Crew P-15 flew to Cuba in a C-47 cargo plane and spent two months in over-water navigation, bombing and gunnery. Major Howard was the commanding officer in Cuba. Other crews there included P-17's, 1st Lt Donald Barton, Airplane Commander from Spokane WA. P-15 and P-17 flew air mattresses to Jamaica. Barton's plane caused some excitement as his pilot has locked the rudders preventing rudder control. Upon landing, the plane ran off the runway and Jamaican workers scattered everywhere. On another day, as we left Batista Field at Cuba, Don O'Hara noticed that the crew chief had left the cap off the gas tank and gas was being sucked out of the tank by the air flow over the wing and was running down no.3 engine. Engine No. 3 as shut down and plane returned to Batista Field and refueled. Upon completion of training in Cuba Crew 15 flew a B-17 back to Salina, KS and qualified for overseas duty.

I signed for a new B-29 and overseas equipment at Herington, KS in March 1945. Enroute to Mather Field, Sacramento, CA bad weather forced a landing at Muroc, CA. The next day we flew to Mather Field and John Rogers Refueling Base and received embarkation orders 9APO 246, San Francisco, CA. The Crew arranged to have voluptuous "Cherie" painted on the plane. Upon inspection a voluptuous "Sherry" was found. No time to rectify the situation it was time to go overseas. (Later several missions, Mrs. Roosevelt interceded and all aircraft artwork was ordered removed.) We left Mather Field, opened sealed orders and learned that Guam as our destination. Three hours into the flight we lost radio contact and were forced to return to Mather Field for repairs. We finally made it to Guam via Oahu and Kwajalein. On Kwajalein the engine was repaired twice and the carburetor was replaced.

Much had been done to establish the base on Guam. After familiarization flights, night landings, dropping incendiaries by radar etc. we flew our first combat mission. It turned out to be our longest: 3800 miles! 18 hours in the air. 1 hour 35 minutes to refuel on Saipan. This turned out to be the war's longest combat mission 19 hours 35 minutes!

Targets were oil and gas supplies, industrial areas, airfields and military bases bombed from altitudes of 7,500 to 25,000 feet. The shortest mission was when an engine failed a few minutes after take off. We were able to get the prop feathered and returned to base.

Following our twelfth mission we flew a war-weary B-29 back to Muroc for additional radar training. We returned to Guam after two months to resume combat status. Our thirteenth mission was a night raid of 3,200 miles flown in 14 hours and 15 minutes. As we were abreast of Saipan we received a radio announcement that President Truman confirmed Japan's intent to surrender on August 13, 1945.

In 13 missions we dropped 110 bombs - 80 tons or 160,200 pounds. How lucky we were during the whole campaign. We had a few holes in our plane but we had meals, a place to sleep and no fatalities. All eleven of us went home.

T/Sgt Thomas E. Addison was not listed as a member of our combat crew, but he was the most important member serving as Flight Crew Chief. He and his crew got us to Japan and kept us in the air. We will never forget him.

We were selected to be lead squadron of the "Power Display" over the Battle Ship Missouri on September 2. 1945. On approach, the formation broke rank and Indian file conducted a low altitude (some 200 feet) "fly over" Tokyo prior to winging over the Missouri. We lost an engine at that time becoming a prominent silhouette in the sky! We ended the post-war era assigned to special missions and instruction flights. Ultimately our crew broke up. Bill Graves and Don O'Hara drew clean up duty. Andy Vanyo having enlisted in 1940 qualified for early discharge. I flew a war-weary B-29 back to Mather Field. It was several weeks before all reached home.