The DC-3 Aviation Museum
Proudly presents:
Memories of The CBI Theater
3RD COMBAT CARGO GROUP--12TH COMBAT CARGO SQ.
MORAN ,INDIA 1944-1945
BY:
BILLY PAT LATIMER
THIS IS WHAT AN OLD SOLDIER LOOKS LIKE.
I GREW UP IN A COTTON PATCH IN SEARCY, ARKANSAS .
SOME DAY I'M GOING TO GO BACK
AND LOOK FOR MY COTTON HO ( that's cotton hoe)
THAT I THREW DOWN WHEN I ENLISTED.
I'M 75 AND THE LAST LATIMER
IN OUR LATIMER FAMILY THATS LEFT
AND I WAS THE BABY.
I FLEW FROM 1943 TILL 1968 IN THE AIR FORCE
PLUS 27 YEARS AS A LICENSED PILOT
WHEN THE AIR FORCE STARTED RE-ISSUING THE LEATHER FLIGHT JACKET ,
COOPER BROTHERS GOT THE CONTRACT..
I CALLED HIM AND ASKED IF HE WOULD SELL ME ONE AT A DISCOUNT.
THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. I'M ON MY FOURTH ONE NOW.
I HAVE THE NEW NAME PLATE THEY USE MY C B I PATCH
AND "BLOOD CHIT" ON THE BACK..
I WEAR IT EVERY WHERE I GO ,BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS.
.
THIS IS A "BLOOD CHIT"
IT WAS THE ONE WE WORE INTO BURMA
IT SAID:
'''I AM AN ALCOHOLIC IF RESCUED GET ME A BEER''
(latimer humor--GRIN)
IT ACTUALLY SAID:
'' WE ARE AMERICAN FLIERS
AND PLEASE HELP US"
THE HUMP BUNCH AND FLYING TIGERS
WORE A DIFFERENT PATCH ON THE BACK.
THERE WAS A BIG SILK MAP SEWN INSIDE ON THE BACK.
EACH ONE OF THE CREW HAD TO PICK UP
A MONEY BELT THAT WAS ABOUT SIX INCHES WIDE
THAT FIT JUST LIKE A BELT
WHEN WE CLEARED OPERATIONS ON EACH TIME WE WENT OUT.
IT HAD ONE HUNDRED SILVER RUPIES SLOTTED ALL THE WAY AROUND.
THEY WERE ABOUT THE SIZE OF OUR SILVER DOLLARS.
THREE RUPIES TO A DOLLAR.
A GOOD TEA PICKER MADE ONE RUPIE A DAY.
EACH CREW MEMBER CARRIED A ISSUE 45
AND I HAD TO CHECK OUT A
THOMPSON MACHINE GUN
EACH DAY
WITH TWO EXTRA 50 ROUND CLIPS.'
I WORE WET SHOES FOR MONTHS AT A TIME.
AN OFFICER HANDED YOU AN ATTERBRAN TABLET
YOU HAD TO TAKE FOR MALARIA
AN OFFICER ALSO CHECKED EACH MAN
WITH A FLASHLIGHT EACH NIGHT TO SEE
IF THEIR MESQUITO NET WAS TUCKED IN.
I WAS A FLYING CREW CHIEF.
MY OLD GOONEY BIRD IS ABOUT 200 YARDS INTO
THE JUNGLE AT BHAMO
In all my years I expect I knew more about the C-47 than the people that made it..
I SAW THE STUFF ON BROADWAY AND LOOSING THE NOSE SECTION OUT OF LEDO
I REMEMBER THAT AS IF IT WAS TODAY.
THE PILOTS AT BROADWAY I FLEW WITH ALL THE TIME..
BROADWAY WAS A LITTLE LANDING STRIP WAY SOUTH OF MYTIKYINA
CARVED OUT OF THE JUNGLE FOR
A NIGHT GLIDER LANDING LED BY JACKIE COOGAN.
VERY FEW SURVIVED THE LANDING.
IN MOST ALL OF BURMA THE BASES WERE GENERALLY
CARVED OUT NEAR A RIVER FOR ACCESS.
IF YOU WERE A MILE FROM ANY OPENING YOU WOULD NEVER GET TO IT.
AT BROADWAY IT WAS HARD TO LAND
BECAUSE THERE WERE BOMB HOLES ALL THRU IT.
ONE DAY THE LIEUT WALKED OUT OFF THE STRIP
AND WAS LOST FOR THREE DAYS
Our Burma air strips were carved out of the jungle, most were near a river.
the jungles of Burma were so thick if you bailed out and landed near a road, base
or river you would never get there
AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT REMEMBERS
OUR SQUADRON COMMANDER COLONEL LANGFORD ?
HE HAD A JAP ZERO KILL SIGN UNDER HIS PILOTS WINDOW.
WHAT A THRILL TO TAXI UP TO A STRANGE OPERATIONS WITH IT.
I FLEW C-47 FROM 1944 TILL 1966.
Col. Langford was there when times were not so good
for a lone gooney bird.
One day a zero closed in on him
but there were plenty of clouds always around.
He went in and out of them and got low enough
to a mountain and the zero flew into it ,
and that's how he got the enemy kill sign
""zero"" under his window.
After that we kind-a got settled down
we had P-47s, P-38s and what a joy
to look out and see a fighter pilot smile
and give you a hand salute.
One lousy landing was at BHAMO when we were loaded with mortar shells
and Billy Lawrence from Broken Bow, Oklahoma came in to high and to fast.
the little control towers stand was half way to each end of the runway.
we went past it at about 95 mph and finally touched down and rolled about 300 ft
and still had about 60 feet to go.
The copilot started yelling
"GROUND LOOP IT"
by then we were in the trees.
when we finally stopped the pilot said ""what's wrong with the brakes"???
I opened the top hatch and jumped down and our bodies were covered with huge ants
we came out naked with our clothes in our hands.
PLEASE SEND ME INFORMATION OF ANY OF THE PEOPLE
YOU KNOW THAT WAS IN THE 12TH
AL GARDNER WAS IN THE 12TH .
HE IS IN THE CBI HUMP PILOTS ASSN.
JAY VINYARD HERE IS A GOOD BUDDY HERE.
HAROLD P. HUGGINS Waldport, OR
WAS OUR CO-PILOT GOING OVER
HARRY VECK WAS FLYING A B-47 1N 1956
AND WENT INTO A BAYOU IN LOUISIANA.
LT. MASON TREATED ME WITH MORE RESPECT
THAN ANY PILOT I EVER FLEW WITH.
OUR PLANE WAS NAMED
"BEARS-ASS-BROTHER"
WITH A BIG BEAR WITH HIS BACK TURNED TO YOU
AND HIS HEAD LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER'
I WAS DISCHARGED AT THE END OF THE WAR AT THE OLD AGE OF 21.
WHEN I STRUTTED IN FRONT OF THE ST. ANTHONY HOTEL
IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
WEARING A D F C AND TWO AIR MEDALS AND THEATER
WITH TWO BATTLE STARS I FELT TEN FEET TALL
I HAVE A LETTER FROM GEN. DOOLITTLE.
I FLEW WITH HIS SON JAMES JR.
WHO DIED WHILE HE WAS AT BARKSDALE.
I WOULD LIKE ANYONE TO SEND ME
ANY INFORMATION ON THE OLD GANG.
NOT MANY OF US LEFT.
THERE ARE NOT MANY PICTURES OF THAT TIME BECAUSE
BACK THEN IF A GUY HAD A CAMERA TO US HE WAS A SISSY.
BILLY PAT LATIMER
1017S RUSK
AMARILLO,TX 79102
806 3767931
THESE ARE A FEW OF THE THINGS
THAT I HAVE SEEN AND THINGS I HAVE DONE
*THE COTTON PATCHES OF ARKANSAS *
*THE ALAMO
* NIAGARA FALLS,rode the maid of the mist
* THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
* THE GRAND CANYON
* THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
* THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
* THE AMAZON RIVER
* THE TAJ MAHAL
* THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT *
KING SOLOMON WELLS
* THE NILE RIVER
* THE WILD ELEPHANTS OF PUNJAB
* THE LEDO ROAD,BURMA
* FUJI, (FUJI means mountain) JAPAN
* HIROSHIMA,JAPAN
* CALCUTTA,INDIA
* SUEZ CANAL
* CEYLON
* MEDITERRANEAN SEA
* HONOLULU (before and after it became a State) HI
* NAPAL
* KARACHI,INDIA
* PUERTO RICO
* SAUDI ARABIA
* TIBET
* THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
* MANDALAY,BURMA
* LATIMER STREET IN PHILADELPHIA
* THE INDIAN OCEAN
* THE ATLANTIC OCEAN *
THE PACIFIC OCEAN
* THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
* WAKE ISLAND
* KOREA
* BRAZIL
* FRENCH WEST AFRICA
* ONTARIO,CANADA
* OLD MEXICO
* LABRADOR
* CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
* GULF OF MEXICO
* TEA PLANTATIONS OF PUNJAB
* BEALE STREET IN MEMPHIS
* BOURBON STREET IN NEW ORLEANS
* A TYPHOON
* COBRA SNAKES
* FLEW 27 YEARS AS A LICENSED PRIVATE PILOT
* WILD JACKALS
* CAMELS IN THE SAHARA
* QUEBEC
* CAPITAL BUILDINGS OF THE U.S.A.
* THE ARCH AT ST. LOUIS
* TOKYO,JAPAN
* THE RED SEA
* THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND
* THE PENTAGON
* THE ACCESSION ISLAND
* PASSED THROUGH THE EQUATOR
* WENT THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE ON MY BIRTHDAY
*WAS TAKEN OFF TWO DIFFERENT FLIGHTS FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON
BOTH PLANES CRASHED AND ALL WERE KILLED
* SPUN A STEARMAN TWO AND A HALF TURNS INTO THE GROUND
AND WALKED AWAY WITH MINOR SCRATCHES
* FLEW WITH JAMES DOOLITTLE JR.
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR GENERAL MC CORMICK
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR GENERAL CLARK *
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR ARMY GENERAL I.D. WHITE
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR ARMY GENERAL DECKER
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR AMBASSADOR TO CANADA
* FLIGHT ENGINEER FOR GENERAL MC CULLUM
*DECORATED WITH THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS AN TWO AIR MEDALS *
* COMMAND WINGS
* CRASHED IN THE JUNGLE OF BURMA, WALKED TO AN AIR
STRIP, AND OUR BODIES WERE COVERED WITH HUGE ANTS
* SOLOED WITH ONLY FIVE HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES
PLACES I HAVE LIVED ,
SEARCY ARKANSAS,
HARTFORD, CONN,
HONDO,TX
SAN ANTONIO,TX
LUBBOCK,TX
AMARILLO, TX
WICHITA FALLS,TX
ITAZUKE,JAPAN,
KIMPO , KOREA,
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
BUFFALO, NY
FT. WAYNE, IN
FINNIE, INDIA
IMPHAL, INDIA
MORAN, INDIA
LEDO, INDIA
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CA
GULFPORT ,MISS.
BILOXI, MISS.
I WROTE THESE DOWN ONE DAY FOR
THE FEW THAT THINK I'M JUST ORDINARY "
(ha)
BILLY PAT LATIMER
Contents:
Home Page
Feedback