[Sakrison]

My father enlisted in the AAF in 1942. He requested transports because he wanted to fly for the airlines after the war. He graduated from flight training at the top of his class and spent two years as a C-47 instructor at Randolph Field in Texas. When he got to England, he had more time in C-47s than most of the other pilots in the squadron, and at 26, he was considered an "old man."

Because of his high time in type, he ended up in the "front row" on a lot of hot missions. His was one of the first planes over Bastogne on Christmas Day '44, he flew seven or eight glider missions (double tows) during Market Garden, and he carried fuel to Patton's tanks during the crossing of the Rhine. After VE day, he carried POWs from Germany to England, then flew to the US with orders for Okinawa. He was at home on leave when the war ended.