After finishing gunnery school at Tyndall Fld. In Florida, We reported to Westover Fld. Mass. And this is where we formed our crew. Our pilot was a former guard on the Ohio State football team. We then went to Chatham Fld. At Sav. Ga. For phase training which consisted of camera gunner flts.—tow target firing---formation flying--- all these good things. The first time we had a nite flt. Was to drop dummy bombs on the bombing range. We started our bomb run and the bombider was flying the plane with the bomb sight and all at once he yelled To the pilot take the plane---turn left, turn left nooooo J---turn right now!!!Dave whipped that 24 on it’s right wing in a turning dive and we just missed another B-24 coming in on the same range the wrong way!!!Now needless to say I never enjoyed flying at nite after this. I said to myself this is happening here in the states what the hell is it going to be like when we get overseas.
We finished phase training and went up to Mitchell Fld. Where they gave us a new B-24. We left there and opened up our orders and destination was to the 8th AF via North Atlantic . We were to land at either N.H. Bgr. Or P.I.. before heading to Goose Bay Lab. Now being from P.I. I hoped we would land there, but the way the army works we landed in N.H. and was there for 5 days . We flew right over my home on the way to Goose. After landingat Goose we were taxing on ice and in trying to make a turn slid into a B-17 taking the nose out of it, and crumpled our wing tip. They had to board up the nose of the 17 and fly it back to the states and by god they had a wing tip at Goose and replaced ours. I don’t know if the 17 crew was glad to be going back or ready to kill us. We then flew to Iceland and weathered in there for almost a week before going to Meeks Fld. They took the 24 away from us and we were transported to the 453rd BG at Old Buckingham Eng.