Page 29 - MY STORY

Three thoughts hit me like a rock. The first was the

simple instruction that was drummed into our heads
during training – “The first thing you do before servicing
a turret is to check and make sure that there is no loaded

ammo at the gun.” The second was my blessing to a God
that blew those three circuit breakers. If those circuit
breakers had not been popped I would have obliterated

that tanker truck and its driver. The third was to get the
hell out of that airplane, get outside, and try to stop
shaking, in spite of the 100 degrees + temperature.

This incident never got reported, and all I could think of

was trying to find out who the damned tail gunner was on
that training flight who was supposed to clear those guns
after the mission and did not. If those guns had fired, I
doubt my story would progress from this paragraph. I

would likely have been court marshaled and sent
somewhere not good for a long time.

It did make me a little more careful about following rules
later in life -- sometimes there are good reasons for their

establishment, even if it makes life a little more
complicated and difficult.