CHAPTER 13 OCTOBER 1,1944 -- DECEMBER 1, 1944 FLIGHT TRAINING, CARRIER OPERATIONAL TRAINING NAS LOS ALAMITOS, CA

The arrival on October 1st at Los Alamitos was to begin a pre-departure training period. This was to consist of simulated strikes, field carrier landing and formation tactics. The bomber squadron was sent to San Diego for anti submarine warfare training. Also included in our program was carrier qualifications aboard the USS Matanikau, CVE 101. It was from the Matanikau that Ensign Robert Reed made a high and fast approach for a landing and sailed over the barrier ran off the forward end of the flight deck and dumped his plane in the ocean ahead of the ship. He escaped the disaster unharmed and fortunately did not have his crew with him. No harm, no foul, just embarrassment.

Some of the older members of the squadron had not been subjected to carrier landings in combat type planes and were about to make their first. Most did OK, but our executive officer Lieutenant Occo Gibbs could not bring himself to land aboard the carrier. He was disqualified for carrier operations by the Captain of the Matanikau and was released from the squadron. Occo was an OS2U observation plane pilot and had always been catapulted from a cruiser and landed on the water prior to coming to the squadron. He just couldn't get the nerve to come aboard the carrier. Might not have been nerves so much as just plain smart. He had to fly back and land at San Diego.

The new executive of the squadron was to be Redhorse and Lieutenant William " Mule" Skinner was to be come the commander of the bomber group.

  Los Alamitos is near Seal Beach, Ca. and just east of Long Beach. The inclement weather gave the members of the squadron a sizable amount of liberty. We would wake up in the morning, look out the window, see the fog or rain, call the flight line to find that flying had been canceled then get an early start for Long Beach or Los Angeles. These nasty mornings were called "Crapo secure us", a play of words on the various cloud formations. Results-- more sack time!

So it was on one of these days that another pilot, Charlie Janson, and I took off for Long Beach. I have no idea what we had in mind for that day, but what ever it was, we stopped in a restaurant on Ocean Boulevard, sat down at the counter and lo and behold my future was sitting at the other end. She was with another female which made it just right for making a pass. I believe it was Charlie who had the glib tongue and made the first move. It was the beginning of a pair of very nice friendships for Charlie and me. Not only were they nice looking, but friendly and they had a car. In the two months that we were stationed at Los Alamitos, Charlie and his lady friend, Wilda, with my future and me spent several very enjoyable days and evenings in and around Long Beach and Los Angeles. My female interest, Margie, and Wilda had been student nurses and roommates at Los Angeles General Hospital. Margie still worked there. The four of us remained close friends until Charlie and I sailed away. I continued to correspond with Margie all the time we were at sea. I don't know if Charlie and Wilda had any contact during this time but theirs was not to be a lasting affair, anyhow. Charlie was killed a few months later. I'll get back to Margie and me later.

Robert Allison, Margie Wada, Wilda Van Pelt, Charles Janson

While at Los Alamitos the USO presented a program featuring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. This was without a doubt the number one attraction of all USO shows along with a few "Big Bands". It was rumored that the reason Los Alamitos got the show was because it was so near Hollywood and the station chaplain, a Catholic priest, was a friend of Crosby's. Stands to reason!

You can believe that we were more than eager to see them. It was like the young people today seeing the Beatles or the Rolling Stones or Elvis in their prime. But it was not to be! It was a couple of days before the show that the squadron received orders to report to the USS Matanikau. So we spent the evening of the show listening to their broadcast on radio on board the ship and griping all the while.

If there had been any vindication for us it was because Crosby, Hope and the Chaplain refused to begin the show until a large section of the seats in center and down front that had been set aside for senior officers and their spouses or lady friends had been cleared of these civilians and replaced with service men. The high ranking officers and their friends left. If you had ever been confronted with "RHIP" (Rank has it's privileges) as existed in the service you can well imagine what

Margie and Bob, Los Angeles, 1944

this did to the morale of the sailors. You can well imagine the political influence Crosby and Hope carried to be able to attack the brass in their own lair.

Toward the end of our stay at Los Alamitos the squadron held a party at the Pacific Coast Club in Long Beach. Due to the presence of some of the wives of the married officers the party didn't get too much out of hand although a large quantity of hard liquor was consumed. At least the bill for the booze was six hundred dollars which, at that time, was a considerable amount of liquor. But, we had our drunks and my friend Wells was one of them. He spent most of the evening with his head hanging in the toilet with me holding him up so that he wouldn't drown in his own puke. Don't remember how we got back to the station. I'm sure we had Skinner and the doctor to thank for it.