Chapter 10

During a rest from his interview, Edward took another walk around his girl, his hands touching the wings, propeller, and tail. His fingertips touched parts of the Corsair that once revealed bullet holes. Edward sat down and resumed recounting his portion of the war.Â

“Edward, I’d like to ask how you found the difference between flying from a carrier in the Navy and flying with the Marines with the 124th,” David wondered.

“The Marine squadron was much smaller, so you got to know the guys on a more personal level than on a carrier. It was disheartening when a fellow flyer was killed, but it seemed to affect me more when it was a Marine because we were closer. I lost a number of good friends during the war and still wonder to this day why I lived through it all.”

“In the span of five months, I served on four carriers that were all sunk. I was with the 124th for eleven months through three combat tours in the Asia-Pacific Theatre.”

“It sure was nice to be able to land my plane on solid ground instead of the pitching deck of a carrier. I’d say the Marines had the edge in combat ability only due to flying a superior plane, the Corsair. Once the Navy converted mostly to Corsairs, I’d say the abilities were basically the same. Did you know that the 124th was not only the first Marine squadron to fly the Corsair in combat, they and the 213th were also the first Marine squadrons to be assigned to an aircraft carrier?”

“‘We discovered that fact when we researched you and your Corsair. You had quite the experience serving with both the Navy and Marines,” David replied.

Edward continued recalling his experiences during the war.

“I arrived at Camp Kearny and reported to Major Gise, the Commanding Officer. He reminded me of the actor Humphrey Bogart and had such a heavy growth of facial hair. It looked like he could shave twice a day.”

“In typical military fashion, he had no knowledge of my being assigned to his squadron. Luckily for me, I had a copy of my transfer and travel orders that I handed to him.”

“‘I’m not going to send you away just because of a little paper snafu. It’s said that possession is nine tenths of the law, so, since you’re here, I’m going to keep you. I trust you won’t mind some good-natured teasing from the men because you’re Navy.’”

“‘I’ll just let our talents in the air decide who the better pilot is,’ I joked.”

“‘That’s okay, just as long as you don’t kill yourself in the process. Only a few of the men have any combat experience brought in from VMF-122. Most of the new members of the squadron are fresh right out of flight school and have only logged a few hours in the Wildcat. I’d take the time to introduce you to the men, but I know you want to get home to see your family. We’ll make sure your documents are forwarded to us so you can be paid.’”

“He went on to say that the 124th would be made up of four flights of four planes each, with several extra pilots and planes.”

“I really wanted to make it back home and surprise my parents. I looked at taking the train, but that would be like three or four days of travel. Luckily, Major Gise had contacts, and within the hour I was stepping aboard a C-47 that happened to be flying a training flight to Dallas-Fort Worth, then onto Tampa.”

“Ten hours later, I dropped my rucksack on the porch of my home and knocked on the door. My mom came to the door, wiping her hands on her apron before she looked to see who it was. ‘Hi Mom, I’m home.’ She practically fainted as I took off my cap, and we had a long, long hug, and we both cried.”

“Mom must have cried a river of tears, she was so happy to see me, and my dad, who isn’t overly emotional, gave me a good, strong hug. I had to quickly explain that I was only home on leave from duty and would have to return to the west coast. I didn’t dare tell them that I’d been offered my discharge but was able to turn it down. Mom wanted to see my leg wound and how my burns had healed, and I had to ensure her I was okay.”

“I can tell you it sure felt good to finally sleep in my own bed and have three good meals a day. We had a huge family reunion where I was asked to relate my experiences in the war. I tried to keep the details to a minimum so as not to upset Mom and some of the younger kids.”

“Dad was never one to talk very much about his time in World War I. Now we had something in common to discuss. Over several bottles of beer, he related to me the horrors he’d seen and the brave men he’d shot down. I related my times and the memories of life on four different carriers. As strange as it might seem, the war actually brought us closer together, as father and son, and lasted until his recent passing.”

“Dad was as proud as a peacock, showing off my Navy Cross, DFCs, and Purple Hearts to friends and taking me several times to the local American Legion. I wasn’t allowed to buy a drink, and it only took a few to get me drunk. The wall of honor had a list of men from the Tampa Bay area that had been killed in action, and I sure hoped I didn’t have my name added to the list. Another wall showed the names of those who died in World War I and those who survived, including my dad.”

“My days at home passed by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was saying a sad goodbye to my parents and heading back to San Diego. Mom was a basket case of nerves when I left, and I did my best to reassure her I’d take care of myself.”

“While I was on leave at home, the members of VMF 124 had their first flight in a Corsair, flying them from Naval Air Station, San Diego, to Camp Kearny. I remember walking toward Major Gise’s office when I was alerted to a different sound in the sky. I looked up to see this beautiful looking plane descending to land.”