While serving as aerial engineer crew chief with the 322nd Troop Carrier
Squadron in Kunming, China in 1944 and
1945, I became good friends with Jay
(nickname "Buzz") Callinan. Buzz had been a fighter pilot and was
transferred to our squadron after being shot down.
Buzz had less of an ego problem than any
pilot or Officer I knew, and had no qualms about associating with
enlisted personnel. One day he offered to take me for a ride in a P-38
he had access to, because he knew that I had expressed a desire for such
an experience.
The aircraft had been a photo reconnaissance ship, but now all the photo
equipment had been removed from the shelf behind the pilot's seat. I
curled my skinny 73 inch body onto that shelf, and we taxied out to
takeoff position. As he revved up the two engines to check things out
before takeoff, the ship shook and vibrated so badly that I begged him
to take me back. I flat didn't trust the aircraft,
and that mistrust outweighed my trust of Buzz as a pilot.
He complied with my plea; taxied back and let me out. I went out to my
plane
to carry out some maintenance work.
Within about 10 minutes I heard the roar of a plane, looked up to see
Buzz, true to his nickname, buzzing me with that beautiful P-38 to show
me what I had missed.
I have thought about that incident a thousand times, telling myself if
such an opportunity ever presents itself again---
jump. The only problem is that in the 54
years since, it never has.
