Felix Smith tau ya lub "Hump" hla lub Himalayas thaum Ntiaj Teb Tsov Rog II, koom nrog tus thawj coj ntawm Flying Tigers nyob rau tom qab Tuam Tshoj thiab tau ntau xyoo piloted aircraft rau dab tsi yuav ua CIA-khiav Air America nyob rau hauv Tuam Tshoj, Taiwan, Kauslim, Nyab Laj thiab Nplog - raug tua zoo nkauj tas li nyob rau hauv cov txheej txheem.
Nws tau yuav tus ntxhais xeeb ntxwv ntawm tus huab tais kawg ntawm Okinawa thiab tom qab ntawd yog tus thawj coj ntawm kev ua haujlwm rau South Pacific Island Airways hauv Hawaii.
Tej zaum nws tsis yog qhov xav tsis thoob, tom qab ntawd, thaum Smith cov tshauv tau tawg los ntawm Coast Guard txiav tawm Oahu lub lim tiam dhau los, uas yav dhau los CIA tus neeg sawv cev, tus khub Air America tus kws tsav dav hlau, Tsov Rog Ntiaj Teb Zaum II cov lus dab neeg thiab qee tus neeg muaj yeeb yuj tau nyob hauv.
"Tsis yog 1, nws yog ib tus neeg zoo - zoo nyob ib puag ncig. Thiab yog ib tus neeg tsav dav hlau zoo," hais tias tus phooj ywg ntev thiab tus kws tsav dav hlau Glen Van Ingen, uas paub Smith txij li xyoo 1960s thiab kuj tau ya mus rau Air America.
"Yog tias koj los ntawm ib lub nroog me hauv Wisconsin thiab xav pom lub ntiaj teb, koj tsis tuaj yeem ua txoj haujlwm zoo dua ntawm nws," Van Ingen, 86, hais ntawm Smith.
Smith tuag thaum Lub Kaum Hli 3, 2018, hauv Milwaukee thaum muaj hnub nyoog 100. Tus phooj ywg Clark Hatch, uas nyob hauv Honolulu, hais tias nws qhov kev xav kawg yog kom nws cov tshauv tawg mus rau hauv Pacific nyob ib ncig ntawm Hawaii.
Nws tus poj ntsuam, Junko Smith, hais tias nws tus txiv muaj "lub sijhawm zoo tshaj" nyob hauv Hawaii rau 21 xyoo, pib thaum xyoo 1970s.
Nws "hlub Hawaii," nws hais tom qab ua kev nco txog ntawm lub nkoj tus neeg saib xyuas ntug dej hiav txwv Oliver Berry."(Nws ib txwm hais) nws lub tsev yog Hawaii. Peb muaj lub neej zoo heev hauv Hawaii."
Lt. Cmdr.Kenneth Franklin, tus thawj coj ntawm lub tshuab txiav, hais tias, "Felix Smith tau ua haujlwm rau lub tebchaws, thiab Tus Saib Xyuas ntug dej hiav txwv zoo siab rau kev hwm lub neej ntawm cov uas tau ua haujlwm rau lub tebchaws."
Smith chronicled nws lub neej ya - cov khoom ntawm thoob ntiaj teb intrigue thiab taug txuj kev nyuaj - hauv nws phau ntawv, "China Pilot: Flying for Chennault Thaum Tsov Rog Txias."Nws ya ua ntej rau Civil Air Transport, uas tau los ua ib feem ntawm CIA's Air America.
Lub koom haum txawj ntse txiav txim siab tias nws xav tau kev thauj mus los hauv huab cua hauv Asia, thiab xyoo 1950 tau nyiag khoom ntawm Civil Air Transport.
Tus thawj tswj hwm lub dav hlau "CAT" tshaj tawm tias cov neeg tsav dav hlau tsis tau hais txog CIA los ntawm lub npe thiab hloov pauv yuav tsum xa mus rau cov neeg sawv cev ua "cov neeg siv khoom."
Thaum Tsov Rog Kauslim, Smith tau teem sijhawm ya mus rau Saipan.Thaum nws tuaj txog ntawm Andersen Air Force Base ntawm Guam, ib tug Tub Rog Tub Rog Loj tau hla nws lub Jeep kom nres thiab nug tias, "Koj ua dab tsi ntawm no?"Smith tau hais hauv nws phau ntawv.
Nws tau sau tias "Ua ntej kuv tuaj yeem tsim cov lus teb uas muaj nuj nqis, tus neeg nqa riam phom tau tsav tsheb nrog kwv yees li 15 tus pej xeem hauv lub tsho aloha lossis cov khakis, 10-gallon kaus mom, lub kaus mom lub hnub lossis tsis muaj kaus mom, cowboy khau, khau khiab roj hmab lossis khau ntaus pob tesniv," nws sau.
Thaum lub davhlau rov qab los, Smith tau ya mus cuaj qhov muag tsis pom cov neeg caij tsheb - txhua tus neeg suav teb tau kawm ua neeg soj xyuas - thiab peb "cov neeg siv khoom."Tam sim ntawd lub suab ntawm huab cua rushing los ntawm lub cabin qhia nws lub ntsiab lub qhov rooj tau qhib thiab kaw.
"Kuv hais tsis muaj dab tsi tab sis pom, tom qab tsaws, tsuas yog yim tus neeg caij tsheb thauj khoom. Kuv xav tias peb cov neeg siv khoom tau pom tus neeg sawv cev ob zaug," Smith sau.
Thaum kawg ntawm Kev Tsov Rog Thoob Ntiaj Teb thib 2, Smith tau ua tus tsav nrog Tuam Tshoj National Aviation Corp. ua haujlwm nyob rau hauv lub aegis ntawm US Army.
Gen. Claire Chennault, uas yog tom qab Flying Tigers, pab pawg neeg Asmeskas cov neeg ua haujlwm pab dawb uas tawm tsam cov neeg Nyij Pooj hauv Suav teb, tau pib Civil Air Transport kom tau raws li kev xav tau tom qab Tuam Tshoj.
Smith tau ntiav, thiab xyoo 1946 tau ya mus rau Hawaii kom xa cov dav hlau tshaj tawm los pib lub dav hlau.
"Thaum peb mus txog Wheeler Field, peb ntsia ntawm lub toj ntxas uas cov dav hlau tau ploj mus," nws hais hauv nws phau ntawv."Peb 15 Curtis C-46s zoo li cov ntxhw lwj."
CAT ua haujlwm nrog Suav Nationalist Party coj los ntawm Chiang Kai-Shek.Nyob rau hauv ib qho piv txwv ntawm ntau lub luag haujlwm, Smith tau sim huab cua poob ntawm cov tooj dag rau lub plhaub thiab cov nplej rau hauv Taiyuan hauv Suav teb thaum Tub Rog Liab tau kaw.
"Nws tau siv ob peb lub sijhawm kom tau tag nrho cov mov tawm. Cov pob golf liab - rab phom tshuab - nkhaus hauv qab peb," nws sau.
CAT thauj Bank ntawm Tuam Tshoj cov nyiaj bullion mus rau Hong Kong ua ntej Chiang ua Taiwan lub rooj zaum ntawm Kuomintang Party.
Jack DeTour, tus neeg nyob hauv Honolulu thiab Ntiaj Teb Tsov Rog II B-25 tus kws tsav dav hlau, rov qab los ntsib Smith thaum yav dhau los ya mus rau Philippines los cob qhia CAT pilots ntawm C-119 "Flying Boxcar" los pab Fabkis hauv Nyab Laj.
"Kuv tau ntsuas Felix yog ib tus kws tsav dav hlau zoo tshaj plaws uas kuv tau kuaj xyuas," hais tias DeTour, uas nyob ntawm ntug hiav txwv Guard cutter rau kev ua koob tsheej nco txog.
Smith tau ya dav hlau C-47 hauv thiab tawm ntawm Vientiane hauv Nplog teb mus rau cov zos Hmoob uas muaj riam phom nrog rab hneev thiab phom phom phom.Nyob rau hauv ib lub dav hlau nws ferried grenades rau lub nceeg vaj rog, thiab nyob rau lwm yam, mov rau lub US Agency for International Development.
Hauv nws phau ntawv xyoo 1995, Smith tau sau tias "rov qab nyob rau sab hnub poob, ntau xyoo dhau los ntawm 'Alice in Wonderland's' topsy-turvy domain, Kuv tuav nco ntsoov sai sai los ntawm lawv cov tails, xav paub yog tias tej yam txawv txawv tiag tiag tshwm sim. lub ntsej muag laus."
This article is written by William Cole from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
Post lub sij hawm: Dec-02-2019