The A2A Simulations Community

When I was very young child back in the early to mid 1960's my father worked at a local television station along with a co-worker who was a Corsair Pilot during World War II.Every time that Raymond Swalley visited our family he would bring this monstrous cardboard cylinder shaped like a gigantic tootsie roll (a common penny candy) and it would be filled with tootsie rolls and other candies.He did this quite often perhaps almost every weekend when he visited my dad and mom.
It was like Halloween to me and my brothers (no wonder I have such bad teeth).Dad later got a job with another television station though in the late 1960's. About 40 years later in summer of 2004 he was at my father's funeral and it was great seeing him although at such a tragic event as losing my father which was a huge blow.I had heard that he had been a Corsair Pilot in World War II but didn't know his aircraft carrier or any other details.Well I just did a google search and found a forum finally after a very long search.
BINGO!
Apparently there is also a video featuring him.
It's in several formats.He speaks at about 3 minutes and 8 seconds in the video.
I think that he is still alive (quite old though) and he lives close by I think in Gig Harbor,WA
It looks as though this is just a part of a documentary film.
http://vmf-451.tld-productions.com/trailer.htm
It's also at youtube too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sirkYIFL300
Here is the full film.It looks as though I should buy this especially because he was dad's friend and co-worker.Holy cow I didn't realize that Ray Swalley was a Retired U.S.M.C. Lt. Colonel though but surely enough that's definitely him.
http://bluedevilsmovie.com/

Here is their unit history.
http://warlords.hobbyvista.com/history.htm

Also I saw that there was an excellent website about the ship U.S.S. Bunker Hill CV-17 with a book and some very interesting videos too.
http://www.dangershour.com/

Here are some other sites about the ship
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bunker_Hill_(CV-17)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/17.htm
http://www.ussbunkerhill.net/

_________________
Son of a U.S.A.A.F. 15th Air Force 463rd bomb group 772nd squadron B17 pilot.
Video of my dad on a B-17(So you can kind of meet him-he passed away in 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOP53TkGtA

Wow, what an amazing story

Thank you.I just went to my mom's house and showed her the video.She told me that Ray Swalley originally got my father his first job at the television station.Dad was working at the Rialto Movie Theater in Tacoma as a projectionist and he studied to obtain his 1st Class F.C.C. license while taking classes at Bates Techincal School.Apparently Mr.Swalley was the head of the engineering department at the television station.My brother who was also at my mom's house today remembered the gifts that Mr. Swalley gave us as children.Dad worked 2 jobs for quite a while in the 1960's both as a projectionist and at the television station.Sometimes we got to see movies for free especially the Sean Connery James Bond movies.
It's kind of amazing that I knew so many World War 2 combat Pilot's.One of our families friend was a Canadian Lancaster Bomber Pilot,one of my friends father was a B-26 Pilot and my former neighbor's dad was also a B-17 Pilot too.

_________________
Son of a U.S.A.A.F. 15th Air Force 463rd bomb group 772nd squadron B17 pilot.
Video of my dad on a B-17(So you can kind of meet him-he passed away in 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOP53TkGtA

I love hearing stories like this, even if the circumstances surrounding them are not always pleasant. Thank you for sharing.

_________________

Here are some more links about that ship the U.S.S. Bunker Hill (CV-17).
I noticed my earlier wikipedia link wouldn't show the correct link.
What a terrible loss on that ship due to the kamikaze attack.
Ray Swalley was lucky to be alive.I had no idea before what he went through.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyoshi_Ogawa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Ryyek9GEQ
Here is a short interview about the book (Danger's Hour) and website in my previous link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5upbrK0znIQ

_________________
Son of a U.S.A.A.F. 15th Air Force 463rd bomb group 772nd squadron B17 pilot.
Video of my dad on a B-17(So you can kind of meet him-he passed away in 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOP53TkGtA

Oops sorry for making an extra post but I just received a telephone call from Ray Swalley after I left a message on his answering machine yesterday.He told me that he had a difficult time watching the VMF-451 DVD because it brought back a lot of sorrow and tears (most likely over the lost men) but he will get me the DVD at a discount price and call me back when he has more available that he will order.Ray told me that he and his wife were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and my mother was there with other of his friends last week.Ray told me that he saw the video of my father that I posted on youtube as well.When I mentioned the dangers hour book he told me that he had the book but didn't know that they had a website with videos.He also told me that he thought that the U.S.S. Franklin (CV-13) might have had more casualties which I do see here.So it seems as though he was right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Franklin_(CV-13)

Anyway I thanked him for helping to get my dad his first job at a television station and also thanked him for the giant
"Tootsie Roll" candy gifts as a child.

Edit as of July 10,2009 yesterday I went to Ray Swalley's house with my mom and he gave me 1 DVD for free as a gift and sold me the other one.I just watched the DVD too.It was a superb fascinating long documentary about Marine Squadron VMF-451 with the Pilot's telling their stories.
He told me that he was also Piloted a Hellcat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F6F_Hellcat
a Panther (I think this one)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F9F_Panther

and also some type of dive bomber (I don't remember which).He had really nice models of these aircraft.
Visiting him and his wife with my mom was a pleasure and he even autographed the DVD's for me.
It was great talking to Ray Swalley and seeing him in person.Both he and his wife seem in good health too.
Seeing them again took me back in time around 44 years ago when I was young as a child.

_________________
Son of a U.S.A.A.F. 15th Air Force 463rd bomb group 772nd squadron B17 pilot.
Video of my dad on a B-17(So you can kind of meet him-he passed away in 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOP53TkGtA