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

the plane landed, a jccp would drive up
with coffee and sandwiches which would
be gulped down between slvatting the
flies aW;1\'. As a matter of fact. K rations
eaten alZlft constituted the chief hill of
fure for these commuting nurses. There
was never time for a square meal for
days at a stretch.
l'hings picked up considcr.iblv with
the construction of Cuad.tlc.mul's
"Hotel de Gink," a hostclrv in name
only, which did at least' provide a
screened-in mcxshall of comparative
luxurv to nurses stopping for brief
periods between f1igh ts.
Thc first landings which flight nurses
made on th.it battle-torn island, iucidcntallv,
arc not likclv to he forgotten.
\ lost of the men stationed there had
not seen a white \\'OIlLm for more than
a vcar. "'ord that a woman had landed
sl;read quick lv throughout the field. \\'a,
as quickly denied hv CI \\'iseacres \\ho
k ncw it couldn't he posviblc. 0:el'ertheless,
h und rcdx CTOIl'Cled around ju,t to
witness the miracle. Soldiers too far
;1\\';]\' from the runwav used hiuoculars.
;\nci no matter how m.mv time, nurses
have flown in since, there continue to
he a,toni,hed eric, of "Cood I .ord,
there's ;1 woru.m!"
"rust as I \\a, ,tepping out of a jeep
to enter the I !otel de Cink once. a hOI'
ran up to 11Ie .md ,hook me hurd. ,is
though he couldn't lx-licvc I \\a, actuallv
h um.t n." ;'\ ur«: Cerda Houwhu is
refated. "',\re vou the real \lcCOI"' he
shouted. 'I h:I\~'Ir't ,eeu a wlutc \\:OIILl11
sincc !,aid goodlJll' to mv wif« IS
months ;Igo. 1'111 going 10 write home
.md tell her lvr- fiu.illv seen .m .vmcnc.m
girl and that it ,v:i'i almovt as good
;1S seeing her.' "
Flight nu r-«. :lIl' rc:d people, not
given 10 .uiv pretL'n,C\, Of cour-«: thcv
f~el their ,It:lrc of .rttontinn \\herel'cT
thcv arc. hilt thcv claim t lii-, is bcc.ru«,
Ihe~' arc 11Il'lTh' ,~'mhol" tlr.i! thcv ou lv
serve 10 re11lil;d 'a m.m of the \\"ife or
'\\l'ethearl he lefl hchind,\nd thcv'rc
frank cnollgh to .ulmit that IIpon O('CIsiou
tl1i'i cnn he ,1ighth' annOling. 100,
"One nigllt at a par!l' in ""e\\' Cdcdoni.r."
reported 1,1. Scraphine Petro,
cclli, "there \lerc .ibout ;1 hunclred tellows
.nouurl .n«] I II:IS the on lv girL
Sure, it Iva, \\ondcrfllL ,\ licutc-n.uit
and I Iv:dked clown to Ihe heach .md
,at on a rock .mr] looked at Ihe moon,
Bul, do I'OU k noxv \\h:11 Ilc did? lie
'l1Cnt
ahout
Ihe' cntire
hi, girl h:lck
cvcniusr':> 11001Ie'"
ttlliu« ':> mc
The nurse,," cbte" hI' Ihe \\:11'. took
on an ,1,peel r:lllier nlOil' pr:lctic::d Ill:ul
!om:mtic in th:lt Ihclter. 7\'ur,c, could
afford to hc inclepcnc]cnt--:md :ldmittL'C]
it. ThcI' :leTcpt~'d invitatiollS \lith con
siderahle fornight, During thmc Ijr,1
(COllI 1l1l1['d oil 1':I£':l' (,: I
As a medium for the exchange of ideas, Am FORCr: presents these
answers to its Questiou of the ~Ionth. Replies arc those of personnel
recently returned from combat duty in the areas indicated.
THE QUESTION: If you had to change your classification,
what would you want to do?
Lt, Morris Silberman, nali!;ator, lt.ilv. ',],el
still like to be ;1 na'igatof. Yon get a kick
out of lcadiru; a fhght 01'('[ auel fiuding the
target, then hitting it right on the no-c.
That thrill cau't he duphcntccl .rnvwhcrc
in the .\,\1', Yon arc 1I'l1rking all the time.
keeping buvv. :mel there isn't much time to
worr v about wh.r! might happen. I'm complctclv
sold on the import.nnc
of a n:ll'I!;ator
to the .'>ncce" of his
Inr"ion and Id just as
not: he h:nl!;' b.u], for awhilc. It" that
I' e e ] i n g of indcpcndcnrc
th.it :lppc:Il,
to me. I' vc heen in
B-:-h, ::;, .uid :c,. hnt
~i\.c me ;1 \il1~lc pl.uc
ship cvcrvt iiu« The
lighter pilot-, 'CUll 10
knoll' ho« to lake c.uc
of thcIll'>c]n', reg:lrelle",
of wh.rt the condibOIl",:
iu.rv he."
S/Sgt, William Wright, gnnl1l'l. I':ngland'
.. I'd likc to be a r:lllio 0pl'r:ltor on :1 C- :;-t.
Iv« :11\1:11, liked 10 pl:ll arouncl \I' it h r:ldim
.md I think the Joh of :1 r.ulio opn:dor ]1:IS
:1 good future in it if Ion follo\l It throngh.
I h:ln' pll'ked the Sbn1:l,tn Ix.c. IIhe, in 111\'
"pinion. that"> the hpe of plane wcr« gOln~
to hill' \lhell Ihe \I:lr" OITL "I[' ,el'n
m ovt of IO:ngl:mel .u«l
()IH llll\\](ll\\ II;I \-C
Llkcn m OITr :1 £.:IT:lt
p:nt of Continl'lIt,I1
I-' mope. lmt I ,till
II(lIl]d likc 10 do \(>JIIl'
n10IT tr:lll'ling, I think
they OII£.:ht to cl1:ln£.:e
t ILlt cnl:lin SlOg'1I1 to
rc:IC1. 'loin the \TC
,md .'>e~ the \lorlel.'
S/Sgt, Edward Walters, gnnner, CHI: "I
\I ould want to go to school to become nn
.urouaut ical engincef. I think that woukl
ruc.m a rca I future after the war. ;\ lot of
lfl \I' plnucs will be coming out and I'd like
10 get in on the elc.'>lgning and comtrnl'tmg
of them, '\0\1' t h.it I h.ivr h:rd xomc: cxpcr icucc,
I think I have an idea of what should he
expected of om pia uc- ,
Some d.iv soon, cvcrvhod
I' \I ill be tra'Tlil;g
around in those f.nnilv
airplane.'> and I w.mt t~
get in Oil the gronnd
floor now. In the
[utu rc, jet propulsion
will hc a hig thing .md
I want to learn xomcthing
about it, too."
S/Sgt. Dennison Whitford, !;lnnllT, l t.r]v:
''I'd 11:l11t to be a nlechanic, TILlt vvoul«] gi\'C
mr .'>OInethin!; uvcIul to do .rf tcr the \I';If.
.\ llll'lh" job i, the movt import.mt in the
air foreT', Ordinarih. he Ilork, :-t hO\HS
a d.iv but when thil'I£.:, get rongh. he puts
in ::; liour s. VnTI boclv wlio flie' IT;I1h'
:Ippreci:de, the work of Ihe £.:rollnd oell~.
'Lho-«: ho\"> arc in there
pitlhing 'all the time.
Being .u: .urcr.rft mech.ru«:
~in .. 's ;} man ;111
opport un itv to lc.un :1
tr.r.lc for the postw.rr
\I odd. I t h ink it woul.]
he :1 good ide:1 to
kno«: ,olllething ;Ihollt
l'll~IllC\ for :1 joh
after the \\':11' i, over."
Lt, Michael Senkow. 11:111£.::11or, SOlltll\\l">t
1':lcilll, "The li£.:hkr pl.n« for 111(' Yonn
out there .ilon« wit h noho,h to hother 1'011
:md nohoc]v 10 dl'}ll'lll] on I ;1I1. Th:11 nl,I1,e'
it n1l1ch Ie" of a ne!\OII' vt r.iin. ,\ h(>JllhLT
pilot in 'I n:-+ ha' nin« ot hcr men in hi,
~TL'\I', Th:lt', :I1] rigid, 1111t ! \\:lIlt to hIe
:Ind elil' [rv nil 01111 jlldgnll'nl Thl'n. too,
the tl£.:]Itl'r pilot 11:1,:1 -
fcl'lin£.: of indllidll:ll:f'
wlun Ire i, f1lillg .rlonc.
I'd pick tlIl' I' ,\ tIJI
111\ pl:I1IL'. Tlri, hIIIO!]'>
II£.:htll II:I' r:lngl'. '])['['(1.
Ilrl'pmn'l :Ind ler'>ll
!I]ih, TIrL' tllO l'lI£.:iJl('
of 1l1C 1 ,i~lltllil1~ ~i\'l'
lOll :111 :Id,kd '>lIfe-II
;l(l\';lllt;l~l'."
30 IlIR FORCE