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We landed in Miami Florida on the 31st of December 1944. This was New Years Eve day and all the people were bustling around getting ready to party! I was amazed for the women were wearing silk stockings and furs! I quickly discovered that you could buy anything you wanted if you had the money. This left a bad taste in my mouth for I had believed all the information about how rough it was with rationing and all. I had thought about what I would have to eat when I was in prison camp and decided that I would like to have a shrimp cocktail, a good steak with baked potato and finish it off with a piece of cherry pie. I had a hamburger and a chocolate malted milk!
The next day I was sent to Washington D.C.
where they had set up a place that was the start of the treatment of former
POW's. I was sent into a room that had a Captain sitting behind a desk
with a chair next to it. There was a bare sort of white wall on one side
of the room. The Captain asked some questions about prison camp and what
had happened. I somewhat resented this for what did this charachter know
about it for he had not been there and would not understand if I told him
the truth. He dismissed me shortly and I went out the other door from where
I had entered. I was then surprised for there were other guys sitting looking
at the white wall. It was translucent and we could see the outlines of
the room with the Captain now talking to the guy that followed me. There
was a loudspeaker so that we could hear what was going on. Then I realized
that all the others in the room were former POW's! This caused us to open
up and talk about our experiences to some extent with the others. Mother
nature is kind though for she causes us to not remember the very terrible
things that happen and may never come out!
We were there for a couple of days and then I was released for a 30
day delay in route which meant that I could go home for 30 days and then
report for rest and recuperation to Miami Beach Florida. I went home and
spent the 30 days with my family, friends, girl friend - and wanted to
get married to her then but she could not at the time. I went to Miami
Beach and then back home for another 30 day delay in route before I reported
to Pampa Texas for a "refresher" in flying. My girl and I got
married and then had a glorious honeymoon in Pampa! There was quite a bit
of friction between the cadre at the air base there for many of these people
had spent the entire war there and now since we combat veterans were back,
they knew that they would be shipped overseas also and resented us highly.
They were also stupid for they told us that we might be as good in the
B-25's as their advanced students were after we had 50 hours or so in the
planes. They did not bother to check our flying records for as an example,
I had instructed in the planes.
Since I had been a POW I was allowed to go to the base of my choice so
picked Wright Patterson at Dayton Ohio. I was assigned there as an Assistant
Operations Officer and also to test pilot school. During this time we flew
many different aircraft and those experiences alone would make a story.
I do elect to not go into that at the present time.
The war ended and I was told that I would be assigned to fly the boys back
home from Europe and would be stationed in South America and fly from there
to Miami Florida. I would not be allowed to take my new wife with me to
South America and could not stay overnignt in Miami. I had enough "Points"
to get out so did that and took my terminal leave.
I will attach some pictures of some of the planes that I flew and also a comment at the end. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this. It has brought out a lot of memories for me. I often wonder if these things really happened to me or am I just imagining that they did. I then pull out the books and pictures that I have and realize that these things were real. I may have embellished some of them a bit but guess I am allowed "Editorial license."
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