Ripcord for a Beer

By: Walter E. Buchanan III

We always knew that Dad was a B-17 bombardier in the Pacific during World War II but we never knew much. Whenever we pressed for details, he always seemed to turn the conversation back to something we were doing. He was very proud of his service but like so many of his generation, it was a part of his life that was behind him. It was history and he had done his part. He saw no need to relive it. After he passed, we found his logbook along with some of his records and made a commitment to research and document his service for the family. What we found surprised us all. We uncovered the story behind a young man who, with the clouds of war on the horizon, dropped out of the University of Oklahoma to enlist in the Army Air Corps and became an aircraft radio mechanic. We learned the full story of how he went on to become a commissioned officer and B-17 bombardier who fought in the Pacific theater at a time when the allies had their backs against the wall. We learned how but for a twist of fate he would have fought a totally different war from an English base. Lastly, we were able to finally put his special "railway watch" in context as we came to appreciate his love for his crew and how they grew to become family at such a critical time in our history. This book tells the personal story of one man's journey as a B-17 bombardier in the Pacific theater during the early days of World War II. In doing so it also details how the bomber war in the Pacific theater was so very different from that of bombers in the European theater.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CQB22TQ9
• ISBN13: 9798864098837
• Release Date: December 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 258 Pages
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.3"