Entrance into Service

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Cristiano, Nick Enlistment and Assignment to B-29s
Nick Cristiano enlisted in the Army Air Corps because he wanted to be a pilot. He took the exams. He went to Greensboro...
Cart, William "Bill" Enlistment and Flight School
[Annotator's Note: William Cart was a student at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston,...
Fili, William Enlistment and Training
William Fili enlisted a few days after Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7...
Buckner, Jack Enlistment and Training
Jack Buckner enlisted because he was patriotic. It was his duty. He always wanted to fly so it was a great opportunity...
Alaniz, George Enlistment to Attu
George Alaniz is from New Mexico. He was there when the draft started, and he decided to volunteer for the Army for one...
Davis, Jackson Enlistment to Pearl Harbor
Jackson Davis went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to practice law. The Draft Act [Annotator's Note: Selective Training and...
Bussel, Norman Evading a U-boat
Norman Bussel left his final training base and took a train to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. He and the crew were pretty...
Marovelli, Robert Finding A Calling
Robert Marovelli clearly remembers being in the bathtub on 7 December 1941, when the announcement came over the radio...
Alexander, Samson First Black Fireman in the Air Force
Samson Alexander was the first black fireman in the Air Force. He was given a certificate from the Treasury Department...
Welch, Darrell First Kill in Iceland
Darrell Welch liked to say that he flew from England to North Africa and started a war. Rommel [Annotator's Note:...
Welch, Darrell First P-38 Lost
After flight school Darrell Welch joined the 27th Squadron, which is the oldest squadron, and the 1st Group, which is...
Paynter, Don Flak and Mission Rates
[Annotator's Note: Donald Dean Paynter arrived England around the middle of June 1944]. They started training there. He...
Loring, Bud Flight Training
Learning how to fly was quite a job for Bud Loring. He had never flown before in his life. They had civilian...
Whitman, Philip Flight Training
Philip Whitman first flew in June 1943. It was very difficult for him, but he blamed his instructor. He could feel his...
Welch, Darrell Flight Training
Once Darrell Welch decided to become a pilot, he decided it was a good calling. He never had any trouble in flight...
Bridger, Harley Flight Training
Harley Bridger entered the Army Air Corps in June 1943 at Camp Robinson in Little Rock [Annotator's Note: Little Rock,...
Reese, Lloyd Flight training and Europe
Lloyd Reese trained to be a bombardier on the AT-11 [Annotator’s Note: Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan] and then the B-24 [...
Ammerman, Gale Flying a Broken Glider and Combat
Gale Ammerman had trained at the Alliance Army Airfield in Nebraska. He was only there a few weeks then went to North...
Jordan, Bryce Flying and Teaching Acrobatics
For Bryce Jordan, PT-19 training [Annotator's Note: Fairchild PT-19 primary trainer aircraft] was not his first trip in...
Welch, Darrell Flying the P-38
Darrell Welch was assigned to the 1st Fighter Group [Annotator's Note: 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group]. There...
McDermott, James Flying to England
James McDermott considered the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress the best airplane there was. He did not like the B-24 [...
Payne, Robert Flying with Dad
Robert Payne was in college during the war. He was following the course of the war. He was in ROTC [Annotator's Note:...
Van Huylenbrouck, Omer Forming a Crew
Omer Van Huylenbrouck was assigned to a crew [Annotator's Note: Van Huylenbrouck indicates to the interviewer he has a...
Kneflin, Charles Forming the 29th Bombardment Group
[Annotator's Note: Charles Kneflin was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for combat engineer training, which he did not...
Barnett, Robert Forming the Scouts and Raiders
[Annotator's Note: Robert Barnett looks for some notes.] The Scouts and Raiders was formed in 1942. They [Annotator's...
Jacobson, Martin Forming the Underwater Demolition Teams
Martin Jacobson underwent demolition training at Fort Pierce, Florida. He also learned sneak and peek, or surreptitious...
Trahan, Clifton From an Orphanage to a Troop Ship
Clifton Trahan was born in October 1922 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was put in an orphanage at five years old. His...
Amrod, Paul From Basic Training to Okinawa
Paul Amrod joined the Army because his siblings had set the example, and his love of country obliged him to do his part...
Hecht, Lester From Boot Camp to MAG-32 in Zamboanga
Lester Hecht went to boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina. He got in shape. It did not bother him. He was older...
Gagel, Helen "Cosgrove" From Brisbane to Manila
Helen Gagel arrived in Australia and thought the people there were very friendly but she did not think too much about...
Hibbard, Hershel From California to the Open Ocean
Hershel Hibbard was born in Rose Hill, Kansas in September 1925. His mother worked as a switchboard operator and his...
Colburn, George From Camp LeJeune to Camp Pendleton
George Colburn got a ten-day leave to go home after bootcamp. Two of his buddies were home at the same time. He then...
Stokes, Howard From Early Life to Tropical Life
Howard Warren Stokes was born in 1926 in Lodi, California and was an only child. His father supported his family during...
Foerster, David From Flight School to North Africa
David Foerster got his wings at Pensacola [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida]. He went to...
DeSalvo, Vincent From Gulfport to Kanchipuram
Vincent DeSalvo was drafted into the US Army Air Force. He was at Gulfport Field in Gulfport, Mississippi for a while...

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