After my 18th birthday in February 1944, I took the qualifying exams for admission to the Army Air Corp Aviation Cadet Program at Topeka, Kansas. I failed the vision test, so waited for my draft date, for after graduation from high school. At induction at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas I indicated a preference for Navy service and was assigned to the Army Air Corp. I took basic at Buckley Field, Colorado, followed by the 27 week radio mechanic training at Truax Field Wisconsin. I was transferred to advanced radio transmitter school at Shepard Air Force Base in Texas, and then routed to San Francisco to join an invasion unit headed to Japan. Fortunately for me, the bomb was dropped while we were staging in Utah. My part of our unit was transferred to Saipan for several weeks, then to Tinian Island. I was immediately assigned to 'acting' sergeant because that part of our unit had been reduced to skeleton size by rotation after the treaty. Two months later I was flown to a Repo Depot at Manila, Philippines, and assigned to a Distance Finding Station on Palawan Island, Philippines, where I was finally using the skills for which I was trained. Six weeks later I was re-assigned to Control Tower Operator 552 while the pursuit wing was being deactivated for the same reason that I was supply sergeant on Tinian. I received no rank for either of those positions, however, I was rated corporal before leaving Palawan. The political situation in the Philippines during my time on Palawan produced some interesting, but scary incidents, because the young men who made up the pro-independence group were armed and were hostile toward us most of the time. Problems developed for us with them at check points that they had set up on the main road that we had to travel from our station to headquarters and back for our meals and orders. We had to be very careful what we said and how we acted in their presence. Control from Manila was supposed to be through the political organization on Palawan, but it was actually by the local Philippine military commanding civilians. It appeared to me that they seemed to forget why we were there in the first place. After my separation, at the convenience of the government, thanks to the G.I. Bill, I graduated from the University of Kansas in 1952 with a B.S. in Education, married in 1957, moved to Chanute, Kansas, helped rear a son and a daughter, and retired from education in 1989. As is the case with many of us, I'm sure, I wouldn't take a million dollars for my military experience but I wouldn't give a dime to have it again.

T/Sgt Marvin Geist was a POW for about 5 months at the end of WWII. Deciding to get on with life, he married, became an automobile mechanic, farmer and held other jobs that fit his personality. Born on a farm in the Upland area in NE Dickinson County, he graduated from Enterprise HS in 1942. Enlisting in the Army Air Corp after driving a cement truck during the construction of the Herington AB, he had basic training at St. Petersburg, FL, and was trained in radio communications. On 10 Sep 1944 he left a New Jersey port for Glasgow, Scotland, rode a train to Stone, England, and flew to Chateau Dun, France. Flying his first mission on a B-26 on Sep 27, Marvin, a radio operator, also manned waist guns when in enemy territory. On Dec 23, a cold cloudy morning during the Battle of the Bulge, his crew went airborne at 0900. 'We were flying about 18,000 feet on the lower left of the last echelon of the group when our lead pilot went left instead of right. When he realized, we were far from the rest of the group, couldn't catch up and fighters came in and shot us up. I was the only gun in operation and I found out later I had shot down a ME 109. Then, a shell came through the fuselage just to the left of my head. It exploded and I got shrapnel holes in my face. The shell hit our top turret gunner, an extra on his first mission. I didn't even know his name.' Given the order to bail, Marvin helped the unconscious gunner by snapping his chute and pushing him out. 'I bailed out and just as I did, the left wing exploded and fell off, burning me all over.' The injuries left him with no eyebrows or eyelashes. Landing on a roof, the jolt left him unconscious. 'When I came to, many guns and people were staring at me. They made me carry my parachute and walk to a medical station several miles away.' Walking was painful as his knee was hurt by the landing. They cleaned his burns and 21 shrapnel holes in his body, using plain crepe paper as bandages. Then he walked to a hospital at Limburg. The greeting POWs received was not friendly. 'Kids kicked and spit on me. The guard wouldn't let them kick my wounded leg, but they could my good one.' That night, the allies struck the hospital. Marvin had no doubt his survival took divine intervention. 'Turning left out of our room, there was nothing but rubble clear to the ground. I turned right, went down the stairs, and found an unexploded bomb had come in the 2nd floor window.' Dec 26, he, four other prisoners, and a German guard left by train. Whenever an air raid sounded, the train stopped and passengers went to a shelter. Once, divine intervention came through an unlikely source: the German guard. 'A Gestapo major wouldn't let the 5 of us in the shelter. After the all-clear, he lined us up to shoot us. I think he singled me out as I was Air Corps and he associated the bombers with me. Looking down the barrel of his Luger, I thought I was a goner. Our guard pulled his gun, and spoke to him. The major put his gun away and the guard said, 'Come!' I wished I had gotten to know him so I could have thanked him.' They were at Frankfort for five, scary days of solitary confinement and grueling interrogation; but he never broke. 'The last day, they told you all about yourself---when you joined the Air Corp, where and when you went to school, where you were stationed in the states, when you came overseas, where you were stationed in France, and a picture of our planes at the base. Had they known my plane's number, they could have pointed to it. It was disappointing as it showed there were spies in the US' records department.' The POWs headed to a transit camp in Wetzler, where he was one of the few not to get frostbite. There, he saw 2 of his crew. One had escaped, but was recaptured. The other had located the crashed plane, found the pilot decapitated, and a 20-millimeter hole through Marvin's chair and radio.

Joe was born 11 Feb 1923 and reared in Evanston, IL. He graduated from high school in Jun 1941 and enlisted in the US Navy Reserve in their Aviation Cadet Program. After completing the required college he reported for Primary flight training in Dec 1942 at US Naval Air Station, Chicago (Glenview) Illinois. He soloed after five hours in the N3N Trainer. Mar 1943 he reported to USNATC Corpus Christi, TX for Advance training in the SNJ and Qualified for Carrier Landings on 22 Aug 1943. His Combat training was with Composite Squadron 51. After he completed his tour he reported on December 1943 to CVG-7, Bombing Squadron Seven, flying SBDs and SB2Cs. In June 1944, Bombing Squadron Seven reported aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock CV-19 with their SB2C-3s. By the end of August 1944 they were operating out of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. Their first combat strike was at Okinawa Jima on Oct 10th 1944 where they lost McCallen. They hit Formosa, where Lutey was wounded in the leg. On Oct 13th Bevis was shot down. Next were strikes on Luzon, Negros, and Negros-Cebu (all in the Philippines). On Oct 25, they attacked the Japanese fleet off of Samar, Philippines. Eleven of the planes did not get back. After four or five days everyone but Robbie and Bruce was back. Bruce was listed as missing and Robbi was listed as KIA. On the 27th and 29th they hit Cavite and Manila Bay on the 20th and Bell was reported as missing. Returning from the strike at Manila Bay on the 29th, during a rain squall, a plane crashed on the deck of the Hancock and Joe could not land. He flew around until he ran out of gas and had to land in the water. He and his radio-gunner, Patterson, were picked up by the Destroyer Colahan. On this strike, Lt. Jg. J C Geraghty received the Navy Cross for his bombing skills. In his citation, 'He skillfully maneuvered over a Japanese cruiser, and plunging through a deadly barrage in antiaircraft fire from ships and shore batteries, scored a direct hit on the cruiser.' He told me that the bomb went right into the cruiser's smoke stack. The following are some excerpts from Joe's Aviators Flight Log Book. 'November 5th strike on W. Lipa Airfield, Luzon, Philippines jumped by 7 Oscars, but lost no planes. Nov 25th during the strike at Manila Bay hit by anti-aircraft fire at 7000 feet by a 40mm in the inboard right wing. The next strike bridges and railroad facilities near San Fernando, Luzon Philippines. Shipping west Coast of Luzon hit the Jap 'AK' (Cargo Transport) on Dec 15th and 16th. Lt. Cmdr. Erickson was killed when his plane went in on take off. From Jan 4th through the 27th, 1945 flew strikes on nine days. Shipping of French Indochina, Pescadores Islands, Hong Kong, Shipping and Docks, Strafing strike on Takao, Formosa. Jan 12th Virge Conway died of wounds he received a few days ago when F6Fs Guns went off. On the 16th, a strike on Hong Kong Kinsella, Kalos, Snead, and Maxwell were missing. Jan 26, CVG-7 RELIEVED!!! Hoo-ray!' Joe returned to the US for furlough and reported to NAS, Cecil Field, and Jacksonville, FL. Instructed and flight time from Apr to Sep, 1945 at Cecil Field. Joe was released from active duty in Oct 1945. In addition to the Navy Cross, he was also awarded the Distinguished Flying, 3 Air Medals, Asiatic Pacific with 5 Stars, and American Theaters, WWII Victory Medals. After the war, Lt. Junior Grade J C Geraghty served in the Naval Reserves until April 1947.

The following is an account of what my grandfather was doing on D-day:

'Well, the day finally arrived. We loaded the trucks, hooked up the guns, we were on alert so we knew something big was about to happen and it did!! D-day on Utah Beach on the Normandy Coast of France....We came to Utah Beach where there were a lot of ships sunk in the water but we had cleared out channels to make it to shore. They opened the front doors and we drove out on the beach to an area away form the water to wait for our connection with the 4th Infantry Division, which we were to be attached to and our battery was to guard 20th Field artillery which were 155 Howitzers. As it got dark the German planes began to fly over, we were instructed not to fire on them unless our area was being attacked. We were only a few miles from the beach and it was quite a display of fire works going on there. All the tracers going in to the air looked like a long fountain boiling up. The night was quiet for a little while except for some artillery firing and occasional rifle or machine gun fire. Then a lone plane came flying over, I guess he wanted to get rid of his load in a hurry and get out of the area for the next thing I heard was a quick whoosh a bang went off on the other side of the hedgerow, throwing dirt and rock all around us. Boy, that sure livened us up and put some pep into our fox hole digging. It wasn't very long until another plane came flying but higher up. The 90mm guns started firing at it and soon a burst set the plane on fire. If you don't think looking up in the sky at night and seeing a big ball of fire coming down on you won't get you on the move...it does!!! I dove into a fox hole and two more bodies landed on top of me. The plane crashed a couple hundred yards away from me. So much for my first night on French soil.' Battery B 377th Antiaircraft Artillery AW Battalion -was linked with the 4th Infantry. Decorations and Campaigns: Normandy GO 33 WD 45,Rhineland Ardennes GO 40 WD 45, Northern France GO 46 WD 45 and Central Europe GO 48 WD 45 Decorations and Citations: Good Conduct Medal, EAME Theater Ribbon and One Silver Service Star, World War II Victory Ribbon,Purple Heart GO 15 Hq 171st Sta Hosp 44, and American Theater Ribbon. Honorably Discharged and determined to be 10% disabled due to a gunshot would of thigh. Wound received EAME Theater 29 July 44.

Gale served in General Patton's 3rd Army in the Ardennes, Rhineland, the Battle of the Bulge, and central Europe. He was a member of the 87th Infantry Division, Golden Acorn Association. He was married to the former Frances Schneider.

Dad was a medic in the 8th Air Force. He earned 5 battle stars on his EAME campaign ribbon, the Good Conduct medal and the Presidential Unit Citation. After the war he raised a family of 4 children and was a successful salesman and executive. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.

Was enlisted for 14 years prior to WWII. Served in horse-drawn artillery -- 5 years at Presidio of Monterey 1929-34, 5 years at Scofield Barracks T.H. 1934-1939 (11th F.A.). Was stationed at Ft. D.A. Russell 1939-41 (77th F.A.) Member of OCS class #1 at Ft. Sill OK in the summer of 1941. Stayed at OCS as Cadre member until 1943. Rejoined 77th in '43 as it became a unit of the 9th Armored Division. Sent into the line as a Captain in Belgium in November 1944 as FAO. Position overrun early on the morning of Dec. 16th. Managed to evade capture, with two others, for three days. Captured early morning on the 19th. POW camp liberated in late April 1945. Assigned to Ryukus Cmd. Okinawa 1950-53. Pentagon 1953-55. Served with JAMMAT (Joint American Mission for Aid to Turkey) at Ankara Turkey 1955-57. Retired as Lt. Colonel in August of 1957.