marine red - the story of a marine and his corsair

Marine Red.The story of a Marineand his Corsair.

V8- 12/2009© John Mollison - all rights reserved except where noted.johnmollison.com

I like email: [email protected]

In 1976, “Baa Baa Black Sheep” aired

on network TV dramatizing Medal of

Honor winner Gregory Boyington’s

WW2 fighter squadron, VMF-214.

Looking back, as history, the show was

sillier than George Washington’s air

force.

Later on, the show was renamed “Black Sheep Squadron.” Really, aside from the airplanes, the show is of modest entertainment value and not much more historical value other than reinforcement of the fact that the United States was at war with the Japanese in WW2. Ok, ok. Iʼm being harsh. Maybe. Not.

But it least it had real, blue, bent-winged

flying Corsairs!

Ratatatatatatatatatm Eeeerrroooowww!

KABLAM!

My buddies and I watched it every week.

Marine Red The story of a Marineand “his” Corsair

© John Mollison - all rights reserved except where noted.johnmollison.com


We were just kids. Anything fast and

heavily armed was amazing

and Corsairs fit the bill.

Years later, what they told me is this:

“The Corsair was the best fighter ever.”

Who are “they?”

“Iwa Jima 1945” by “CJ” c.2009

Crayon & pencil on copier paper




Well if “they” are historians and

airplane nuts, they’ll talk Facts &

Figures.

But there’s so much more to the

Corsair story than statistics.

Ginormousproduction run

(1940-1952)

Outstandingcombat

performance

Beat theiconic

P-51 Mustang*

Nearly 40years of

combat service

12,571 built - more than any other piston-engined American fighter

Last combat: 1969 in the “100 hour” war between Honduras and El Salvador

*F4U-4Top speed: 460mph vs. 440mphRate of climb: 3,800 fps vs 3,200 fpsPayload: 4,000lbs + vs 2,000lbs +Engine: Radial vs. “one-shot” InlinePlus, it can land on a carrier

16,000 TONS of ordnance delivered in WW211:1 victory ratio in aerial combat

And to learn that, we have to find a

different class of “they.”




The most credible “they” are the pilots

who flew Corsairs in combat.

Photo: VMF-216 Bulldogs, Guam, late 1944

This is my buddy Claude Hone. He was a pilot with VMF-216 (V means ʻheavier than air aircraftʼ, or “fixed wing” depending on what point in time you check, M means Marines, F means Fighter).

Claude flew from an island base in Guam and later on, the USS WASP once the Corsair was allowed back on carrier decks. At the time of this writing, he is JUST shy of 90 years old and can beat me at leg-lifts. I work out 4 days a week, too. Yes, thatʼs his original flight jacket.

Bear with me for a few pages while

I attempt an overview of how the

airplane came to be.




per-capita annual income REPORT

1938 - NOT CLASSIFIED

for America- about 1,000USD for Great Britain- abouT 360USD

for Germany- about 250USD

for Japan- about 70USD

The Corsair was a product of the

Chance Vought company in response to

a 1938 Navy RFP (request for

proposals) that listed as major

requirements: Adolph Hitler:Time Magazine’s

MAN OF THE YEAR1938

Hideki Tojo:Time Magazine’sNOV. COVER1941

“Give me the right people, put them on the right jobs, pay them fair wages, and we will build a team that will lick any problem (s).”

A buddy of mine told me,“People are most dangerouswhen theyʼve got nuthin to lose.”

VOUGHT AIRCRA

FT INCORPORATED

REX BEISEL

Chief Engineer

Rex was 45 years old in 1938; his defining work, just ahead.

Fly 400 mph

Drop bombs

Take-off and land on ships

A problem like these two jokers.


It nailed two of the requirements...

But first, just for giggles, you might

want to look at some of the faces and

trivia of the time.



2. “Rivetless” construction was used wherever possible. “Drag” rises exponentially as speed increases. Removal of all those hundreds of Skittle® -sized speed-bumps was a true smooth-move.

Ok, back to the Corsair. It truly

represented the vanguard of

aeronautical engineering at the time.

1. For a moment in time, specifically October, 1940, the F4U was the fastest single engine production fighter on earth. It hit 405mph in level flight.

5. Landing gear retracted fully behind flush fitting doors. (a big deal in 1940).

4. The Corsair needed the biggest propeller fitted to a fighter. Remember - a propeller are essentially wings that “lift” the rest of the airplane through the air. The P&W R2800 engine was so powerful, it needed the mass and “bite” of the big blades to operate effectively. Kind of like why drag racers use such fat grippy tires.

3. The bent wings not only allowed for greater prop-to-ground clearance, the 90-degree wing attachments were aerodynamically more efficient than more traditional wing joints.

13’ 4”




But the airplane struggled with earning

its “sea legs” - which are rather

important considering the NAVY

ordered the thing!

Hmmm. How shall I describe this...?




HOW TO: LAND AN F4U-1 CORSAIR ON A CARRIERnot to scale

NoT

1. downwind approach about 170 mph

8. Bouncing around on crowded carrier decks was unacceptable to the Navy. But so was throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Carrier traveling 25-30kts

2. about a mile out, turn and line up on the carrier

3. Gear down, flaps down, 79-80 mph - watch the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) as he mimics your wings with big red paddles.

4. Looking good!The LSO signals you to cut engine, stick back,stall (75mph) and dropso the tail hook catches the arresting cable...

5. *BOING*

What?!?!

6.. *ERRRRKKK*

You bounced past the cables?!? 7.. *CRUMMPH!!*

(sound of tearing metal, crunching wood, the smell of trickling gasoline...

Fast-moving crew pull you out of the wreckage. You get the nickname, “Lucky.”




No doubt about it, the Navy needed

the wrinkles ironed out of their

Corsairs.

Laundry list of F4U Changes:

1. Increase Tailwheel HEIGHT

2. Raise pilot seat

3. BALANCE landing gear struts

4. Adjust the wing to soften

low-speed stalls

5. Watch what the British do.

As part of the Lend-Lease program of WW2, Allied nations “lent” each other material where needed. The Brits were very much in need of Navy aircraft and brought Corsairs, bounce and all, into their fold. While the Americans waited for engineered solutions, the British learned adaptive landing and deck-handling technique to mitigate the Corsairʼs landing quirks.

But pilots in the Pacific needed

something victorious to wear, now*.

*In 1942, the Japanese held the performance edge on combat aircraft performance, especially fighters.

So, the Navy gave their Corsairs to

the British.

And...




The Marine aviators quickly realized

their Corsair was a solid dogfighter

AND a brilliant bomber.

The Marines on the ground really,

really, really appreciated the support

they got from their aerial brothers.

Movie tidbit: In the movie“Letters from Iwo Jima,”the bombing & strafingscene shows Marine Corsairs.

In case you’re wondering, the airplane being shot down

is a Japanese Ki-84 “Hayate”

Let’s take a time-out and meet some

famous cloud-bound Marines, ok?

...to the pilots who weren’t constrained

by carriers, The Marines!




KNOW YOUR WW2 U.S. MARINE FIGHTER ACES!

Joe’s plane is the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcatas he flew with VMF-115

at Guadalcanal, circa 1942

Swett’s plane is the Vought F4U-1 Corsairas he flew with VMF-211

from the Bunker Hill, circa 1945

Bruce’s plane is the Grumman F6F-3N Hellcatas he flew with VMF(N)-542from Okinawa, circa 1945

JOE FOSS - 26 victories JAMES SWETT - 15.5 VICTORIES BRUCE PORTER - 5 VICTORIES

Certainly Foss and Swett qualify as Heroes by virtue of their Medal of Honor awards. Of course, “Black Sheep Squadron” c/o Gregory Boyington also earned the Medal of Honor. But I want to highlight Bruce Porter for two reasons - one, I’m rather proud of my art of his Hellcat. It took me a long time to get the Schenley’s Whiskey bottle on the nose right. Two, Bruce was an absolute hoot to interview; a showman and personality from

the get-go. When I asked him why he named his Hellcat night fighter “Black Death” he growled, “Cuz I wanted something that sounded mean!”




By the end of WW2, the Corsair was

known as one of essential tools of

victory.

Five years later, the Corsair would be

in combat again. In Korea.

This particular Corsair - an F4U-1 flown by Lt. Claude Hone of VMF-216 - is typical of hard working Corsairs of 1943-44.

Hot, tropical sun blanched the“tri-color” camouflage to the point where the darker upper surfaces bleached into the medium-blue sides. By 1945, virtually all Corsairs were painted glossy dark blue.

The Corsair retained fabric-covered rudder, elevator and wing surfaces - not unlike the Sopwith Camels of 1917.

Coral and/or dirt were the basis of Marine runways. This combination played havoc onthe white undersides!

“696” is a stark contrast to the wild names and paint jobs found on Air Force aircraft, especially in Europe.

Marine squadrons didnʼt often personalize aircraft or paint victory markings on the side. VMF-216 was no exception.

“696” is likely the last 3 numbers of the Bureau Number (BuNo, or serial number).

The notch in the tail was for the hook used to catch the arresting wires on an aircraft carrier. The Marines removed these hooks, saving the fuel-sucking weight.

Some Corsairs had problems with fuel leaking from the fore-mounted gas tanks. White tape was used to keep the fuel and fumes from seeping out. “696” didnʼt have that problem, so no tape.




It’s time to meet another one of “Them.”

This guy.

He knows a bit about Corsairs.

Two wars’ worth, in fact.

Remember when I wrote that “they”

think the Corsair was the best airplane

that every flew?




She wrote me a letter. And asked told

me to call her grandfather.

In 2007, a young woman in San

Francisco found out that I interviewed

combat pilots and drew their planes.

Hello John!

You need to interview my Grampa!

He flew CORSAIRS!

And HE is A GREAT MAN!

You should draw his airplane, too!

Call him! Today!

Jenna!

Not

act

ual l

ette

r.

So, let’s meet the man!




June 2, 1922 was a perfect birthday for

future Corsair pilots.

And Eugene James was born with all

the innate qualifications for the job.

Of course, he didn’t know it at the

time. Neither did his folks.*

✓ Excellent eyesight✓ Quick reflexes✓ High intelligence

✓ ...and will be about 20 years of age when WW2 starts.

*Think about it - moms & dads all over the world had no idea they were raising battle fodder. George McGovern told me that wars should be fought by old people. I reminded him that he was one. He replied something to the effect that he was ready to go but only after a nap. Suffice it to state, he made his point.

Red hair gave him the nickname “Red.”




An airplane drawing is just a

representation of a moment in time.

But when you want to know history -

practical stuff based around reality -

that moment in time can become

something significant.

It can represent a life - at least if you

take the time to be curious and figure

out what made that life tick.

Jennaʼs grand father flew Corsairs in WW2 and in Korea.

This is a Korean bird - an F4U-4

This pencil sketch took me - MAYBE a minute. But, it helps me understand proportion.

I really screwed this up - the cockpit and nose are too big, the tail too small and the wing too weenie-like.

Korean-era “star and bar” markings showed a red stripe through the bar.

In Korea, Red flew with VMF-312 - “The Checkerboarders” - they painted their nose in a particular white check pattern. I was not thrilled about getting all of those little squares right.

Korean Corsairs flew from both land bases and carriers. With the “bounce issue” long solved, hooks were retained on all F4Us.

Iʼm not quite sure why the Navy and Marines went to painting their airplanes dark blue all-over. I can tell you this, however - itʼs a miserable color to try and reproduce in artwork.

And of course, as Jenna noted, Red

ended up flying Corsairs and she

wanted me to draw his airplane.


So, let’s get back to Red.




These are some drawings Red did

when he was a little kid. I think it’s

pretty cool to hold 70 year old

drawings.

Back then, coloring books didn’t grow

on trees. Most times, you had to make

your own lines.

I recognized that Red’s rendering of MickeyMouse was closer to the way artists drew the first one - skinny and bendy - and looked into it further. Anyway, Mickey’s first film wascalled “Plane Crazy” (circa 1930) and is about Mickey being inspired to learn to fly by most little boy’s hero of the day, Charles Lindbergh. Notice the similarity between Red’s airplane rendering and Mickey’sfrom the movie.

Crayon images provided courtesy Crayola LLC, used with permission. © 2009Crayola. Crayola™, Serpentine Design™, Binney & Smith™

✓ Self-sufficiency.

That was fine because, as you

can see, Red had no problem

making his own lines.

That’ll come in handy as a

fighter pilot, eh?



Self-sufficiency is key to making the

split-second decisions that tend to be

common in combat (heck, life!).

In 1940, the United States Govt. was

just about ready to make a decision on

instating a draft.

Red saw it coming and made one of

those self-sufficient, quick decisions.

High school - 1940

Navy Cadet - 1942

Marine pilot - 1943

$5,882.90Do you have any friends

that are worth six grand?“I trust this Country, but I don’t

trust a Draft Board! I’m enlisting.”

Red made a good friend while learning to be a Naval aviator - EB Reade. Somehow, EB got it into his head that being a MARINE aviator was better than being a NAVY aviator and decided to transfer. Red decided to stick with his friend, but not without a price - the Marines charged Red $450 for new uniforms. According to U.S. Government figures, that $450 then was worth $5,882.90 in 2008 dollars. ✓ Loyalty.

“And I’m going to be a pilot, too.”

It may not be necessary for flying a Corsair, but if you want to be someone people trust, you should have a bit of:




Red’s transferring

days weren’t finished, however.

The map at right is a summary - a few

locales were omitted for space

consideration. For a guy who wanted

to ensure his own destiny, the Marines

sure gave him a goose chase!

1. Sept. ’42 - Huntington, WVA - induction2. Oct. ’42 - Athens, GA - basic training3. Jan. ’43 - Gross Ile, MI - primary flight training4. Oct. ’43 - Pensacola, FL - Wings of Gold!5. Dec. ’43 - Jacksonville, FL - Corsair training6. Jan. ’44 - Cherry Pt., NC - joined VMF 511 - the first carrier-based Marine Corsair squad7. Feb. ’44 - New Bern, NC - Gets engaged8. May ’44 - Key West, FL - Joins “Project Danny”9. July ’44 - Mojave, CA - Carrier practice10. Dec ’44 - Santa Barbara, CA - Carrier practice11. Feb. ’45 - Cherry Pt, NC - Leave12. April ’45 - Honolulu, HI - Get ready...

Dorothy, I am afraid I’ll never get

to do the job I signed up to

do.

That’s just fine with me, Red.

I like you alive.

Along those lines,

will you marry me?

Red circa 1944, Jacksonville, FL


Project Danny was an idea to have Marine fighters hunt Nazi “V-weapons” using a rocket-missile called the “Tiny Tim.” The idea was scrapped because the job ended up being a lot less difficult than previously thought.

Cur

tiss

SB2C

sho

wn



June, 1945, Red finally got his chance

to fly combat.

He arrived as a replacement pilot for

VMF-311 based at Chimu Airfield

on an island of Okinawa.

VMF-311 arrived in the Pacific Theater of Operations in October of 1943 but didnʼt fly combat missions until March of 1944 when they attacked Japanese installations in the Marshall Island chain. Here, the “Hells Belles” pioneered the intentional use of the Corsair as a dive bomber.

“So what?” you ask. Well, Iʼm not here to sermonize, but I think itʼs rather fascinating to learn how often - in military, business, life - improvisation plays pivotal roles defining future intention.


Okinawa is an island group south of

Japan. The largest island of the group

is called “Okinawa Island” and about

600 miles from Mainland Japan.



A quick bit about Okinawa.

When Red arrived in June, the island

was virtually steaming from the heat

of human blood. The fighting started

in April and was finally mopped up

around July 1.

The Americans suffered 49,151

casualties. Of that number, about

12,500 were killed.

The Japanese on the other hand,

surrendered about 7,400 soldiers. No

one knows for sure but official U.S.

Army stats estimate 110,000* soldiers

killed.

*Want a perspective on 110,000 people? Imagine a meteorite hitting Billings, Montana, vaporizing everyone. What?! You donʼt know anyone in Billings? Well, you should. My mom was born there and so was my buddy Dave (whoʼs a Marine, btw).




*Casualties = wounded + killed

BAfter Okinawa, everyone knew that the

Japanese mainland was next and people

feared a landing on the Mainland would

make Okinawa and Iwo Jima seem like

a grade-school Christmas play by

comparison.

When this photo was taken, Red didn’t

know that in a few weeks, the Atomic

bombs would effectively end the war.

Red logged 35 combat missions - mostly “Combat Air Patrol” (CAP) looking for the onesy-twosie Kamikazes that never showed up on Redʼs watch. He did manage a few missions over Japan (Kyushu), strafing and bombing ground targets.




When the war ended, Red didn’t go

home.

Instead, VMF-311 was transfered to

Yokosuka, Japan as an occupation force.

This photo is of VMF-311 as it cruises

past Japan’s Mt. Fuji.

Picture this - over 3 and a half years of

full-on war, going from the beating at

Pearl Harbor to Parade Formation over

the enemy’s icon.

Can you imagine the thrill of victory?!

Red can. Heʼs flying the Corsair marked by the arrow. I asked Red how the Japanese treated him, now that he was a victor on conquered land. He said they were “polite, docile.” Another friend of mine, an Army Medic, also had Occupation Duty. Interestingly, he used the same words to describe the vanquished citizens - “polite and docile.”

I rem

embe

r see

ing

this

pho

to w

hen

I was

pro

babl

y no

mor

e th

an te

n ye

ars

old.

3

deca

des

late

r, Iʼm

hol

ding

it in

my

hand

. St

rang

e ho

w th

ings

wor

k, e

h?


This is my friend Dr. John Forrette, Sr.His job was to process American

prisoners of the Japanese back into freedom.Photo: Courtesy Marcine Forrette



By Fall, 1946, Red was on his way

home, eager to put the war behind and

move forward.

Well, I did it. Combat.

Well,you also

came home!

Let’s go to California

and start our lives.

Ok!Red and the lovely Dorothy were

married in 1947.




Hey! I joined the Marine Reserves!

(sigh)Well...

...if you enjoy it...

I get FREE

Corsair time!

Ahh. Peace.

Got each other, got life, got the future...

...all is right with the world.

Babies? Sure! Let’s have a bunch!*

*aka: The Baby Boom.




Hey honey!Any good mail

today?

Uh.No.

Well...

Uh,there’s a letter

on the counter...

Oh.

Red racked up Corsair hours in The

Marine Reserves, tried his hand at

selling insurance...

Dorothy took on the role of rearing two

beautiful kids...

Then on June 25, 1950, the Communists

started a Civil War in Korea.




In case youʼre curious, this is what “Military Orders” look like.

For my taste, theyʼre so retentive,theyʼre almost unintelligible.

Let me summarize:

Dear James, Eugene N.:

You’re going to Korea.

Sincerely,The Marines

That “letter on the counter”

couldn’t have come at a more

inconvenient time for the James’s.




I’m honoringmy

commitment.

Kids, listen to your

awesomemom.

Where you going, dad?

This time, Red wasn’t a barely-

man of 22.

He was a husband. And a dad.

Will you be homefor dinner?

This had to suck.

I’ve never been in combat,

but I am a dad.

Diann James Richard James




Originally, the Marines wanted to put

Red in Grumman F9F Panthers*.

When they noticed Red’s 1,200-odd

hours in Corsairs they knew such

experience couldn’t be wasted.

“Red, we’ll give you a choice. Corsairs on Surfor Corsairs on Turf?”

Land-based Corsair Squadron

+ No stormy carrier landings

- Nifty WW2 surplus sleeping bag

- Sturdy burlap tent

- Combat helmet doubles as a sink for shaving

- Enjoy North Dakota-like weather

- Might get to experience an artillery attack

Carrier-based Corsair Squadron

- Have to land on a moving, bobbing and rolling runway

+ Hot breakfast, lunch and dinner

+ Table cloths, china, silver cutlery

+ Hot water & sink for shaving

+ Heating and air conditioning

+ Laundry service

*Panthers are featured in the movie, “The Bridges at Toko-Ri” though the pilots in the James Michener book (from which it’s based) flew F2H Banshees.Regardless, if you haven’t seen the movie, you should. Especially if you know someone in the service that leaves their family behind.

CONS

PROS &

Red had to redirect his mind to the

tasks at hand.




Welcome aboard, Red!

You’re a Checkerboarder now

VMA/F-312 aboard the USS Badoeng

Strait and the USS Bataan!

Did you know the Marines’ token colors are gold and red?


Oh - a “Checkerboarder” is a nickname given to pilots of VMA/F-312 to note the white squares painted on their airplane noses.




VMA-312 flew from both these carriers. Notice the size - of course theyʼre bigger than ski boats, but if you can imagine yourself walking around on that deck, theyʼre really not that big, especially when you consider landing a 5-ton+ fighter plane on

top. In fact, the “full size” carriers were just about twice as big as these two.

The Badoeng Strait is a pass of water in Indonesia and interestingly,the site of an early WW2 American defeat by the Japanese.

Bataan is a province of the Philippine Islands and, interestingly,the site of another WW2 American defeat by the Japanese.

Vengeance has a strange sense of humor.

KNOW RED’S AIRCRAFT CARRIERS!

First set sail in 1945About 550 feet longTop speed: about 25 miles per hourThe “E” in CVE means “Escort” andbasically, that meant these carriers wereslower and less armed than a Light Carrieror certainly a Full-size Carrier.

USS BADOENG STRAIT CVE-116First set sail in 1943About 620 feet long

Top speed: about 35 miles per hourThe “L” in CVL means “Light” carrier. These

were almost as fast as the regular carriers even though they were much smaller in size

99% sure Red was on the ship when this photo was taken in 1952.

USS BATAAN CVL-29



The Checkerboarders mission wasn’t all

that different than Marine squadrons in

WW2 - hitting ground targets.

Go in low, fast...and hope against the

salt-shaker sized projectiles screaming

back at 1,500 feet per second.

“The puff that got you was theone you didn’t see.”

The sketch at left shows what Redʼs typical mission looked like - flying fast, hitting low. The photo at lower left showing the results of a Navy raid against a North Korean train.

The photo below shows Red climbing aboard a Checkerboarder F4U-4. Notice the flight suit. Redʼs not a big guy. The NASA-like bulk was a reminder that the waters surrounding the carrier

This salt shaker is pretty close to the actual size of a

37mm anti-aircraft head.




The first puff Red didn’t see was

on November 27, 1952. 312 was

tasked with attacking a bridge near

Chinnamp’o to give the Communists

a harder time of passing ammo to

the front.

This is the page prior to the one shown here. Notice the red printing; November was a busy combat month for the Checkerboarders.

This is a spread out of Redʼs logbook• Notations in RED indicate a combat mission• Recorded: Day, Aircraft model, (serial) number, type of mission, length of time, cumulative flight time, single engine or multi-engine, number of carrier landings and a teeny space for “remarks.”




Marine Red The story behind“18”

Red got to lead a flight of 4 into the

attack. “Pushing over” from about

8,000 feet altitude, his Corsair took a hit

in the oil sump pump.

Red’s airplane started losing oil.

He completed the attack run but knew

he wasn’t going to make it back to the

carrier. This is Chinnampʼo• In 1950, it was the end-of-the-line harbor for American troops being pushed out by the advancing Communists. By 1952, the place was a staging area for the Communist military forces.

This is a cheesy sketch• Red lines up on a convoy attempting to cross a bridge• 37mm anti-aircraft shells are fired at the Corsairs• Speed? About 350 mph• Ammo? 2 500lb bombs and about 2,000 rounds of 50cal bullets



Red put his leaking Corsair down on a

beach at a place called “Cho-Do” - an

island a few miles West of the target.

The tide was low so sand was firm and

dry. How’s that for a lucky landing

spot?!

Wait. It gets even luckier.

Imagine Red’s surprise when he was

greeted by a British engine mechanic

who could fix his engine using a sump

pump they’d removed from a prior

wreck!

2 hours later...

This is Cho-Do island (about)• Right now, itʼs a North Korean naval station. Back in 1952, it was a nice little island managed by a company of British soldiers.

This is another cheesy sketch• Red “gives his Corsair the gas”• The tide is coming in• The Brits wave goodbye• Red roars off, letting a rain squall clean his oil-smeared canopy.




...Red was airborne and heading back

for the USS Badoeng Strait.

Just in time, too. The tide was coming

in and the sand would soon be to

waterlogged to support the weight of a

fighter plane.

Red radioed ahead that his beach was

no longer a suitable runway.

Sure enough, a Corsair on a later Flight

was knocked out and tried to make the

same landing.

But that pilot didn’t get the memo.

The airplane’s landing gear went into

the sand like ice picks.

His Corsair flipped over and started to

burn. The trapped pilot didn’t have a

chance.

Red found out later that his warning about the beach tide wasnʼt passed on by the Commanding Officer*.

He made sure the C/O got this message:

*He shall remain nameless.

“You killed that boy!”

Red never let that act of thoughtlessness be forgotten.

And now, you wonʼt either.

✓ Responsibility


Leadership isn’t much without a sense of...



The second puff that Red didn’t see

was on January 4, 1953. He was

part of a strike on the railroad

station at Chông-ch'on.

If a target is worth attacking, it’s also

worth defending.

Chông-ch'on was definitely defended.




Red was about to pull out of his

bombing run when the “bulletproof”

windscreen suddenly blew apart.

Red cut his airspeed, got control of his

airplane and radioed...

This is Chông-ch'on.• Unfortunately, I wasnʼt able to get a hold of official combat records on what the target at Chông-ch'on really was. Red writes of 7 “rail road cuts” so Iʼve made a logical assumption based on this record.

This is the last cheesy sketch (promise)• Red takes a hit near his cockpit• The “bulletproof” windscreen shatters• 300 mph wind and shards of plexiglas blast Red in the face

“You guys all go ahead. I’ll land last. This could get messy.”





Thank you to Dave Powers of LOGBOOK Magazine.Wow. What a read!



The photo at left shows Red receiving his purple heart from Naval Captain Cameron of the Badoeng Strait. Red thought the Purple Heart was rather undeserved.

The experience of 300+ carrier

landings paid off. Red brought’er in

just fine.

“They pulled me out of the cockpit, carried me to the doc and he picked the bits out of my head.”

Red was flying again on the 8th.

“Alright. The dramaʼs over. Back to work, Checkerboarders.”


Jan 27, 1953 Official U.S. Navy Photograph

Want to help me out? The officer shaking Redʼs hand is obviously a Naval officer (by uniform.) The back of this photo indicates a “Captain Cameron.” But USS Badoeng Strait didnʼt have a Captain Cameron of record at the time - just the Marine Lt. Col, Robert E. Cameron who happened to be the commander of VMA-312. So, can you help me learn more about the Captain in the photo?



And he kept flying until April 30, 1953 when he completed his 101st mission.

Typically, Marine attack pilots were limited to flying 100 missions. You can imagine the superstitions and mysticism attached to such a number. So, Red decided to tempt fate and sneak (yes, literally) an extra mission.

✓ Fearless.

The squadron flight surgeon was not impressed with

Red’s antic but what was he to do? Ground him?


Sometimes you just have to “do it.”



Red left Korea with a bunch of medals

that he thought were given to him

simply for doing his job.

Truth be known, he was just happy he

had the job of husband and dad waiting.

“Official photograph, U.S. Navy”

Purple HeartAwarded for beingwounded or killed

in service

Distinguished Flying Cross

Awarded for Heroism or

extraordinary achievement while participating in an

aerial flight

Air MedalAwarded formeritorious

achievement while participating in

aerial flight

The military conserves resources!

Instead of issuing a whole new medals every time itʼs awarded again, the Navy simply added a star.

Nice pants there, Colonel. Get to the gym much?




Though he stayed on in the Reserves

for a bit longer, in June of 1956, Red

left the Marines for good.

“Official photograph, U.S. Navy”

He was paid $2,084.16 for his service.

This an enlargement of Redʼs separation papers.




Red considers his $2,084.16

paycheck to be getting-off-easy.

Korean War Stats:Number of combatant casualties: 1,200,000 +

Number of civilian casualties: 2,500,000 +

By the way, the Korean War has never been officially ended.

Cap

t. C

. W. H

uff.

(US

Arm

y)

And theyʼre STILL saber rattling today.




Deciding on an airplane to represent

Red’s service was easy - it had to be a

“Checkerboard” F4U-4 circa 1952.

In fact, Corsair BuNo 97349!

Why?

Because F4U-4 BuNo 97349 was

hanging in the Naval Air Museum

about 20 minutes away from Red’s home

and lookie here...

Anyway...




What are the odds?!

But to me, BuNo 97349 isn’t just about

an amusing quirk of fate. It’s the story

of decades of interconnected thoughts,

choices and behaviors.

The ingenuity, leadership and energy of the people at Chance Vought Aircraft.

The foresight of Naval military leaders to be vigilant about national defense.

Everybody needs to get paid.Getting awards for things we should be doing anyway may be silly, but they end up mattering to someone.

Why one needless death on a beach seems especially unjust during a war that killed hundreds of thousands.

The demands upon a woman to raise a family without a father...

The positivity of the British pilots to make-do without complaint.

The stress of kids who wonder when their life will seem whole again.

People will exchange liberty with their lives. And you caninterpret that any number ofways.

Itʼs better to be well prepared than well planned.

“18”Chance Vought F4U-4 as flown by

Eugene “Red” James, VMA-312

Yeah, I may be over-analyzing.

But when you go to the next page, I

hope you see something more than

just a blue airplane.




How an ordinary person can do something quite extraordinary and yet call it “duty.”

“18”Chance Vought F4U-4 as flown by

Eugene “Red” James, VMA-312

This may be the most controversial illustration Iʼve ever done. First, the Corsair hanging in the museum is was restored in the 1960s and may be the composition of a number of Corsairs. BuNo 97349 was attached to the airplane during restoration. Second, the squadron notation should probably read VMA-312 instead of VMF-312. Thirdly, the markings on the Corsair hanging from the museum do not show the BuNo placement and red Korean Service stripe across the insignia, mine does. I chose to render 97349 in markings based on 1952 official standards verified by photographs and the advice of historians far smarter than me. Fourth, there were likely a couple of “18s” that ended up with checkerboard cowl markings. Lastly, if you have access to a time-machine, could you please snap a few pictures for me?




✓ Excellent eyesight✓ Quick reflexes✓ High intelligence✓ Self-sufficiency✓ Loyalty✓ Fearlessness (at least give the appearance of)✓ Responsibility

When I look at Red, I see more than just

that blue airplane - I see her pilot, too.

And Jenna, you were absolutelyright about yourgrandfather.




Red & Dorothy know that so many other pilots & crew will never have their

service known the way his has been.

To that end, they ask that you think about all the sons, daughters, moms and dads who went into combat in the hope of

serving their Nation well.

Especially of the ones that didn’t return.




And to you, Red...This whole presentation has been one huge exercise in the fact that we do indeed

“stand on the shoulders of giants.”Thank you, Sir.

I think everyone should study history to learn why people did what they did.

The past will be more understandable,the present clearer

and the future brighter.

Well, it CAN be brighter.

If we do the “study and learn” part.




And the good work of guys like Red James

will grow.

marine red - the story of a marine and his corsair

Documents