Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Flyer’s fortune
By CHARLYN FINN
“I just got lucky.”
Norman Walker, now 84, former pilot for the U.S. Air Force, was explaining how he managed to drop down 800 feet to Little Walden, England turf without breaking any bones. He did, however, suffer a double-vision concussion.
Walker pointed out that the enemy did not shoot him down. The engine of the P-51 he was flying, “quit on me 800 feet over Little Waldron, England. I dropped to the ground. Thirty minutes later someone in a jeep pulled up to rescue me.”
Walker to this day thanks God for his good fortune. The plane could easily have burst in flames with him in it because it had a nearly-full fuel tank.
Walker has many hours of flight training dating back to World War II and by the time he was discharged he was a first-rate pilot in the service of Uncle Sam.
But, his wife, retired school teacher Patsy Walker, said her husband will not board an airplane. He still remembers that accident in Little Walden, England.
Walker has a distinguished World War II military record earned as a fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force. He did not suffer any injury caused by the enemy.
“I only got shot at once and it wasn’t in the line of military duty,” he said while sitting in his comfortable home on Saluria Drive in Port Lavaca. “B-u-t, I have been shot at.”
Norman then goes on to tell a tale about a last night at home before embarking on a military tour that would take him into action in Europe towards the end of the war.
“Patsy and I went dancing,” he said. “Then my little brother and some friends and I decided we wanted to go duck hunting.”
On that expedition Walker agreed to carry a friend’s rifle and while crossing a stream he shot himself in the toe.
“He had left one bullet in the rifle,” Walker said. “Later on a military doctor asked me what that (bullet wound in his toe) was and I just said ‘oh, it’s nothing.”
Walker has a lively sense of humor so he remembers the humor of the incident and not the pain. He’s one of the few people left in Calhoun County who spent time at Foster Field Air Base on Matagorda Island. He received advanced pilot training and gunnery training on Matagorda Island from May through June 1944. With 86 hours of pilot training received from March 29, 1943 to May 22, 1944, Norman was sent to Foster Field for training on a P-40. Walker didn’t find the island to be a balmy, salubrious vacation spot. “The mosquitoes were awful,” he says wincing.
“It was hot and we slept at night under mosquito netting in the barracks.”
Walker went into military service at the ripe old age of 21. His career began at College Station where he was an aviation cadet at Texas A&M University.
On March 29, 1943 Walker went to New Orleans, La. for the purpose of joining the military. “There was no room so we were shipped to Shepherd Field in Wichita Falls,” Norman said. “We got our shots. We enlisted. They got us in shape. Then we went to San Antonio where they classified us. We went to a pre-flight school for 10 weeks. Then we were shipped to Fort Stockton. After 10 more weeks of flight training I graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 22, 1944.” Norman was one of 2,700 students to receive P-40 training.
After two different training sessions at Foster Field, Norman became eligible to see more of the southern part of the United States. He was sent to Tallahassee, Florida, to Meridian, Mississippi and then back to Tallahassee. During this time he received 135 additional hours of pilot training.
Walker was trained as a 1055 S. E. fighter Pilot and a 1054 Pilot on a single engine plane.
On Jan. 31, 1945, the time had arrived for Walker to see the world via luxury cruise liner Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth had been outfitted for war purposes, as had the Queen Mary (reported today to be haunted), which eventually brought Walker back home.
On the Queen Elizabeth, Walker joined a fighter group that slipped into England on the cold Atlantic side. “We just floated in there,” Walker said. It took us seven days to get there.”
In October 1945, nine months after Walker’s cruise on the Queen Elizabeth, she completed her final troop voyage and was returned for civilian passenger duty. During the war she carried over 750,000 troops, one of which was Norman Walker.
Like so many of the young men who fought with the U.S. military in World War II, Walker had not even been told where he was going.
From England, Walker and those with him were dropped off on Belgium Air Field.
“I don’t think I will ever forget that,” he said.
On Feb. 24 through July 21, 1945, Walker was part of the 375 Fighter Squad and received 100 hours of training to fly the P-51 planes.
Walker was assigned to a P51 Mustang Plane that he named “Patsy” after his wife. “She was the prettiest girl I ever did see,” Walker said, getting a little off the subject to talk about the day he had a blind date with his wife in Shreveport, La. Walker, very much in love, chose to name his plane after his wife. Norman and Patsy had their first date on Sept. 1, 1941.
In 1945 Walker returned home on the Queen Mary.
Life in the USA had changed. “It was a mess trying to find new clothes but I did find a 1946 Ford,” he quipped. “It was brand new but it didn’t run half the time so I sold it.”
Norman and Patsy Walker made Calhoun County their home after the war. Although neither were born in Calhoun County, it was not surprising that they came here because they had family here. Her mother was born and raised in Seadrift and graduated from high school in 1913.
Norman is one of the first Seadrift Union Carbide employees. Active in the community he has served two terms as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4403 commander and he was the mayor of Seadrift for one term, 1956-57.
“I just got lucky.”
Norman Walker, now 84, former pilot for the U.S. Air Force, was explaining how he managed to drop down 800 feet to Little Walden, England turf without breaking any bones. He did, however, suffer a double-vision concussion.
Walker pointed out that the enemy did not shoot him down. The engine of the P-51 he was flying, “quit on me 800 feet over Little Waldron, England. I dropped to the ground. Thirty minutes later someone in a jeep pulled up to rescue me.”
Walker to this day thanks God for his good fortune. The plane could easily have burst in flames with him in it because it had a nearly-full fuel tank.
Walker has many hours of flight training dating back to World War II and by the time he was discharged he was a first-rate pilot in the service of Uncle Sam.
But, his wife, retired school teacher Patsy Walker, said her husband will not board an airplane. He still remembers that accident in Little Walden, England.
Walker has a distinguished World War II military record earned as a fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force. He did not suffer any injury caused by the enemy.
“I only got shot at once and it wasn’t in the line of military duty,” he said while sitting in his comfortable home on Saluria Drive in Port Lavaca. “B-u-t, I have been shot at.”
Norman then goes on to tell a tale about a last night at home before embarking on a military tour that would take him into action in Europe towards the end of the war.
“Patsy and I went dancing,” he said. “Then my little brother and some friends and I decided we wanted to go duck hunting.”
On that expedition Walker agreed to carry a friend’s rifle and while crossing a stream he shot himself in the toe.
“He had left one bullet in the rifle,” Walker said. “Later on a military doctor asked me what that (bullet wound in his toe) was and I just said ‘oh, it’s nothing.”
Walker has a lively sense of humor so he remembers the humor of the incident and not the pain. He’s one of the few people left in Calhoun County who spent time at Foster Field Air Base on Matagorda Island. He received advanced pilot training and gunnery training on Matagorda Island from May through June 1944. With 86 hours of pilot training received from March 29, 1943 to May 22, 1944, Norman was sent to Foster Field for training on a P-40. Walker didn’t find the island to be a balmy, salubrious vacation spot. “The mosquitoes were awful,” he says wincing.
“It was hot and we slept at night under mosquito netting in the barracks.”
Walker went into military service at the ripe old age of 21. His career began at College Station where he was an aviation cadet at Texas A&M University.
On March 29, 1943 Walker went to New Orleans, La. for the purpose of joining the military. “There was no room so we were shipped to Shepherd Field in Wichita Falls,” Norman said. “We got our shots. We enlisted. They got us in shape. Then we went to San Antonio where they classified us. We went to a pre-flight school for 10 weeks. Then we were shipped to Fort Stockton. After 10 more weeks of flight training I graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 22, 1944.” Norman was one of 2,700 students to receive P-40 training.
After two different training sessions at Foster Field, Norman became eligible to see more of the southern part of the United States. He was sent to Tallahassee, Florida, to Meridian, Mississippi and then back to Tallahassee. During this time he received 135 additional hours of pilot training.
Walker was trained as a 1055 S. E. fighter Pilot and a 1054 Pilot on a single engine plane.
On Jan. 31, 1945, the time had arrived for Walker to see the world via luxury cruise liner Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth had been outfitted for war purposes, as had the Queen Mary (reported today to be haunted), which eventually brought Walker back home.
On the Queen Elizabeth, Walker joined a fighter group that slipped into England on the cold Atlantic side. “We just floated in there,” Walker said. It took us seven days to get there.”
In October 1945, nine months after Walker’s cruise on the Queen Elizabeth, she completed her final troop voyage and was returned for civilian passenger duty. During the war she carried over 750,000 troops, one of which was Norman Walker.
Like so many of the young men who fought with the U.S. military in World War II, Walker had not even been told where he was going.
From England, Walker and those with him were dropped off on Belgium Air Field.
“I don’t think I will ever forget that,” he said.
On Feb. 24 through July 21, 1945, Walker was part of the 375 Fighter Squad and received 100 hours of training to fly the P-51 planes.
Walker was assigned to a P51 Mustang Plane that he named “Patsy” after his wife. “She was the prettiest girl I ever did see,” Walker said, getting a little off the subject to talk about the day he had a blind date with his wife in Shreveport, La. Walker, very much in love, chose to name his plane after his wife. Norman and Patsy had their first date on Sept. 1, 1941.
In 1945 Walker returned home on the Queen Mary.
Life in the USA had changed. “It was a mess trying to find new clothes but I did find a 1946 Ford,” he quipped. “It was brand new but it didn’t run half the time so I sold it.”
Norman and Patsy Walker made Calhoun County their home after the war. Although neither were born in Calhoun County, it was not surprising that they came here because they had family here. Her mother was born and raised in Seadrift and graduated from high school in 1913.
Norman is one of the first Seadrift Union Carbide employees. Active in the community he has served two terms as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4403 commander and he was the mayor of Seadrift for one term, 1956-57.
“I just got lucky.”
 |
||
| Port can’t freeze taxes |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of portlavacawave.com.
