about my father-in-law that I've never met, because he died before I married his son. Researching his life has been fascinating. He served in WWII in the Army Air Corps in the Aleutians. Bert Sr. joined the Army Air Corp, was trained in Shreveport LA Radio School, at Sioux Falls, SD, Gunnery School at Yuma, Arizona and served 9 months active duty in Aleutians during WWII as a radio operator, gunner, and navigator. (Analyzing his photo, he and my hubby could be twins.)
Bert Sr graduated from high school in Texas and enlisted in the army during WWII. He was soon far away from his new wife back home in Texas as he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. He was serving with the Eleventh Air Force Liberator bombers patroling the Japanese sea of Okhotsk, west of the Kuriles. Serving 9 months in the Aleutians, flying land based airplanes over long stretches of open sea and in bad weather, being attacked by enemy fighter and flak, the Army Air Coprs had bombarded enemy targets in these north Pacific islands and did photo reconnaissance from Shimushu to Shimushiru. His son, my hubby was born while his dad was away serving his country. (Bert Sr.'s crew mates below, he is sitting on left.)
Bert Sr would be injured on a hard crash landing at his base and struggle with rheumatism in his back for the rest of his life. I've just discovered a website that will get me the info on that crash. They also will send photos of the plane he was a navigator and communicator-sitting right behind the pilot. (Below photo of B24D.)
