| Notes |
- Following is an email message I received from Percy Smith on May 28, 2000 about Helen Houston and also his life in the U. S. Air Force:
(J. Dean Moore)
Colonel Percy C. Smith, USAF
Hi Dean,
I know there is some controversy between me and Haynes on this, but I
believe she was named Helen Sarah Houston, born Sept 6, 1870 and died April
12, 1929 and buried in Vaiden, MS. Her son, Preston gave the info for the
death certicate and I have just received an old address book of my mother's
and on the first page, she gives this same info. I can remember very well
when she died in Sidon, MS while visiting another son, Thomas Clifford, and
going to the funeral. However, Oscar and his brothers, had her buried in
Vaiden where all five of her children were born.
Yes, Dean, I got my private pilot's license in 1939 in light aircraft under
a gov't program at that time in Greenwood, MS. However, I was working in a
bank at that time making $75 per month and couldn't afford to pay to rent
one since I was dating Lela and buying a new car. Then along comes the
draft, which is the only lottery I've ever won, and left for Camp Shelby,
MS 26 Feb. 1941 in the first group to leave Greenwood. I remained at Camp
Shelby for a couple of weeks, unknown reason to me since all my buddies
left in a few days for the Army. Finally when orders came through for me,
there were seven of us that had pilot licenses and were sent to Maxwell
Field, Al. However, we weren't very welcome there as the only draftees and
most of us were assigned to the fire department to provide a full time
crash truck on the flight line. After a few months of watching the
Advanced class of Cadets in the new convertibles and realizing I wasn't
going to get back home in a year as promised, I signed up for Aviation
Cadets and was sent to Texas--Fort Worth, Randolph, and Lubbock. I
received my wings and Reserve Commission on 20 May 1942 and sent to Calif.
for further training in the old B-18 at Bakersfield Airport.
After a weekend off we spent in Hollywood, all 37 of us new pilots were
sent to Alaska where we were assigned to various units. I was assigned to
fly C-47 and flew all over the Aleutian Chain and Alaska. I was able to
get a 15 day leave in Feb 1943 and flew home and Lela and I got married.
Then in July, after most fo the action was over in Kiska and Attu, I was a
assigned back in the states as an Instructor Pilot in the C-47 and C-46 for
the duration.
After WW2 was over, I continued to fly in the Reserves at Memphis, Tenn. on
weekends while working in the Greenwood Post Office. In 1958 the Air Force
Reserve adopted the Technican program like the ANG, where a small
percentage of personnel worked as civilians during the week and Reservist
on the weekend and I was selected as the Director of Operations for the
Memphis Unit in C-123 aircraft. In 1965 the Viet Nam action caused the Air
Force to deactivate our unit so they could take our planes and I was
transferred to the Unit in Milwaukee flying the C-119 where I was promoted
to Bird Colonel and over grade in my job. They found another job for me in
the Headquarters of Air Force Reserve, effective 1 Jan 1970. So my last
time of flying as a pilot was dropping paratroopers at Fort Benning, GA in
Dec. 1969. My job for the Hdq was programming the flying hours and
justifying them to Congress budget people. I retired in Jan 1980.
My flying hours total for the period 1939-1969 were slightly over eight
thousand hours, mostly in twin engine cargo planes. There was a period in
mid fifties when I was flying jet fighters, F-84 and F-86H, which were the
most exciting. I retired at age 60 as full Colonel from AF under the
Reserve program.
When I started this I didn't know where to stop. That's not to say I don't
still have nightmares from some near misses, but not as often.
Percy
|
1916 - 2003 (86 years)
