[Mike K]

I met a TBM turret gunner in 1978 . His daughter was out here as an exchange high school teacher . He came out to visit. He lived in Southbend where the Studebakers were built and he worked there . There was or is a Studebaker family and he said they held parties in their mansion and he met them .

Anyway, he was in the US Navy , based on Guadalcanal in a land based TBM squadron . He said they did patrols going out many hundreds of miles , and the biggest fear was becoming lost and ditching in the Pacific. He only spotted Jap aircraft once, in the distance , bombers . He said they always cut their aircrew uniform trousers down to shorts , the heat , and if in the water , made it easier to swim . Sharks were scary too of course . He was about 18 at the time and he said only skinny youngsters fitted into the TBM turret. He knew his vehicles , he said he pranged a Dodge command car while in the Solomons and described the sloping bonnet of a 1/2 tonner.

Mike