Night Officer Ben Daz Biography

Chapters 6–11 relate the beginnings of Louie’s WWII career in the American military. In September 1941, Louie was drafted and eventually assigned to the Army Air Corps. He trained as a bombardier, flying in the clunky but powerful B-24 Liberator planes. Stationed in Oahu, Hawaii, Louie and his crewmates joined in the fight against Japan that was taking place all across the Pacific Ocean (referred to as the “Pacific Theatre”).

He stayed there only long enough to finish out the first quarter of his freshman year. On December 29, 1978, Jeffrey started a three-year hitch in the U.S. Army. Not even a year later Jeffrey completed his training as a medical specialist and was assigned post in Baumholder, Germany. About two years later, on March 26, 1981, he was discharged from the army in South Carolina because he was drinking so heavily and was always depressed. After that he somehow found his way to South Florida.

     In January 1973 his unit was sent back to Fort Knox, KY and with the move, his military career seem to disappear. Also with the move, he had a spiritual rebirth, and began attending services at Beth Haven Baptist Church in Louisville and soon changed from a Jew to a Christian.

On May 25, 1971, Adams, a major, volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter mission to rescue three wounded soldiers from a besieged firebase in the Kontum Province, despite the clear weather which would provide clear visibility for the numerous enemy anti-aircraft around the location. Despite fire from

Felix Longoria is a name that should be recognizable to the general public, but sadly is not. This young father and husband answered the call of duty in November of 1944 and after basic training was immediately shipped off to fight in the Philippines. Serving as an infantryman he volunteered to join a patrol that was to weed out and exterminate enemy snipers. On June, 16th, 1945 he would give the ultimate sacrifice for his nation while on this particular patrol. According to the reports that his family received, the war department found that the cause of death occurred when a mortar was fired towards him and half of his body was eviscerated. Since the war effort was still ongoing it would be three years before his body would be able to come home to Three Rivers, Texas for a proper burial.

During a bomb raid Louie and his crewmates were in Super Man, their assigned plane when Japanese fighting planes called Zeros, were all around them and attacking them. “Louie had his aim, and the first bombs dropped, spun down, and struck their targets.” Even with the chaos of the zeros Louie was determined to make it out alive and finish the mission. Zeros managed to strike and gravely wound Super Man and some of Louie’s crewmates. Louie and the remaining crewmates were assigned to a new plane, Green Hornet and a new squadron which included six new men, which included Sergeant Francis McNamara who went by Mac.

To begin with, he enlisted instead of being drafted into the military and did not have a choice in the assignment he was given. On December 12, 1962, he joined the United States Air Force becoming a member of the 186th TAC Recon Group in Meridian, MS. His basic training was at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, and he attended technical school at Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul, IL, training to be a general purpose vehicle mechanic. His two instructors for basic

Gowrie, Iowa native, Orval Hasty needed money to attend college, so he joined the marines in 1940, he ended up earning this money after the war. He got assigned at Ford Island to guard In February 1941. Around the 450 acre island there were other vessels and battleships. Orval said, "It was good duty. The climate was nice, we weren 't overworked and it was fun," with regard to the Naval Air Station Ford Island. When not at work Orval attended flying lessons, visited shows, and hung out at beaches. Sleeping in on Sunday mornings was normal for Marines and Sailors not on duty. Orval got up early asking his parents about his driver’s license through the mail. Orval didn’t know what was about to happen. No one knew. Before dawn 183 Japanese bomber planes, torpedo planes and fighter planes took flight on their way to Pearl Harbor. Wave two came later.

Captain Tamborelli served as an Instructor/Writer of the Aviation Basic Officer Leadership Course (ABOLC) assigned to 1st Platoon, Delta Company 1/145th; responsible for the training, safety, welfare, and discipline in excess of 200 Lieutenants

Two things were unusual about this American fighter pilot. First, he had passed up a sure kill. Second, he was Black. He flew with the only U.S. Fighter squad involved in World War Two that could claim to have never lost a bomber they were escorting. The Group was the 332nd Fighter Group, "The Redtails," the famed all African American outfit that fought both American racism and Nazi militarism. Under the leadership and discipline of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, the Redtails had learned that their mission in life was to protect the bombers(Respect and Honor 1).

Maj. Charles W. Sweeney was the pilot in command. Flew the leading aircraft, Bockscar, which would drop the bomb.

He, furthermore, explained that when he was transferred from England to Dyess Air force in Texas, he was “in charge of bed-stock supplies for B-1 bombers,” which were one of the main planes that were bombing Saddam Hussein’s forces. Besides flying in the B-1 bombers and actually fighting Iraqi forces, preparing B-1 bomber planes was one of the most significant tasks to do.

During that summer he took many different back strengthening exercises, and in September he was accepted by the Navy. In March 1943, as a lieutenant he took command of a PT (torpedo) boat in the Solomon Islands. On the night of August 2, his boat was cruising west of New Georgia it was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. He rallied the survivors and managed to get them to an island after being thrown across the deck onto his back. He then towed a wounded man three miles through a rough journey through different seas. He was a very brave man, for several days he risked his life repeatedly, swimming into dangerous waters hoping to find a rescue ship. He finally met up with two friendly islanders and sent them for aid with a message that he carved on a coconut. Back home he received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and the Purple Heart, but his earlier back injury had been aggravated, and unfortunately he contracted malaria. After an operation on his back, he was discharged early in 1945.

Master Sergeant Benavidez became a visionary leader in his career as an Army airborne ranger, when he displayed his idealized influence when he selfishly took it upon himself to jump on the next helicopter after the call came across the radio that his guys were under fire and they needed reinforcements, with only a medical bag and a knife he bravely left. He exhibited service before self and sacrificed his personal life for the mission, because of this heroic action, he saved 8 of his comrades in Vietnam against overwhelming odds. In the bloodiest 6 hours of his life, he was shot 5 times, knifed during hand to hand combat, and sustained shrapnel wounds when hit by a grenade. When dealing with these types of adversities this is a perfect example of how emergent leadership and how resiliency place a huge part in recovery and how he used these principles in life after the war. “Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win”. As stated in “Medal of Honor” that is what his ranger drill instructor asked of him. A motto that he has always lived by. This was his resiliency motivation.

Dr. Guion Stewart “Guy” Bluford was born on November 22, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Overbrook High School; he received a B.S. in aerospace engineering, from the Pennsylvania State University in 1964, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering from The Air Force Institute of Technology, in 1974, a PH. D. in aerospace engineering with a minor in laser physics, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston, - Clear Lake in 1987. Bluford attended pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, and received his pilot wings in January 1966, he then went to F-C4 combat crew training in Arizona and Florida, and was assigned to the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, he flew 144 combat