WEBVTT 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:04.540 As I said yesterday morning. It was just a week to the hour from the time 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:11.377 I left home till I stepped aboard a C54 transport bound for the islands of 00:00:11.410 --> 00:00:15.406 the Pacific I wish you could have been in on the briefing that preceded 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:19.346 the beginning of that flight. We were shown a film illustrating the 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:24.377 mechanics of ditching a C- 54 in the event of trouble at sea. It was 00:00:24.410 --> 00:00:27.936 tremendously realistic, so much so that you will let no doubt of the 00:00:27.969 --> 00:00:32.646 seriousness of difficulties in flight far out over the pacific step by 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:35.967 step from the development of motor trouble or other complications to 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.737 actual rescue, the motion picture revealed to carefully thought out 00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:44.226 procedure. We learned about the all important Mae West, the handy 00:00:44.259 --> 00:00:47.826 rubberized vest that becomes a life preserver the minute it comes in 00:00:47.859 --> 00:00:52.336 contact with the water, every passenger has issued one of these compact 00:00:52.369 --> 00:00:56.027 units and given special training and understanding its working parts and 00:00:56.060 --> 00:01:00.266 what to do with it In the case of certain possible emergency, it all 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:05.137 sounded very grim, so no one hesitated a minute in absorbing every tiny 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:09.727 detail. We were likewise shown the workings of the rubber raft that open 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:14.497 and inflate automatically when thrown into the sea. All kinds of useful, 00:01:14.530 --> 00:01:18.647 in fact, absolutely essential devices were pointed out as being a part of 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:23.766 this magical package capable of carrying from 5-8 persons for long periods 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:28.456 of time with comparative safety. There was a compact radio transmitting 00:01:28.489 --> 00:01:32.536 unit operated by the turn of a crank that we were assured would throw out 00:01:32.569 --> 00:01:38.007 an S. O. S. That could be heard at great distances. With precise precision. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.887 We were shown the potential danger. Then the ways in which we could save 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:45.147 ourselves in the event that it proved possible to bring the plane down to 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:48.967 the water right side up and for long enough to have time to clear the ship 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:53.357 with the equipment provided for survival at sea. Immediately after the 00:01:53.390 --> 00:01:57.536 briefing was finished, We were let out on the flight line of the gigantic 00:01:57.569 --> 00:02:03.717 plane that was to carry us across to 400 miles of ocean to Hawaii. This 00:02:03.750 --> 00:02:07.607 was the first leg of our journey only than this first plane and its crew 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.217 would be replaced by other planes and crews as we moved on deeper and 00:02:11.250 --> 00:02:15.316 deeper into the pacific. It would be almost impossible to give you an 00:02:15.349 --> 00:02:19.316 account or an accurate description of the way I felt when I heard the door 00:02:19.349 --> 00:02:24.277 of that transport slam shut in an instant the engines began to start one 00:02:24.310 --> 00:02:28.126 at a time. Soon we were rolling into the position at the head of a runway 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:32.726 that looked miles long and at the end of it was the last contact with land 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:37.807 that we would know for possibly 12 hours or more. There was no delay in 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:41.406 the takeoff before there was time to think about too many things. We were 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:46.427 airborne And climbing as fast as one could expect 35 tons of weight to be 00:02:46.460 --> 00:02:50.356 hoisted to an altitude of 10,000 ft by the strength of four powerful 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:54.617 entrance. He took two great circles over the field and the adjoining bay 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:58.506 before turning westward to the sea. All the time the plane was reaching 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:01.497 for a cruising altitude that would be reasonably safe for shoreline 00:03:01.530 --> 00:03:05.527 departure. Soon the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay Bridge is were immediately 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:10.596 below then behind us as san Francisco gradually dropped from sight for a 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:14.506 time. I just sat there in the early evening and thought as the engine 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:18.196 settle down to the work ahead in my ears and other senses gradually became 00:03:18.229 --> 00:03:22.596 accustomed to the changes in atmosphere and speed. The seeds were 00:03:22.629 --> 00:03:26.156 wonderfully comfortable, and there were the bells along the ceiling that 00:03:26.189 --> 00:03:30.277 we had been told would ring sharply in the event of trouble. The sight of 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:33.747 them prompted me to turn hurriedly to see if the rubber boots and the 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:38.767 radio were aboard. They were, and I could feel myself relax just a little 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.906 bit. The young soldier, who was the steward aboard gave strict orders that 00:03:42.939 --> 00:03:46.606 there would be no smoking except in the crew compartment up front. one 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:51.117 person at a time would be allowed access to this area, not being a smoker. 00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:54.726 This detail didn't concern me. We were told that the lounge in the 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:58.416 restroom with the rear would accommodate only one passenger at a time, 00:03:58.449 --> 00:04:01.686 since any sudden shifting of weight to the tail of the ship would change 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:07.497 the flying characteristics and be undesirable. So after a while we began 00:04:07.530 --> 00:04:11.006 to be at ease, and I began a few observations in which I think you might 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.277 be interested By the time we had been in the Air 40 minutes. The coastline 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:20.096 was just a whisper in the gray mist that dull the due to the east we 00:04:20.129 --> 00:04:24.147 seemed completely detached from everything tangible across the rolling 00:04:24.180 --> 00:04:28.387 ripples of the seat of the southward. The Hayes was a thick purple, capped 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:32.937 by the pink gold settled there by the setting sun. To the northward and 00:04:32.970 --> 00:04:36.846 open. C had the look of a glazed plain, smooth and regular, except for the 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:40.757 tiny white caps that lazily rumpled the water, where such detail was close 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:44.647 enough to the plain to be seen straight past the bullet like hub of the 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:49.736 outside motor on the right wing the sun, a weary companion was still able 00:04:49.769 --> 00:04:53.837 to welcome us with a beautiful farewell one that lured us to a tomorrow 00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:58.676 that meant Hawaii, and the orient low clouds reflected a charming glows. 00:04:58.709 --> 00:05:03.937 The blue of the sea deepen the sky seemed emptier than usual, and a thin 00:05:03.970 --> 00:05:07.676 crescent of a brand new moon hung high like the curled edge of a white 00:05:07.709 --> 00:05:13.127 pine shaving. The fall of twilight was heavy and fast to the south, so 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:17.346 much so that the skyline was quickly squeezed out of sight. In a matter of 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:20.616 minutes the trailing edge of the left wing was lost in the blur of 00:05:20.649 --> 00:05:24.926 gathering dusk and a fading see rolling along behind us, as though to 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:28.996 cover the wisps of our trail. Night settled with the swiftness that was a 00:05:29.029 --> 00:05:33.426 sharp contrast to the reluctance of the sunset. In the way straight away 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:39.306 the bow of the C 54 pushed on, unafraid. Sure, steady and eagerly willing 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:43.127 slowly but surely variations of coral and deep rose fringed with sunset. 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:47.207 Gold died in the west, and almost complete darkness crept in to cut us 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:52.207 off from almost every visible thing. The plane gave no hint of concern. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:55.846 Her great hull slipped along with the drive of an arrow. Her completely 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.967 synchronized engines hummed in perfect harmony gracefully. The taper of 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.116 her wings bled off into the night. Inside. The cabin was dark, except for 00:06:04.149 --> 00:06:07.246 the pinpoints of light that bore directly on the reading and writing of 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:11.077 those aboard. Around the walls of the ship, dimmed circles marked the 00:06:11.110 --> 00:06:15.666 slowly disappearing lines of the plane's window. A propeller arcs outside 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:19.746 had ceased to be even a blur, tipped by the 6" gold band made by the 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:24.637 painted and of each blade. Only the hard lines of the leading edge of the 00:06:24.670 --> 00:06:27.577 right wing and engine mounts remain to prove that there was still 00:06:27.610 --> 00:06:32.096 dimensional contrast in this picture of sea sky and growing darkness 00:06:32.129 --> 00:06:37.397 without hands. At last we were alone. The feeling of flight had passed as 00:06:37.430 --> 00:06:43.726 we moved along, suspended in an Impenetrable darkness. It was a long time 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:47.746 before I went to sleep. There were so many things about which thinking 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:52.116 insisted on going on and on. Among them was the realization that this was 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:55.976 the longest over water flying hop in the world that I was launched on a 00:06:56.009 --> 00:06:59.486 flight that few persons of my generation would ever have an opportunity to 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:03.387 take before daylight. The next morning we were stirred awake by the flight 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:07.236 steward who told us we were nearing the islands. We strained our eyes for 00:07:07.269 --> 00:07:11.306 a look at the lights of Pearl Harbor, and before long we were rewarded. In 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:14.176 another half hour we were at Hickam Field, the area that was torn to 00:07:14.209 --> 00:07:18.806 shreds by the first Japanese attack on american soil. Today that field is 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:22.437 as clean as a whistle and hard at the work of reclaiming everything that 00:07:22.470 --> 00:07:26.236 has been lost to the enemy. In the pacific I thought of the many boys I 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:30.017 had known who at one time or another had been stationed at Hickam. One of 00:07:30.050 --> 00:07:33.717 them was jimmy Samuels, who was a brilliant young flyer, lost his life in 00:07:33.750 --> 00:07:37.556 the islands in the very early stages of the war that has since stretched 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:41.806 into months and years of agonized combat. I wished for time to make 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:45.156 Honolulu. The first major chapter in this specific adventure, but my 00:07:45.189 --> 00:07:49.507 orders read through to Manila. So we were but three hours in continuing on 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:53.546 our way as we took off in the clear air of a beautiful morning. I took 00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:58.176 along and respectful look At Pearl Harbor where the good ship Arizona took 00:07:58.209 --> 00:08:03.346 such an awful beating on that fateful December seven so long ago. I 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:06.877 remember the Oklahoma, the California and the other ships that were 00:08:06.910 --> 00:08:12.397 sacrificed in that first day of the pacific war. I wished for all of you. 00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:16.207 That the man, many of them Arizonans who died in that sneaking attack 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:21.567 could be around for the victory that is growing out here. Instead they 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:28.077 sleep on and we fight home tomorrow morning. I'll give you more of my 00:08:28.110 --> 00:08:31.377 flight to Manila and then we'll be ready for the real business of my 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:34.996 junkie. To the pacific. I'm telling the story of the travel involved 00:08:35.029 --> 00:08:37.827 because to me it's important and I feel certain that most of you would 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:42.307 want to know how it was all accomplished and what happened along the way 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:48.639 until next time here is fred Macpherson. Mhm.