Re: Father was attached to 2nd Observation Sqd. at Nichols Field, Dec. 1941 (3336)

Re: Father was attached to 2nd Observation Sqd. at Nichols Field, Dec. 1941

I believe my father, Pvt. James E. Martin, may be the ONLY survivor from the 2nd Observation Sqd. My father was attached to the 2Ob/4Comp in April of 1941 as a Army Radio Operator because the Air Corps lacked trained operators for their bombers and OP aircraft. Dad related how on the morning of December 10 (two days AFTER the Attack on Pearl Harbor) Nichols Field was attacked by enemy bombers from high altitude. A couple of the men, including my father, did NOT get into the slit trenches dug for their protection, but instead stood around watching the bombers approach the field. One of dropped the bombs scored a direct hit on an anti-aircraft gun killing the crew, and one of the men watching. I believe his name to be Pvt. Norman E. Lawson. The same bomb caused a HUGE chunk of dirt and metal to fall upon my father nearly burying him alive. Some other men dug my dad out. He had a severely wrenched back and the CO ordered him to the hospital in Manila.
Dad got on on the LAST ship to safety leave the harbor. The ship was a steamer called the McTan and the Red Cross had purchased the ship to convert into a hospital ship. Once the McTan had been painted white and red crosses painted on her sides and fore and aft decks, the ship was loaded with as many wounded as were safety possible. My dad was one of the last to board. The voyage of the McTan was written about later. Ten days later the ship made it safely to Australia. In all the years I knew my father he would NEVER talk about what happened in the Philippines. Now I know why.
All his life he lived with the knowledge that he may have been the only survivor and that he felt that he was not hurt badly enough to justify his being sent away from his squadron. Dad never mentioned the names of the men he knew there at Nichols Field. I found the info on the deaths at:
http://www.lindadow.net/2nd_Obs_Sq_deaths.htm
God bless every man and woman who never made it back from the U.S.A.
They were our GREATEST GENERATION. J.E. Martin Jr.
hogrider18@yahoo.com (928)692-6901 Kingman, AZ.

Posted by James E. Martin Jr. (2009-08-28 17:42:46)
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Re: Father was attached to 2nd Observation Sqd. at Nichols Field, Dec. 1941 - Raymond Tkaczuk Jr (2010-08-06 21:44:20)
Re: Father was attached to 2nd Observation Sqd. at Nichols Field, Dec. 1941 - James E. Martin Jr. (2009-08-28 20:31:54)

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Message	:I believe my father, Pvt. James E. Martin, may be the ONLY survivor from the 2nd Observation Sqd. My father was attached to the 2Ob/4Comp in April of 1941 as a Army Radio Operator because the Air Corps lacked trained operators for their bombers and OP aircraft. Dad related how on the morning of December 10 (two days AFTER the Attack on Pearl Harbor) Nichols Field was attacked by enemy bombers from high altitude. A couple of the men, including my father, did NOT get into the slit trenches dug for their protection, but instead stood around watching the bombers approach the field. One of dropped the bombs scored a direct hit on an anti-aircraft gun killing the crew, and one of the men watching. I believe his name to be Pvt. Norman E. Lawson. The same bomb caused a HUGE chunk of dirt and metal to fall upon my father nearly burying him alive. Some other men dug my dad out. He had a severely wrenched back and the CO ordered him to the hospital in Manila. : Dad got on on the LAST ship to safety leave the harbor. The ship was a steamer called the McTan and the Red Cross had purchased the ship to convert into a hospital ship. Once the McTan had been painted white and red crosses painted on her sides and fore and aft decks, the ship was loaded with as many wounded as were safety possible. My dad was one of the last to board. The voyage of the McTan was written about later. Ten days later the ship made it safely to Australia. In all the years I knew my father he would NEVER talk about what happened in the Philippines. Now I know why. : All his life he lived with the knowledge that he may have been the only survivor and that he felt that he was not hurt badly enough to justify his being sent away from his squadron. Dad never mentioned the names of the men he knew there at Nichols Field. I found the info on the deaths at: : http://www.lindadow.net/2nd_Obs_Sq_deaths.htm : God bless every man and woman who never made it back from the U.S.A. : They were our GREATEST GENERATION. J.E. Martin Jr. : hogrider18@yahoo.com (928)692-6901 Kingman, AZ.