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Show AUTHOB't AUTHOBt AUTHOR'S AUTHORS ' NOTEMy NOTE NOTEMy My decision tor for the title of this thisbook thisbook thisbook book was probably made back bacls there thereIn therein thereIn In Kunming one afternoon as the thedoctor thdoctor thedoctor * doctor dug those five rivet heads headstrom headsfrom headsfrom trom from my back They had been drlv drly drlven drlyen driven en in when a Jap explosive bul1et bullet bul1ethit bullethit bullethit hit the armor plate behind my seatTo seat seatTo , To keep my mind off the pain the thebig thebig ! big Cantonese Intern of 01 Doctor Man Manget Manget Manget get s kept talking to me He seemed seemedto to find nd it hard to believe that I flew flewthe flewthe flewthe the little fighter alone - that I Idropped Idropped Idropped dropped the bombs-fired bombs fired bombs--fired bombs - - - fired the th * six sixmachine sixmachine sixmachine machine guns - changed the fuel fueltanks fueltanks fueltanks tanks - navigated and landed the thefighter thefighter thefighter fighter Finally Fmally with disbelief disbeUe1 in inbis Inhis Inhis bis his eyes be he looked at me and said said . . , " , ' Colonel , you are up there all aU aloneeven aloneeven alone -even even --even - - - even talk over the radio when youshoot youshoot you shoot hoot the guns ? As I waited tor for torhim forhim forhim him to go on with another Question question.I questionI . . , 1 I heard the old doctor say 'No No 'Noson Noson ' , ' " ' alone-not alone not alonenotwith alonenotwith alone notwith son-you"re son you"re youre son-you're you're - you're youre not up there - - with all aU the thinga things you come comethrougb comethrough comethrough througb through You have the greatest co- co ca capilot copilot co-pilot co pilot - - pilot In the world even It 11 if there ther * Is Isjust isjust lajust just room for one on * in that fighter fightershIpno fightershipno fightership shIp-no shIp no - - no you re not alone ' I believe when this war is over overthat overthat ovarthat that we will be closer to God thanat thanat than at t any time in the past . . I 1 believe believethis believethis believethis this because I have seen Instances instancesof 01 of real faith on all fronts Take tor for torinstance forinstance forInstance instance Just the other day a song songcame songcame songcame came out ' Coming in on a Wing Wingand Wingand Wingand and a Prayer That could have haveI havebeen havebeen havebeen I been conceived as a title tlUe or as the thetheme thetheme thetheme theme of the song only by some real realeent reale eent e , 'ent ent Jent ' A ship landed with an en engine engine engine gine shot away-the away the away - the fuselage gutted guttedby guttedby guttedby by fire and the plane riddled with withbullets withbullets withbullets bullets One of ot the war correspond correspondents correspondents correspondenta ents hurried 04t oyt out to the wounded pi piI pilot pilot pilot lot and asked How in the world did didyou didyou didyou I you bring this ship in 7 ? The Thepilot Thepilot Thpilot * pilot shook his head smiled and re replied replied replied plied I don t know-ask know ask know - ask the Man Manupstairs Manupstairs Manupstairs ManupstairsWe upstairs upstairsWe We who fly are going to get to toI toknow toknow I know that Great Flying Boss in the thei thesky thesky thesky i sky better and better My personal personalI personalambition personalambition personalambition ambition is that He H * permit me m * to togo togo togo I go again Into lnOO combat against the the.lap thJap theJap * .lap lap Jap . or the Hun that He help me mejust mejust ! Just a l1ttl little to shoot down a bun hun bundred hundred bundred dred Jap shlps-even shlps even ships--even ships ships - - - even a thousand thousandI thousandThen thousandThen ' Then I 1 hope He H * lets me come back backto backto backto I to tell another story I m going to toname toname toname name that one-the one the one - - the sequel to thisI thisoneGOD this I | one-GOD one GOD one - - GOD IS STILL MY CO PILOTR PILOT | K R L . LS LSCHAPTER L . S SEven CHAPTER I IEven . - Even the angels angela ih 1h iii heaven must musthave musthave musthay have * shrugged ! . their .heir heir wings after the thefew thefew thefew few ceconds seconds of my first flight lght . For Forback Forback Forback back home borne in Macon . , , Georgia Georsla , in inH20 1920 I must bav bave have been even at ale age aletwelve agetwelve ageI twelve . , the ' 'vandal vandal ' ' ' type Thera There I Iclimbed Iclimbed Iclimbed climbed the steeple of the Baptist BaptistChurch BaptistChurch BaptistChurch Church . , and from tha the belfry beUry took tooktwelve tooktwelve tooktwelve twelve whitish whfUab pigeons , . carried them themto themto themto to a tent meetin meeting , of Holy Rollers Rollersand , , and at tha the tense moment of fanatic fanaticprayer fanaticprayer fanaticprayer prayer released them . . . I can re re- remember remember remember - - member nearly splitting spUtt1n my sides sideslaughing sideslaughing sideslaughing laughing at what happenedthedarkies happened-the happened the happenedthedarkle happened - - thedarkies darkle darkies . were rolling on the sawdust sawdustfloor sawdustfloor sawdustfloor floor They were rolling rollipg rolliig their eye eyes eyesand eyesand . and yelling yellin.r yellinr . Gld Gideon , . iGideon Gideon-hal Gideon hal Gideon-bsl bsl Gideonhalle1u1ahglol'7 Gideonbsllelulabglory - - ballehilah le1u1ah-glol'7 le1u1ah glol'7 glol7 lelulab-glory lelulab glory - glory ' , . glory ,100'1 1001 gloryl , ' I " f aupposa suppose the theplgeont theptgeous thepigeon plgeont ptgeous * I ' really did 1 lok lo c Uka like ice dovesofpeace dcWU doves dcWUofpeac dovesoTpaaca - of-peac of peac of-peace peace - . . 1 t ( , \ |