Thanks,

He'd been discharged honorably from the US Navy for some drinking escapade in 1939...he'd taken that civilian flying training in University in Montana. He enlisted with the RAF in Spokane, Washington, trained down in the Imperial Valley of California, then took a train to Canada and ship to Scotland. He flew both Spitfires and Hurricanes, was on the Dieppe raid.

When the U.S. got over there in Sept 1942 they took him into the Army Air Corps. He flew a P-39 from England to North Africa (they'd been in crates on the way to Russia, Mechanics assembled them in England). He flew the P-39 in North Africa, got shot down at Kassarine Pass. Walked out with the 1st Armored.

They sent him stateside to train pilots. Seldom talked about it, but left a treasure of notes and records when he died.

Ron