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1st Lt Joseph F. Callaghan
Navigator
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1st
Lt. Joseph F. Callaghan
Born: Sept 9, 1916
Died: Dec 29, 2004
Inducted U.S. Army Nov.1940
Training:
Radio
operator/mechanic Scott Field IL.
Flight training Stamford TX.
Navigation school Ellington Field TX.
Radar school Boca Raton FL.
After all these schools, my family thought I would have more
class pins than medals.
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Joe
& Beulah Callaghan
27 April 2002 |
Aug
8,1944, Married Beulah M. Tingley at Boca Raton, FL.
Assigned
to 39th Grp. 60th Sqd Crew 10 at Smokey Hill Air Base Sept 1944.
Trained there and at Batista Field, Cuba until March '45 when
the Group left for Guam.
We flew many combat missions, and then it was decided to use
our crew to take radarscope pictures of various targets to
determine
the most favorable approaches. We flew all of these missions
without escort or bombs. The targets we flew over were from
one end of Japan to the other. On one mission we flew from
Guam to Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan. We were
in the air 23 hours. We each had a can of pineapple juice
and two sandwiches.
We
were all glad when we dropped the bomb, but I was most happy
because our Jo Ann arrived Aug. 18, 1945.
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Tsuyama
Recon Mission
15,000 ft
27 July 1945
Crew
10 flying over Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet located off
the coast of Japan at night. P-10 was flying a solo recon
mission to Tsuyama 27 July 1945.
"I
took the radar picture from my radar scope. We
were very lucky we did not get shot at, but the Navy must
have known who we were. I called to turn the IFF which
was a radio signal to identify friend or foe." Joseph
F. Callaghan, Nav.
"We were all suprised" Joe adds.
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"These
missions were boring but at times had much anticipation.
There were times stars were thought to be enemy planes.
Once it was reported that there was something wrong with
the moon, it was a total eclipse of the moon and made our
trip a little safer. The scariest was the night Elmer Jones
called me to look at the radarscope it was covered with
dots and circles. We were passing over the 3rd fleet. We
got our IFF on and hoped they would pardon the intrusion.
Needless to say they did, and on our way home we did it
again. It was great waste of many good young men. It took
eleven of us to fly P 10 and we did a good job." |
Joe's
obituary can be viewed (and printed) by clicking here |
Beulah
Callaghan can be contacted by email at: joecall@webtv.net |
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