THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603120280
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALVA CHOPP, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
He was only 18. Perhaps too young to fully understand the reasons why he was flying through anti-aircraft flak over the skies of Germany in 1944 and dropping bombs on the cities below.
All he knew was that his country needed him . . . and he was doing his best to stay alive long enough to return to his home in Pennsylvania.
Last month , retired Maj. Gen. John W. Huston recalled those moments from his past and stepped off the pages of history to share them with the students of Old Dominion University's History of World War II class.
As a navigator in the B-17 Flying Fortress, Huston was a crewman in what would become one of the most notorious aircraft of the war. The movie ``Memphis Belle'' recounted the experiences of a similar crew of a B-17 that successfully completed 25 bombing missions and was allowed to return to the United States. The requirement was later bumped to 35 missions.
Although Huston's experiences came almost a year later, he was part of the same squadron as the ``Memphis Belle'' crew, and eventually became a military consultant for the movie's production.
``We have been called `ideologues' because of our reasons for fighting in the war,'' he said. ``We weren't ideologues at all. At 18 and 19 years of age, we were most interested in beer, women, `get the guy down there and get the hell out of there,' '' he said.
``We kept flying because that's what we were trained to do and we were convinced the only way to get home was to fly our 35 missions and survive.''
Huston, who served as chief historian for the U.S. Air Force before retiring in 1981, gave the students a brief overview of America's introduction into the war in Europe. Then he began to talk about everyday life for a young bomber crewman.
``It's interesting, but our days became somewhat routine,'' he said. ``We who bombed from Britain were quite happy to be there. We had clean sheets and we lived in comparative comfort compared with others in the war.''
Planned bombing raids were announced the night before. Sometimes all they knew was their bomb and gas loads, giving them a clue to their destination.
Briefing rooms held large maps with colored yarns marking their inbound and outbound routes. And there was always bantering among the crew.
``Anyone facing combat doesn't want to think about the `what if' possibilities,'' he said.
Twice, Huston and his crew had to ditch their aircraft in the English Channel.
Huston completed his 35 missions over Germany and he left the Army Air Force in 1945. He completed his formal education, eventually receiving a doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
From 1961 to 1972 he served as a reserve officer in the office of the secretary of the Air Force, and later became executive secretary of the Air Reserve Forces Policy Committee. He also joined the Naval Academy faculty as a civilian in the history department.
In 1976, as a major general, he was recalled to active duty to serve as chief historian of the Air Force until his retirement. He rejoined the Naval Academy faculty, where he served until his retirement in 1994. He has since served as the distinguished visiting professor at the Air Force Academy and has lectured at a number of other colleges and universities.
Dr. James Koch, president of ODU and instructor of the History of World War II class, said he feels it is important for his students to hear about the experiences of war from the people who actually served.
``This gives students a sense that there were real human beings involved,'' he said. ``This puts a human face on the war.'' by CNB