I Wanted Wings: A Tail Gunner's Story

Gary R. Hill

Format	ISBN	Price
Paperback (6x9)	9781438932552	$ 18.75
Dust Jacket Hardcover (6x9)	9781438932569	$ 24.95

As a 10-year-old kid, I thought my Dad’s stories of his adventures in WWII were as good as the tales of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and the Lone Ranger. A tail gunner on a bomber, he bailed from a burning plane, survived life on the run behind enemy lines, was captured by the Nazis (whoever they were) and then, to top it all off, he survived life in a prison camp. All of that was rather heady for a kid with an over-worked imagination.

Seven or eight years ago, my Dad asked me if I would be interested in a box of old letters. They were WWII era letters he had received from family and friends. They had survived the cold, molds and mildews of basement life, and now, all these years later, he couldn’t bring himself to throw them away. Of course I accepted them, and as I began to read and then transcribe them, I fell under the spell of their simple eloquence and historical significance.

I Wanted Wings is the melding of my father’s exciting stories and a family’s diary-like record of life back home on the farm. It begins in 1942 with my grandparents seeing three sons off to serve in the military. In the letters, my grandmother and aunts beg him to avoid dangerous duty. In his mind, adventure was the very thing he craved. For the next three and a half years, the letters and my father’s experiences entwine into a slice-of-life narrative of a family caught in a world war that comes very close to home.

To say that writing my first book was a challenge, doesn’t begin to recognize the work it was to keep exploring my ideas, pushing them through writing and editing, and then, move all of that through the final phase of publication. It was a grind, a slow and sometimes painful walk towards a very distant and undefined goal.

However,…on the other side of all those challenges, is the exquisite pleasure of seeing it published. I’m currently basking in pleasure mode and am hoping to stay in this space for a long time.

I’ve had the good fortune of having many interesting career opportunities during my professional working years. I taught elementary school, did some advertising and marketing, and worked for years in Human Resources, to name a few of the things I’ve done.

Now in retirement I have turned to some creative outlets. In addition to writing, I love to paint with watercolors, garden, cook, and entertain while enjoying a wide circle of friends.

This book is the result of my personal love of my family history and a strong desire to bring its story to life. For all the reading I have done on WWII, it is my family’s personal story that most immediately brings the era alive for me. I hope it will for you as well.

I sat there…seconds ticking by and there were no communications coming to me over the intercom. What was going on? Had the others bailed out? I looked around and was surprised to see that, with all my movement and activity, I had pulled my intercom cord from its connection. I decided I wasn’t going to bail out not knowing if the others had, so I crawled back to mid-plane through the narrow tail section. It was tight, especially with a parachute to handle. I had to go around the tail wheel housing and then on to mid-ship.

As I stood up in the middle of the plane, I noted Ed Maseeh standing by the waist guns. He had his helmet off and was holding his headset to his ear, listening to instructions on the intercom. It was very noisy with the roar of the engines and the bomb bay doors open.

Within a few seconds, Maseeh shouted something at me, and I thought he said “jump!”

“Jump?” I asked with hand motions.

“Go!” he yelled back at me.

Without the slightest hesitation, I spun around and dove out of the plane. I was the first one to hit the silk.