For America Our Last Hurrah
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There was a trial, and although they allowed us to pick our own officers to act as our lawyers, we were all found guilty. They had to send their findings back to Washington, and we had to wait a nerve-wracked six weeks for the results of their findings. Finally, the reply came in and the captain read it to us. It stated that when conditions get so bad on a ship that the men have to steal food, the ship should be investigated! Well, we weren’t about to dispute their findings--and that was the end of that. They did, however, tell us that the next batch of alcohol would have chalk dust in it. On one of these missions, my flight leader and I were hit with anti-aircraft fire while on a dive-bombing run with 500-pound bombs. My leader took a bad hit, and the plane exploded in the air, crashed and burned. My plane took a hit in the engine, causing the loss of oil pressure and severe overheating. However, although it was running rough, it continued to produce fair power, and I was able to drop my bombs. I immediately headed west while calling for a fix to a landing strip where I could possibly land. I was able to fly the plane for a little more than five minutes, making it to our side of the front lines and a bomb-damaged runway at a recently abandoned field. I was able to slow down on the runway with wheels down, but "nosed up"at a slow speed into a bomb crater. After what seemed a lifetime, we were ordered to go in. I was at the helm, and the captain directed me to find space and steer the ship in. The best that could be done was to squeeze between two wrecked LCTs, actually scraping our sides in the process. The sunken obstacles prevented us from actually landing on the beach; we fell short about 100 feet, at a depth of 7 to 8 feet. It became necessary for one of our crew to swim in the cold water and anchor two lifelines into the dry sand of the beach. These guidelines were to make it easier on the troops as they carried all their equipment to shore. Without that help, many of them would surely have drowned. Our man miraculously made it back to the ship without a hitch.
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About the Book
Take a glimpse into the heart and soul of each of these fortunate survivors. Six World War II veterans tell their heart-warming stories as they relive their lives and expose their true feelings about everything that contributed to their patriotic roots. Read how they survived war and peace and came out waving Old Glory while learning to march to a different drummer in the 21st century. Their opinions are like the snap of a flag in the winds of change.
About the Author
Corwin "Mac" McIntyre, a native-born Kansan, has been residing in Las Vegas for the past eight years and is an ardent member of the RV world. His post-military travels, in his capacity as pharmacist working for the Veterans Administration, gave him a taste of something he could look forward to in his retirement years. Mac is now enjoying retirement living and believes that whatever effort is put into working toward the time you can do as you please is well worth it.