American Airpower Comes of Age

AMERICAN AIRPOWER COMES OF AGE
about 15 minutes of conversation I took him down to plane, said
“Adios” and we took off. The USO troupe was very good, had
Gypsy (__________)? in it. She was the gal who was in a Pan
American accident at Lisbon, plays the accordion. Was pretty
badly banged up, lucky to be alive, most all other passengers
were killed. First time she played in over 1 1 ⁄ 2 years. 100 [Adm] King
due in Azores at 1:00 A.M.; Marshall leaves, due in Paris at 8:00
A.M. today; neither one took much of a rest.
Arrived Stephenville 8:10 AWT, 6:10 NFWT. Colonel Elbert L.
Edson, CO, awaiting us. 101 Hank, Rusk and I went to his house
to talk over and arrange a fishing trip. Lee Wulff, the local game
warden, came in and we decided Wulff, Pete, Dice and I would go
in a Navy amphibian OA9 to a lake 130 miles to the north. The
rest would go in cars to the Serpentine River. 102
The lake was beautiful and the camp, Sam Connell’s camp, 103
was superb; but the enlisted men all wanted to go home. The sky
was overcast; rain was in the air and prognostication for good
fishing nil. The 2 captains and some enlisted men had been out
the day before and caught many trout, a few salmon, more grilse.
We went out to fish the pools where the river runs into the lake.
I had rubber boots and slipped all over the rocks and in due season
went in up to my neck. Everything I had on was wet, the
boots so full of water it was with difficulty that I got out. I emptied
out, squeezed, wrung out, changed until I was fairly comfortable.
Cast into a pool and a mass of trout rose to the fly, fly
too big, it was a salmon fly. Put on a smaller one and landed 10
trout, 8 to 14 inches. Had 2 more up to shore but missed them.
Caught 1 grilse. Weather changed to cold rain. It looked as if we
might not get back, engine caught on fire out in lake and things
looked worse. Finally everything straightened out and we came
home under a 500 ft. ceiling. I was still wet all over; a hot bath
and a slug of Bourbon fixed me up. The party caught salmon,
grilse and trout.
Monday, July 30, 1945 [Harmon Field, Newfoundland,
Canada to Washington, D.C.]
Inspected a wonderful NCO club; has all the fixings of an
officer’s club; sells liquor 15¢ a drink, 5¢ for mixers and
makes money hand over fist; has surplus of $20,000; never
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