Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

A lad on leyte
The cl.iv ;Ifter he landed wit h the .Vir Task
I-'orce OIl Lute, our ,LilT eorrl"pondent, \hj.
Herbert [oh.m-«n. happen cd on a 1001ns;
Filipu«: for IIIIOln tl«. ,\.\1-", re-turn to the
Philippine' 11;1' II ITII' pcrsou.il t riuinph.
It 11';1' ,\ plu-. ) wl un \Llior [uh.mvcn
.u«l a ~rollp of friends Ilele \isiting a Tae]ohili
[;Ilnih', the hC;ld of wh ich \I'IIS Bov
Scout Cou uu iv.iouor for the .uc.r. ",\boll't
the t iuu: lIT .urivrd lit t lu. hOllle."' \ lajor
J oh.msru ropnrts. "another callcr appeared,
;1 lad of about 1,'-, or '0 wl ro ~reetcd II' wit h
bouudlcss cuthuvi.r-u: wlun he ob-crvcd OIH
air force shoulder ]latches,
"!':xcitedh' hr r~';lchcd in h i-, pocket and
pulled out SCleral do~ c.ucd photographs. The
first he displuvcd was the familiar onc of the
Randolph Vield tOI\'lT wit l: plane form.rt ious
.rppc.ir im; in the ski, on either ,ide, lie then
-.howcd ns a group picture of the Randolph
graduating class of 11))-;" and proudlv pointed
out his hrother in the photograph. It seems
that his brother lIas in t lu- light wlun thc
Philippines were t.il«-n bv the Japs and h.rd
joined the gnerrillas in the hills,
"Thc lad said he cricd ;11 tir,t wlun the
;\mericm, c.nnc. t hen ~rinnl'(1. It 1111' the
fir.,t time h« h.rc] sm ilccl in u u irc: t h.ui two
"cars, .nu] nO\I' hc 1\11' grinnin~ ;ill the t nuc.
- "IIi~ I110\t l';l~~, r (11 ..