Show I S. S L. L L P 38 Pilot Twice Beats Death In Brief Bougainville Action L Lieutenant Donald A. A Gardner ard 1 P 38 fighter pilot from Salt Lake I City rec recently nUy had the experience ce I of strafing two wo woj j Jap bombers being being being be be- ing shot up bailIng bailing bail- bail Ing out and rescued rescued rescued res res- cued within a a. period pe pee nod of 35 minutes min min- x tires utes in the southwest southwest southwest south south- west west- Pacific L Lieutenant i eu te tenant nant r c ct Gar Gardner d ne r a attached at t.- t. to the A A A F was y flying as wingman wingman wingman wing wing- man to another fighter er pilot and the t two w o had buzzed the Nip airdrome of Kaht Kahi Kahi Ka- Ka Lt Gardner hi ht 1 II non i o on n et im et im e a chief f fighter base on southern southern Bougainville and had strafed two Jap twin bombers parked near the strip While following his fellow pilot on the strafing run Lieutenant Gardners Gardner's plane was hit by ack ack-ack and the left engine burst into flame I 1 was almost blinded by smoke said Lieutenant Gardner but wh when n I judged I had passed the coast and was headed out to sea I p pulled the emergency release on my canopy which immediately blew away I loosened my safety belt elt and prepared to bail out Lieutenant Gardner got free of his plane after several unsuccessful ful attempts After swimming I from under his parachute he inflated inflated in in- I his Mae Mac West Vest and his flying companion radioed his tion A few minutes later two flights of navy Hellcats appeared and circled him to protect him from enemy fighters Shortly thereafter a Catalina flying boat picked him up All in all aU his experience lasted 35 minutes Lieutenant Gardner is the son of Mr and Mrs Joseph A. A Gard Gardner Gardner ner nor Twenty third East street A graduate of Granite high school he entered the air forces as a flying cadet April 15 1942 1912 He was graduated a year later from Williams Field Ariz and went overseas after combat training in night fighter intruder work at Orlando Orlando Orlando Or Or- lando Fla |