DAILY CHRONICLE #29 VOL 12

HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE

NUMBER 29 VOL 12

JULY 29^TH 2008

WEATHER; HOT, HOT, DAMN HOT, MED HUMIDITY, 72/111 DEGREES

 

ANOTHER DAY TO STAY INDOORS AND STAY NEAR THE A/C! MOM HAD TO GO MEET SHANNON AT WAL-MART WHERE SHE WAS HAVING TIRES PUT ON HER CAR! SHANNON DIDN’T WANT TO JUST SET AND WAIT FOR THEM TO GET DONE SO SHE AND MOM WENT SOMEPLACE ELSE TO WAIT. I THINK IT WAS SUBWAY. MOM BROUGHT ME A SUBWAY SANDWHICH FOR LUNCH!

 

I WAS SURFING LAST NIGHT AND SAW AN OLD MOVIE ON TCM THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN, “WINGS”, MADE IN 1927 SO IT IS SILENT! IT HAD CHARLES “BUDDY” ROGERS AND RICHARD ARLEN AND CLARA BOW. I DIDN’T GET IN AT THE BEGINNING SO I NEVER SAW THE SCREEN CREDITS BUT IN THE FIRST SCENE I SAW THERE BIG AS LIFE SAT GARY COOPER! HE GETS KILLED A COUPLE OF SCENES LATER! I WATCHED ABOUT HALF OF IT THEN WATCHED THE REST TODAY! I CAN’T HELP BUT SEE THE RESEMBALANCE OF IT AND “DAWN PATROL” WITH ERROL FLYNN AND “THE FLY BOYS”! ALL OF THEM HAVE VERY REALESTIC BATTLE SCENES! OF COURSE “WINGS” WON THE 1927 ACCADEMY AWARD FOR “BEST PRODUCTION OF A MOTION PICTURE!” THE ONLY MOVIE TO EVER RECEIVE THIS AWARD!

 

MOM HAD THE LITTLE TRACTOR SPRINKLER RUNNING TO TRY AND SAVE OUR GRASS/WEEDS! IT FOLLOWS THE HOSE YOU LAY OUT FOR IT TILL IT HITS SOFT GROUND, THEN IT TIPS OVER AND SETS THERE TILL YOU GO PUT IT BACK UP AND ON HARD GROUND OR THE AUTO STOP YOU PUT ON THE HOSE!

WE FIXED AN UMBRELLA THAT CRANKS UP AND DOWN IT GOT MESSED UP IN THE CRANK HOUSING! BOY, IT’S UNGODLY HOT! I’M REAL PROUD OF OUR A/C UNITS KEEPING THE INSIDE AROUND 73-74 DEREES WHEN LIKE TODAY IT GOT TO 111 AT 3PM, IT TURNED TO 100 AT 11:50!

 

I WAS IN THE NAVAL RESERVE FROM APRIL 1946 TILL JUNE 1950 WHEN I WAS DISCHARGED! DURING THE TIME IN THE NAVAL RESERVE I WENT ON A TWO WEEK TRAINING CRUISE ABOARD AN ESCORT AIRCRAFT CARRIER THE U.S.S BADOEING STRAIGHTS CVE 116. THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD PUIT ON MY ENLISTMENT PAPERS I WANTED TO BE A NAVY PILOT.

MY FIRST DUTY WAS AS A TRAINER ON A 5”38 GUN ON THE FANTAIL OF THE SHIP. THERE WERE TWO OF THESE GUNS AND THERE WAS A PLACK ON THE BULKHEAD THAT TOLD OF THE CREWS ON THESE GUNS KNOCKING JAP PLANES OUT AT 25,000 FEET DURING THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA! THERE ARE FOUR POSITIONS ON THESE GUNS, THE POINTER WHO TRACKS THE TARGET HORIZONALLY AND THE TRAINER WHO TRACKS THE TARGET VERTICALLY!  THE LOADER WHO PUTS THE PROJECTILE AND POWDER BAG IN THE BREECH AND CLOSES IT THE GUN CAPTAIN WHO PICKS THE TARGETS!

THE CHIEF BOATSWIN TOLD ME TO REPORT TO NUMBER TWO GUN ON THE FANTAIL OR, THE ONE ON THE PORT SIDE! I WAS STILL IN MY BLUES FROM MUSTER AND WHEN I STEPPED OUT OF THE HATCH ON TO THE FANTAIL CATWALK THE NUMBER ONE GUN FIRED! I WAS COVERED WITH THE WHITE CLOTH REMENANTS OF THE POWDER BAG AND THE CONCUSSION BLEW MY WHITE HAT OVER THE STERN, I COULDN’T HEAR GOOD FOR ABOUT A ½ HOUR!

THE GUNNERS MATE ON THE GUN TOLD ME TO GO GET INTO MY FATIGUES (DUNGAREES) AND A BLACK HAT AND REPORT BACK IN 30 MINUTES! I SPENT THE NEXT TWO DAYS LEARNING HOW TO TRAIN THE GUN UP AND DOWN BY FOLLOWING BIG BALOONS THEY RELEASED FROM OUR ESCORT DESTROYER! ON FIRING DAY I WAS SURE I COULD DO MY JOB AND THE POINTER WAS REAL GOOD! THE DESTROYER CAME ACROSS THE STERN AND RELEASED A HUGE BALLOON, 3 TIMES AS BIG AS THE ONES I HAD BEEN TRAINING WITH! I WATCHED MY SIGHT AND WHEN THE BALOON PASSED 5000 FEET I STEPPED ON THE FIRING PEDAL! THE BALLOON EXPLOADED IN A BALL OF FLAME! THE POINTER HAD TO TRACK A BALLOON THE DESTROYER LET LOSE AT THE BOW HE BLEW IT UP 150 FEET ABOVE THE WATER! WE BOTH GOT CONGRADULATED BY THE SHIPS CAPTAIN AND THE OTHER GUN CREWS!

THEY SAID I WAS A NATURAL AT ANY GUN ON THE SHIP, QUAD 40s, 20 MM SINGLE MOUNT, AND TWO 50 CALIBER THAT FIRED OFF THE HANGER DECK! BEING AT SEA WE COULD FIRE OUT TO SEA AS LONG AS THERE WEREN’T ANY SHIPS IN THE RANGE OF OUR GUNS, ABOUT 3 MILES, BUT, NOT TOWARDS THE LAND!

THEY DREW MY LIBERTY PASS TO TAKE A FLIGHT BACK TO SAN DIEGO ON THE MAIL RUN IN A TBF/M AVENGER I FLEW IN THE RADIOMANS SEAT! THERE WAS THE PILOT, THE BALL TURRETT GUNNER AND THE TORPEDOMAN/BOMBARDIER AND ME! AS WE WERE GETTING READY TO BE CATAPULTED OFF THE DECK THE TORPEDOMAN GAVE ME SOME POINTERS ON BEING SHOT OFF THE DECK BY A STEAM CATAPULT, HE SAID WE GO FROM 0 TO 85 MPH IN LESS THAT 50 FEET AND THE THING BEHIND MY HEAD WAS A FOAM RUBBER HEADREST AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE MY HEAD AGAINST IT WHEN WE GO! I THOUGHT I HEARD THE PILOT SAY SOMETHING TO ME SO I LEANED UP TO HEAR AND THE CATAPULT FIRED US OFF THE DECK, DAMN NEAR BROKE MY NECK BUT I SURVIVED! WE GOT TO ALEMEDA NAVAL AIR STATION AND PICKED UP THE MAIL AND HEADED BACK TO THE SHIP! IT’S AMAZING HOW NAVY PILOTS CAN FIND THE SHIP AFTER LEAVING ITBUT, WE HAD A GOOD WW II PILOT, HE HIT THE SHIP RIGHT ON THE BUTTON, HE BANKED AROUND THE STERN AND WATCHED THE SIGNALMAN ON THE STERN AND DROPPED THAT TBF RIGHT ON THE FIRST ARRESTER CABLE, WE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN ABOUT 30 FEET! WHEN I CLIMBED OUT OF THE HATCH THE PILOT WAS ALREADY STANDING THERE, “WELL, HOW’D YOU LIKE IT, MAHONEY?” “JUST GREAT AND NOW EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE I WANT TO BE A NAVY PILOT” HE SHOOK MY HAND AND WISHED ME LUCK! OF COURSE THAT ALL CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT WHEN I LOST THE FOCAL VISION OUT OF MY LEFT EYE IN THE ACCIDENT ON THE 5^TH OF JULY 1950!

 

THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.

 

HOWARD