William M. Walker (War Memory in form of an E-Mail in July, 2000 to classmate Harold A. Johnson, a B-17 pilot)

Dear Harold:

How come I didn't see you on your way through Gander, Newfoundland in
1944 on your B-17 headed for the 8th Air Force? I was stationed there
for 20 months(got home once), I repeat 20 months in the Air Transport
Command (The Airline of the Army).

While my application to Air Cadets was being processed in California, my orders to go overseas came through. Thinking I'd go to the Pacific, I picked overseas not Air Cadets, but picked wrong. Anyway, I was in Flight Control and Operations, today called Air Traffic Control and particpated, when
necessary, with the Search & Rescue Team in PBYs.

The biggest excitement was when The 150 B-29s under Gen. Curtis LeMay came through on their way to China. They had flown from Kansas to Gander non-stop, which was a lot in those days. My experience will not be made into a movie, but I have to tell you it was exciting work. You made the flight
to the UK, so you know how hairy that was. We also got the guys in the
B-24s (the flying boxcar) who went to the 15th in Italy usually through
the Azores and Casablanca. Everybody left at night to face those
over-ocean flights with not all that much flight time under their belts.
But most, not all, got through and we know the job you all did.

Mac