An Army Air Corps Spouse
April 16, 2008 – 6:00 amIn my book, We Knew We Were at War: Women Remember World War II, stories from a number of military spouses appear. This one is from Peg (not me).
In January of 1943, shortly after their marriage, to which none of his family could attend due to gas rationing, Peg’s husband Buck, was called up for service in the Army Air Corps. He went off to Texas and she remained in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, teaching and pursuing music studies. She was able to visit with Buck occasionally in Texas.
After he received his commission and when it was clear he was going overseas, she resigned her job, bought a 1939 Ford (all automobile plants were making war vehicles only), and headed for Texas. She dealt with engine problems, difficult riders, and she was forced to buy two tires on the black market. For other adventures, see my book.
As for Buck, after completing more than twenty missions (two on D-Day), he was assigned to a group known as the “Carpetbaggers.” Their missions were all performed at night in planes painted black. Their cargo consisted of supplies and French citizens who had fled the German occupation and wanted to return to France to become a part of the French Resistance. People of all ages, including one elderly woman, were parachuted back into France under cover of night. Buck had other more mundane assignments here in the United States before his discharge in 1945.
When recounting stories of the war years, both Peg and Buck frequently commented on the many acts of kindness shown to them because of his service to our country.
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