"Treated Us Super"

Ray Burnett, Combat Crew Radio Operator 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, described his experience at George Field for the 1996 reunion. “I arrived at George Field from Scott Field Radio Operator Mechanic School in early September 1944. I had been in the Air Corps for a year. George Field was an advanced Troop Carrier Command Training School.

 After an orientation lecture, we got down to work.  Most mornings were spent in radio operation school.  When we left Scott Field all of us radio operators could receive 20 words of Morse code per minute, but we were required to practice every morning.

The night after we arrived, a buddy of mine and I went down to the flight line about 7:00 PM and a pilot and copilot were boarding a C47.  We asked them where they were going and if we could come along.  They were going on a training mission to Chicago and return.  They told us to sign out a parachute and get on board.  That was my first flight on an airplane.

 From then on, we flew every day, morning, afternoon, and night single glider tow, double glider tow formation, flying cross country, low level, and two long distance flights, one to Wichita Falls TX and one to Des Moines IA. The people in Lawrenceville and Vincennes treated us super, inviting us into their homes for dinner and the USO in Lawrenceville was just great. I also remember the skating rink  in Vincennes.”