5 t-, by John BmSirgSom A ground shy youngster in the Air Force is a tough problem, vj.' But a Texas Colonel j reared hack and produced ' a surprising cure. me top if you've heard t sitting over by the window, idly watch- J WAS inst landings and takeoffs and" all the other complicated activities of an Army Field. Behind me the Colonel's pen was still scratching and I began to wonder If he had forgotten I was there. That would have been fine. I wasn't looking forward to the interview. The Colonel expected me to have ideas like rabbits have rabbits. And I expected the Colonel to remember once in a while that Public Information Officers are Just like everybody except they work a little harder fora living. There was a knock on the door and almost before I could look up. Matthewson came In. His long, lean face was set and his eyes were narrowed and Intent. Matthewson 'and the Army had little in common. All he wanted to do was fly. But in a Into the seat of a very special streamUned splinter with nothing but six machine guns and an undersized cannonr between him and his Maker. That's where the rub came. . way-strap- ped FA4MT WHKtT MAOAItMt M, IWI this-- " The Army couldn't see it that way. Matthewfroze up a little." son was closer to forty than twenty and he had The Colonel leaned forward in his'thair and more flying time than a covey of quail. He was searched through a pile of papers. Finally he as good a pilot as ever adjusted a bungee and pulled one out. This was an act. I'd seen him do the Army figured he was too valuable to go it before. Every paper on that desk had a reason for being there and he could have picked splattering his brains over Korea. So they out any one of them blindfold. So I knew he'd made him an instructor. ,; "I've done as you asked, sir. I've checked been expecting something like this to happen. "Let's see. Here's Tayloe's transcript." He young Tayloe again and my verdict is still 'No'. I'm going to wash him out." ? studied it in silence for a moment while MatThe Colonel put down his pen. it took him a thewson's face regained its grimness. moment to orientate himself. "Navigation. . . . Meteorology. . . . Code. . . . "I told him this was his last chance. I told The boy seems to be at the top of the heap. him if he got down all right I'd solo him today." His instructor rates him excellent, except for Matthewson's tone seemed to say that this was landings. All in all he seems to be about the more than could be expected of him. "Well, he best youngster we've got-- on paper." took me around the field until I was dizzy andV-- I "If you can't land, you can't fly," Matthewson said shortly. couldn't get him within fifty feet of the dirt. Then he tried to crack me up! He tried to fly "His coordination seems to be good. He hanme right smack, down into the ground! I dles a ship very'well in the air." He smiled a darned near had to hit him to get the stick!" little at Matthewson. "The government has The Colonel looked at him steadily and after spent quite a lot of money on him already. It a moment Matthewson looked away. I knew seems a shame to wash him out. I wonder what Just how he felt. When I and my big head first his trouble is." ," arrived at the field, the Colonel had occasion "I may be a flying Matthewson to look atme said bitterly, "but I'm not a psychiatrist. For "All right." Matthewson said. "Maybe he Just my money, he Just can't fly." wet-nurse- like-that-onc-