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Show HILL TOP TIMES 20 1W Friday, May 29, By Ernie Ogden vets " Milford Smith J. Shannon' ALC Public Affairs Office More than 12,000 miles away and 44 years ago James Mcllrath and Mil-for- d As hejooked, right, : with Fighting Tigers r ft Smith may have met lor the first time. . t ' J. r ., ; patch. " ' It: But they're not sure. They met for the second time, and they're quite sure, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Minuteman Post 8868 at Hill AFB several months ago. "We might have run into each other at Wendover, Nev., while preparing for overseas duty during World War II," Mr. Mcllrath said. "We know we crossed paths in China during 1943 because I've got a picture of Milford, but we sure don't remember meeting." Midway through the second world war, America staged attacks on the Japanese empire and its homeland from bases in China, Burma and India. To do that, U.S. troops nearly circled the globe to evade both the European conflict and Japenese troops. In Mr. Mcllrath's case, reaching China meant continent hopping. "We left Wendover and made our way to Puerto Rico and then to Trinidad and Brazil," he said. From there, the gunner and crew skipped the Atlantic to Africa, Egypt, Arabia, India, acrqss the Himalayas and, finally, f if m f.iHr m if X (U.S. Air Force Photo by SSgt. Louis A. Buddy Poppy fund drive Milford Smith, left, and James Mcllrath take donations at the base commissary. Minn., native scanned the sky able to separated by a runway," said Mr. site enemy aircraft before an attack. Smith. "But then, he was an aircrew "I would catch Japanese Zeros com- member and I was a section chief and ing in from the back and I had the we were living two different worlds." best seat in the house," Mr. Mcllrath The 374th Bomb Squadron, a said. descendant of the Fighting Tigers in For Mr. Smith, the trip proved less East Asia, harassed the Japanese hectic, but just as eventful. Traveling throughout Indochina and parts of by ship, the section chief of the 308th mainland China dominated by Hirohi-to'- s Bomb Group landed in New Zealand, troops. "We would often fly over the China stopped briefly in Australia and then circled the to avoid Sea in search of enemy vessels," Mr-- . the China. Mcllrath said. "Once spotted, we Japanese navy. "The unique thing about that trip," - Leaving the Pacific Ocean, the called in the bigger bombers with less Mr. Mcllrath said, "was that each one group sailed the Indian Ocean, and fuel capacity. Then we would do of the 55 aircraft flown to China flew docked in Bombay before crossing Inwhatever damage we could before getalone. This meant we had a string of dia by train and eventually entering ting out." 55 aircraft stretched across several China through its backdoor. The desIn 12 months, Mr. Mcllrath continents." tination: Chenkung, China. , returned to the states and soon mar- ' "There we were, both in the St. Paul, From the duration in the Chenkung, ried. His year-lon- g B-2- top-turre- James Mcllrath Left, as he ap- Arona-Barrad- peared during nt -- -- t, '84 Ford Custom Van Extra Nice 8B975 '85 Cadillac Fleetwood . F.W.D. excellent condition 813,975 " '77 Cadillac Seville Fully Fully Loaded 07475 Equipped '85 Dufclt Century front wheel drive 04S75 Auto.. P.S.. Air, i! m -- m G3KB7S loaded, with TTtops' 0 75 '05 GMC Pickup 4-spe-ed . 0SS7B SUNBIRDS and BONNEVILLES Wollo Coroo Snovvmobilo Troiloro . 1C35 AMC S. Fully 10th Year Anmiiverdary All Army Air Force and his military patch signifying his membership in the Fighting Tigers earned him a portion of notoriety. "For a while, as I would wear my uniform, people would stop me on the street to get my autograph," he said. Mr. Smith remained in China for nearly 2Vz years. After the war, both men determined to start a new life, but hard times brought the pair back to the now-U.Air Force for more than 20 years. The chance meeting of several months ago has given way to a friendship based on like experiences from a critical . era in American's history. Now, the two veterans work for the benefit of disabled veterans and remain active in the VFW Post at Hill. '84 Trans. Am '01 Cadillac Eldorado F.W.D.. 'C3 Olds. Sicra 4 Drou-hc- m dr. MUST SEE Monza '00 Chovy Extra CMM75 . 02 GMC sharp ' 44 Londbcd, Fuly loaded SEE ' 'i PONT1AC CADILLAC GMC TRUCK 570 NORTH MAIN LAYTON, UTAH th tour in China. 4 island-contine- 12-mon- 544-344- 5 2? |