew by some careless maneuver, Captain 0 0220 Harold M. ``Beauty'' Martin would kick some se- 1 0221 rious butt, but we bragged about him. He didn't 2 0222 know me from Adam's off Ox. But why should 1 N0223 he?<-->I had one stripe, finally 1<1/2>, and he had 4. L 0224 We gave him a lot of room, a lot of respect. 2 0225 We were the best pilots. When we ground- 0 0226 looped on land, it was that damned gust of wind, 1 0227 or it was low hydraulics in the left brake. When 0 0228 we missed the proper wire landing on the carrier, 0 0229 it was that crazy landing signal officer ... Damn 0 0230 fool, had me too high all the way in, or too fast, or 2 0231 too slow"; but we never told him. He held our 2 0232 lives in his hands. And besides, the skipper al- L 0233 ways thought he was right. 0 0234 We were the best ... cocky devils, sure of our 3 0235 ability, sure of our mission. We knew exactly be X L 0236 what had to done. We knew we would win. insut L 0237 L 0238 Winter - Spring 1945 1 0 0239 Having been engaged since the Fall of 1943 while o I was train- 0 N0240 ing up and down the East Coast, on January 6, 1945, Barbara 2 0241 Pierce and 1 exchanged wedding vows at the AUG- 2-89 WED 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.14 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0014 Presbyterian 1 0242 Church in Rye, N.Y. I was probably wearing my X detete word Navy uni- 1 N0243 form. My VT-51 squadron mates, Richard 8. Playstead and END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED 0 N0244 Milton Moore were in attendance. Barbara and I had time for L 0245 a honeymoon at Sea Isle, Georgia. 1 0246 Then off we went to carrier re-qualification in the Great 2 0247 Lakes. We bought our first car<-->a 1941 Plym- o 0248 outh<-->price $350 and drove across Canada to join 1 0249 our squadron in Lewiston, Maine. Up and down 1 0250 the East Coast in VT 153, a new torpedo equad- 1 0251 ron manned by some of my pals from VT 51. I 1 0252 checked out in the F4U, the hot-shot gull wing 0 0253 Corsair fighter ... and for a moment I wondered if 0 0254 '`low and slow was good enough for me anymore. 1 0255 A fleeting thought only, since by now the feel of 1 0256 the TBF was a part of my very existence. The AUG- 2-89 WED 10:52 TIMEINC NYK P.15 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0015 0 0257 TBF was a forgiving airplane<-->and though I was 0 0258 a pretty good pilot, I'd still make some pilot's er- L 0259 rors that needed forgiveness. L 0260 L 0261 August 14, 1945 1 0 0262 I'm just 21 now. We are based in Virginia. Barba- 0 1 0263 ra and I are having more time together. As our 0 0264 new squadron, with orders in hand to go back to 3 0265 the Pacific, starts our final training, the war 3 0266 ends. I'll never forget the screaming and the 2 0267 cheering and the dancing in the street and the 1 0268 praying. Bar and I went to church and we said 0 0269 thanks. The war's end meant we would not have 0 0270 to be separated, and that I would not have to cov- 0 0271 er any more landings of marines on beaches<--> see- 1 0272 ing them get slaughtered as the Japanese dug in to defend L 0273 their homeland. L 0274 L 0275 September 18, 1945 1 1 0276 1 am discharged from the Navy on ``points`` and 0 now I go to 1 0277 college. The togetherness of it all is gone. We re-focus. AUG- 2-89 WED 10:53 TIMEINC NYK P. 16 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0016 END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 24 LINES DEFINED 1 0278 It's soccer, baseball<-->it's our first baby, and economics classes. Barbara and I 0 0279 know family joy, and the happiness of being at school and looking forward short- X capitolize W 1 0280 ly thereafter to a new life in our west. We have lots of new friends. The letters L 0281 from the shipmates slow down. They are finding their new way, too. L 0282 L 0283 June 1948 1 0 0284 A brand new college grad, my first job ahead, I O drive to Odessa, Texas. The war L 0285 seems, far behind<-->ahead lies a whole new exciting life. L 0286 L 0287 January 20, 1989 1 o 0288 I am sworn in as President of the United States. 0 A TBF on a float goes by in our 0 0289 Inaugural parade. On it are some squadron mates from VT 51. They are smiling L 0290 and waving. No one knows who they are. But I know. L 0291 L 0292 February, 1989 1 0 0293 I am in Japan for the funeral of Emperor 0 AUG- 2-89 WED 10:53 TIMEINC NYK P.17 SEPWWII V:07 PAGE: 0017 Hirohito. It is an icy cold day and the 0 0294 long ceremony is beautifully done. Sitting there in the cold, surrounded by world 0 0295 leaders, I had time to think. Yes, I thought about the burst of anti ircraft fire X one word 1 0296 from Chichi Jima that killed my friends, but that thought did not dominate. I 0 0297 thought about Hirohito going to call on MacArthur, about Japan's remarkable 0 0298 recovery and about her democracy. I thought about the quiet little man and his 1 0299 love of nature and how that contrasted with the horrible pictures we saw 45 1 0300 years ago ... I thought of Japan. And I thought of forgiveness. Our alliance is 1 0301 strong, our friendship is genuine. They are now a democracy. How remarkable END OF BLOCK PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 WARNING: NO MORE BLOCKS DEFINED 0 0302 that is. Maybe Ted White, Jack Delaney, Jim Wykes, Dick Houle and Tom Wa- 0 0303 ters did not die in vain. It was right that I went back to Japan to the Emperor's L 0304 funeral. "15 0304 (ufbox) 1 (END)