As a boy he watched soldiers march through the streets of his hometown of Marston, Missouri and board a train bound for the trenches of France His father and army surgeon was one of those men. After graduating from aviation officer school at Brookfield in San Antonio, Texas He recieved orders to the 309th fighter squadron 8 Air Force. Dad flew the Spitfire throughout the war Going on to fight in the campaigns in North Africa Sicily, Solerno and eventually at the Normandy invasion But would himself be shot down over France in 1943. The saga of his escape and evasion from France back to England Was told many times during our posting in France but not by dad who rarely talked about his wartime service.