Show Lots o of Other Pilots D' D Did Das as Good a Job Declares Air Hero r L S C Y S j y a V r I At 4 1 s Js au aul l G r n International News Photo MODEST fl YOUNG MAN IAN VISITS HIS IllS FAMILY AT THEIR FRESNO CAL HO HOME IE Captain and Mrs l Hewitt T. T Wheless and their old month daughter aughter Raymonda Jean Credit Belongs to My Gun Crew Crew Says Flier Honored by F D R LOS ANGELES April 30 UP President Roosevelt called Captain Hewitt T. T Wheless a modest young man Wheless 28 Texas-born Texas airman showed how well he fitted the description description description de de- de- de Thursday by giving his gunners credit for the the successful completion of his bombing mission mission mission mis mis- sion during fighting in the Philip Philip- pines Mr Roosevelt described Wheless' Wheless Wheless' Wheless Wheless' Wheless less' less bomber trip in his fireside chat Tuesday night and told of the crews crew's mile 75 running battle against 18 Japanese fighter planes When asked to add to the presidents president's presidents president's presidents president's pres pres- ident's account Wheless drawled Shucks the credit belongs to my gun crew He said said the battle was fought just as the president had said We Ve flew over did our stuff and on the way back caught hell he said Those gunners were e great If they hadn't been pretty prett y rough on the Jap air force that tha t day we never would have go got t back President RooseVelt said the x bombers bomber's gun crew shot down seven seven seven sev sev- en of the 18 attacking planes with a wounded gunner manning both side guns and accounting for three of the planes himself The president expressed the hope Captain Wheless was listening listen listen- ing He was He was sitting with his wife and baby at his Fresno Cal home listening to the addres address ad ad- dress dres He told his wife Raymonda Raymon Raymon- da before the president had finished finished finished fin fin- the description that was our bomber I 1 was mighty honored he said but lots of other pilots did didas didas didas as good a job as I 1 did the did the president president president dent just happened to pick that certain trip to illustrate his talk Not that I dont don't appreciate it it it- I it certainly was a big thrill forme forme for me when I heard it it Wheless a graduate of the University University Uni Uni- of Texas was commissioned commissioned commis commis- in the air corps in 1938 after training at Randolph and Kelly Fields Texas He said he was anxious to get back into action |