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Bob Bailey
For basic training Bob was shipped to Sheppard Field at Wichita Falls. He spent just over three months there where he learned military discipline and courtesy. After basic training Bob wanted to become an Air Force pilot so he was sent to Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was part of a college training detachment to learn the basics of flying. The detachment was sent to Santa Ana, California for classification and training. Unfortunately, Bob could not take radio code at a fast enough rate, so he "washed out" of pilot training. He was then sent to Denver for armament training. After this, he went to gunnery school and was then assigned to a B-17 bomber crew. Bob was a staff sergeant on a crew of ten men in a B-17 bomber. Bob found out, once he got to Italy, that his squadron was a replacement for a squadron that had been completely annihilated. He was stationed in Sterparone, Italy, a small town that no longer exists. He flew missions to places all over Europe including: Maribor, Vienna, Linz, Augsburg, Verona, Prague, Weiner Neustadt, Budapest, Blechhammer, Berlin, Pilsen, Graz, and Ruhland. In the B-17, Bob was the "armor" and a ball turret gunner. The armor was the man who would arm the bombs immediately after take-off so that they would detonate when dropped. Bob also operated the turret gun on the bottom of the plane. He had a .50 caliber machine gun on each side and he sat in a little turret that he could swivel 360 degrees around and 90 degrees up and down. During his time in Europe, Bob flew twenty-eight combat missions. Bob heard that the war was over when he was sitting at the military base in Sterparone, Italy. His B-17 was turned into a transport for soldiers who were being shipped to the African coast to take a cruise liner back home. Bob was discharged from the army in 1945 on November 26. He received the Air Medal with two oak leave clusters, the European Medal with three clusters, the Victory Medal, the American Theatre Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation with two clusters, and a medal for good conduct. Bob felt that his wartime jobs where worthwhile and that they needed to be done. Today, he is still proud of the work he did in World War II as are many other Americans. Bob has shared his memories with his family members, mainly his dad, because his dad served in the military. He also shared some special experiences with me. One combat mission that was very memorable to him was when jet engines and rocket planes were first put into combat. The German jet plane was developed and put into use in war before the U.S. had developed a jet engine. The strike came as a complete surprise. Bob says, "You could only fire about three rounds before the jets had passed through the formation." Some of the most amusing memories of being in the service involved the USO shows put on for entertainment of the men. Bob mentioned seeing such stars as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Martha Raye. Another funny experience involved the train ride from Naples to Foggia in Italy. The train traveled so slowly that the soldiers would get out and walk every now and then to loosen up and pick up logs so they could start fires in the unheated train cars. Once Bob returned home he found out that he qualified for the G.I. bill and received "a full ride" to college. This was lucky for him because his parents did not have the means to send him to college. He received a degree in engineering and found a job in that field. Before he was discharged, he had met a young lady that worked at the same place he had worked in high school. Later they got married and that was one of the best things that ever happened to Bob. The most difficult part of adjusting to regular life again was remodeling his tongue to speak acceptably in a civilian atmosphere. From the perspective of a war veteran, Bob advises people, especially in light of the recent attack on America, "We should not hesitate to correct our problems at the source!" He also notes, "The pendulum swings back where patriotism counts. The young are getting the feeling now of what it really means."
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| Last page update: March 2, 2008 12:11 PM |
On
November 28, 1924, Bob Bailey was born in Wichita, Kansas. At the age
of seventeen Bob enlisted in the army. At the time he was attending Wichita
East High School. Some recruiters from the Army Air Corps (It was not
yet referred to as the Air Force) and the Navy were there, and he ended
up joining the Army Air Corps. His family backed Bob and he was very eager
to enlist because of the large sense of patriotism at that time.