Of Windmills and War (26 page)

“Nice job, McClain. Congratulations.”

They took off again to return to the main field. As they taxied
to the parking area then deplaned, Danny proudly left his goggles on top of his
head—signifying he had soloed. Until a pilot solos, the goggles were worn under
the chin whenever he was on the ground. As the first in his group to solo,
Danny couldn’t help the proud smile on his face.

Holliman swore. “Well, I’ll be.”

As luck would have it, Cal-Aero was converted to a basic
flight training center just as Danny completed his primary training. That meant
he would stay put for the two months of basic flight training instead of
transferring elsewhere. He couldn’t help thinking his mother’s prayers had
paved the way for all these perfect situations. He’d have to remember to thank
her when he got home.

34

January 1944

Moving into basic flight training took Danny’s flying
experience to a whole new level. With his Stearman days behind him, he and
those in his class now flew the BT13 basic trainer. With a closed-in cockpit,
radio contact, lights, and a much more powerful engine, Danny thought it must
be like stepping out of a Model A Ford into a Rolls Royce—not that he’d ever
been in a Rolls Royce. It was also his first experience flying at night. What a
thrill!

A month later, when their training was completed on
schedule, Danny was transferred to the Stockton Army Air Base for Advanced
Flight Training. There he learned how to fly two-engine aircraft, as well as
flying with a co-pilot. Each cadet took turns flying in the left seat or right
seat, as pilot or co-pilot. Danny much preferred that left seat where he could
be in control, but he knew how important the role of a co-pilot was.

As Danny’s class neared the completion of their flight
training, they were asked to fill out a form indicating their preference as to
what type of aircraft they’d like to be assigned. The choice was an easy one
for Danny. After reading reports about the exploits of Major Jimmy Doolittle
and his group during the first bombing raid on
Tokyo
, Danny
knew he wanted to fly the B-25. He was disappointed when he didn’t make the
cut, unaware that the B-25 was becoming obsolete. Of his entire 44E class, only
two B-25 assignments were made.

Still, he was thrilled to see his name on the list of
graduates. He was also surprised to find out that 20th Century Fox would be
filming their graduation ceremony for the movie,
Winged Victory
. Sure
enough, on May 23 the huge studio cameras recorded their entire ceremony,
including a flyover of AT-7s flown by the class of 44F. They were disappointed
to learn the film’s star, Lon McAlister, was not in attendance. Apparently his
part would be dubbed later in some
Hollywood
studio. But Danny didn’t care. He was just excited to be graduating, and glad
to hear his family would get to see the ceremony on film sometime in the near
future. He could already imagine Dad and Joey holding a special matinee at the
theater to “showcase” his cameo in the film.

But with graduation now behind him, there was only one thing
on his mind—going home!

05 May 1944

Chicago
,
Illinois

“Oh sweetheart!” Mom cried as he swept her up in his arms at
the airport, then twirled her around.

“Hi, Mom! I’ve missed you!”

“Put me down, Danny. I want to look at you!”

He gently set her back on the ground, still holding her as
she held his face in her hands. “Oh, Danny, you look so handsome in your
uniform. How are you?”

Before he could answer, she kissed him on both cheeks. “I’m
great, Mom. Better than great now that I’m home.” He looked over her shoulder
at his father. “Hi, Dad.”

His father, still walking with a cane, made his way closer,
standing beside his mother. “Good to see you, son. How’s the Army Air Force
treating you?”

Danny shook his hand. “Fine, just fine. How’s the theater?”

“Ah, it’s plugging along. Joey’s there now. He insisted I
come along with your mother.”

“I’m glad you came.” When his father broke into a chuckle,
Danny surprised him with a hearty hug. “I’ve missed you!”

His week-long leave flew by much too fast. Three days after he
got home, Danny served as best man as Joey and Millie were married in a small
ceremony at the church. Watching Millie walk down the aisle on the arm of her
father, he’d felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched her eyes locked on Joey’s.
What would it be like to know without a single doubt that someone so beautiful,
so wonderful, loved you unconditionally? He’d almost chuckled out loud when he
sneaked a peek at his brother and caught a glimpse of his goofy, love-smitten grin.
He’d never seen his brother so happy.

As Joey and Millie mingled with family and friends at the
reception, Danny heard someone call out his name. He turned to find his former
high school teacher beaming at him.

“Mrs. Zankowski! Nice to see you!”

She hugged him hard. “Oh, the pleasure’s all mine. What a
handsome best man you made! Why, I couldn’t believe that dashing young man in
uniform standing up there beside Joey was that skinny little guy who used to
mow my yard. How in the world are you, Danny?”

“Great. I just graduated from flight school, and I have to
say I’m feeling pretty good about that right now.”

“Congratulations! That must have been so exciting! We’re all
real proud of you. I pray for you every single day. Your mother keeps me up to
date on all your news.”

“I appreciate that, Mrs. Z.” He turned to look at Joey and
Millie who were talking to some friends. “I guess you and I are family now,
huh? Millie’s a great gal. Joey’s a lucky man.”

“Isn’t she a dear? And oh my, how she loves your brother. Watching
those two fall in love—well, it reminded me there’s still some good left in
this old world after all.”

He noticed a trace of sadness in her eyes.

“Any word from your family over in
Poland
? I
think of them every time there’s war news out of
Warsaw
.”

Her face darkened as she looked away. “Oh, let’s not spoil
such a nice occasion. I thank you for asking, but a wedding isn’t a place
for such troubling talk.” She gave him a trembling smile. “Never mind all
that. How about you? I’ll bet there are lots of pretty girls out there lining
up for a smart, good looking fella like you.”

“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but there’s no pretty girls
chasing after me and certainly no lines forming. I was just hoping you had
another niece or two like Millie.”

She laughed, looping her arm with his. “Well, I’ll have to
give that some thought. In the meantime, let’s go have us a piece of wedding
cake.”

Four days later on his way back to
California
, Danny
dug in his satchel for his journal. He’d been negligent lately, with so little
time to jot down a note or two. But the long flight back to
California
gave
him plenty of time to catch up.

I can’t believe I’m already heading back. It was great to be
home, but strange too. It’s hard to even remember the kid I was when I used to
live there. Same house, same family, same smells, same
sounds . . . but I don’t feel like the same person. Not at all.
I wonder what it will be like when I come back from the war?

With Joey moved into the apartment, Sophie decided to spend
her nights with me. I’d forgotten what it was like to share a bed with a beagle.
But I have to say, I’ll sure miss her. She’s great company. And apparently the
only kind of female company I can handle these days . . .

I couldn’t help thinking about
Beverly
while
I was home. I guess being so close to
Evanston
brought up all those old memories. I’m sure she’s married by now to Mr.
Football. I heard the Wildcats turned their season around and only lost two
games this year. I guess I should be happy for them—the team, that is.

I came across the old cigar box with all my letters from
Hans and Anya. I’m not sure why but something made me read all through them
again. It seems like it’s been a lifetime since I lived for the mailman’s
delivery, hoping to have a letter from
Holland
. It
was hard reading the letters from Hans again. Even after all these years I
still can’t believe he died so young. It reminded me of how I felt after Craig
died. We were never that close, but it still seemed like such a waste. I wonder
how God chooses who will die young and who dies of old age?

I’ve thought about Anya a lot after reading through all her
letters. I wonder what she looks like now. Does she still have those freckles?
Has she grown into a beauty like her mother once was? Did she grow tall like
Hans? Hard to imagine, after all these years thinking of her as “little Anya.” I’m
not sure why, but I stuck that picture of the Versteegs in my wallet. For old
time’s sake, I guess. In my gut, I want to believe she’s still alive, but I
don’t know. The war seems like such a distant monstrosity, but whenever I think
about Anya and her family, it seems very close and personal. I guess it should,
since I could be smack dab in the middle of it soon. Sometimes the thought of
it scares me more than I’m willing to admit. And sometimes . . .
well, sometimes I can’t wait to get there.

Las Vegas
,
Nevada

Upon returning from his leave, Danny and several of his
fellow graduates were sent to Las Vegas Army Air Base in Nevada where they were
first introduced to the mighty Flying Fortress—the B-17. Danny was in awe of
the enormous aircraft, grasping at once the reasoning behind the legendary
nickname. The four-engine bird was the biggest aircraft he’d ever seen.

It was here at the base in
Las Vegas
that
Danny learned he would be training as a co-pilot. The training at the
Las
Vegas
base served two purposes. Gunners were sent up for practice in the air while
co-pilots used the same flights to learn the ropes of flying the Fort. Some
flights were strictly for co-pilot training, a tremendous responsibility
onboard the four-engine birds.

Shortly after their arrival, Danny and his buddies learned
that D-Day was on and the invasion was underway. Time was of the essence.

Once they had mastered the B-17, Danny and his unit were
transferred to Lincoln Army Air Base in
Nebraska
for crew
assignment. Danny was glad to finally meet the men he would fly with, a diverse
and interesting bunch. He looked forward to getting to know them better.

Pilot Dick Anderson hailed from
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
.
Anderson
, about
six feet two with a shock of brown hair, seemed like a congenial guy, but Danny
knew instantly he took his job seriously. Twenty-six year old
Anderson
would
serve as the airplane commander, responsible for the safety of his crew. His
leadership would set the tone for the morale and discipline necessary for them to
function as a unit. Respect and confidence in the airplane commander was vital
to the men who served under him. His word was final, regardless of the
situation. Danny had a feeling
Anderson
could easily maintain
those responsibilities.

Navigator Lane Pendergrass had the look and demeanor of an
Ivy leaguer. With his black hair, blue eyes, and an air of self-confidence, he
reminded Danny of the fraternity boys back at Northwestern. With a name like
Pendergrass, the
Boston
native surely had blue blood
flowing in his veins. But none of that would matter in the skies above enemy
territory. A navigator needed the smarts to get his plane to the target and
back in spite of weather, flak, or formation emergencies, while also
calibrating all of the Fort’s complicated instruments. Positioned in the Plexiglas
bubble in the nose of the aircraft, the navigator would also man the nose gun
when fighters attacked.