Felix Smith gbapụrụ "Hump" n'elu Himalaya n'oge Agha Ụwa nke Abụọ, jikọtara ya na onye ndu nke Flying Tigers a ma ama na China mgbe agha gasịrị na ọtụtụ afọ na-anya ụgbọ elu maka ihe ga-abụ CIA-agba Air America na China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam na Laos - a na-agbapụ nke ọma mgbe niile na usoro a.
Ọ lụrụ nwa nwa nke eze ikpeazụ nke Okinawa ma mesịa bụrụ onye ntụzi ọrụ nke South Pacific Island Airways na Hawaii.
O nwere ike ịbụ na ọ bụghị ihe ijuanya, mgbe ntụ ọka Smith gbasasịrị site na onye na-ahụ maka ndị na-ahụ maka Coast Coast kwụsịrị Oahu n'izu gara aga, na onye bụbu onye ọrụ CIA, onye ọkwọ ụgbọ elu Air America ibe ya, akụkọ akụkọ ụgbọ elu nke Agha Ụwa nke Abụọ na ụfọdụ ndị ọzọ mara mma nọ n'ụgbọ.
"Ee e. 1, ọ bụ onye magburu onwe ya - magburu onwe ya ịnọ gburugburu. Na nnukwu onye ụgbọ elu, "ka enyi ogologo oge na onye ọkwọ ụgbọ ala ibe Glen Van Ingen kwuru, bụ onye maara Smith kemgbe njedebe 1960 ma fega Air America.
Van Ingen, 86, kwuru banyere Smith, "Ọ bụrụ na i si n'obere obodo dị na Wisconsin bịa ma chọọ ịhụ ụwa, ị gaghị arụli ya nke ọma."
Smith nwụrụ Oct. 3, 2018, na Milwaukee mgbe ọ dị afọ 100. Enyi Clark Hatch, bụ onye bi na Honolulu, kwuru na ọchịchọ ikpeazụ ya bụ ka ntụ ya gbasasịa na Pacific gburugburu Hawaii.
Nwanyị di ya nwụrụ, Junko Smith, kwuru na di ya nwere "oge kacha mma" ibi na Hawaii ruo afọ 21, malite na njedebe 1970s.
Ọ "hụrụ Hawaii n'anya," ka o kwuru mgbe emume ncheta na ụgbọ mmiri Guard Coast Oliver Berry."(Ọ na-ekwu mgbe niile) ụlọ ya bụ Hawaii. Anyị nwere ezigbo ndụ na Hawaii."
Lt. Cmdr.Kenneth Franklin, onye na-achị achị n'oge ahụ, kwuru, sị, "Felix Smith jere ozi mba ahụ, na ndị na-eche nche na-anya isi n'ịsọpụrụ ndụ ndị na-ejere mba ahụ ozi."
Smith chịkọtara ndụ ya na-efe efe --ihe gbasara mkpamkpa na njem mba ụwa -- n'akwụkwọ ya, "China Pilot: Flying for Chennault during the Cold War."Ọ gara mbụ maka ụgbọ njem ụgbọ elu nke obodo, nke ghọrọ akụkụ nke CIA's Air America.
Agencylọ ọrụ ọgụgụ isi kpebiri na ọ chọrọ ikike mbufe ikuku na Eshia, na 1950 wee zụta akụ nke ụgbọ njem ụgbọ elu na nzuzo na nzuzo.
Onye njikwa ụgbọ elu "CAT" kwupụtara na ndị na-anya ụgbọ elu agaghị akpọ aha CIA n'aha kama ọ ga-ezo aka na ndị ọrụ dịka "ndị ahịa."
N'oge a na-alụ agha Koria, Smith chọrọ ifega Saipan.Mgbe ọ rutere Andersen Air Force Base na Guam, onye isi ụgbọ elu kwụsịrị Jeep ya ma jụọ, "Gịnị ka hell na-eme ebe a?"Smith kwuru n'akwụkwọ ya.
"Tupu m enwee ike ịmepụta azịza nkwanye ùgwù, onye na-ebu ngwá agha ji ihe dị ka ndị nkịtị 15 gbagoro na uwe elu aloha ma ọ bụ khakis larịị, okpu 10 galọn, okpu agha anyanwụ ma ọ bụ enweghị okpu, akpụkpọ ụkwụ cowboy, akpụkpọ ụkwụ roba ma ọ bụ akpụkpọ ụkwụ tennis," ka o dere.
Na ụgbọ elu nloghachi, Smith gbapụrụ ndị njem itoolu kpuchiri anya -- ndị mba China niile zụrụ azụ dị ka ndị nledo - yana "ndị ahịa" atọ.Ụda mberede nke ikuku na-agbaba n'ime ụlọ ahụ gwara ya na e meghere ma mechie ụzọ isi.
"Ekwughị m ihe ọ bụla ma achọpụtara, mgbe m rutere, na ọ bụ naanị ndị njem asatọ si n'ụgbọ mmiri pụta. Echere m na ndị ahịa anyị achọpụtala mmadụ abụọ," Smith dere.
Na njedebe nke Agha Ụwa nke Abụọ, Smith bụ onye ọkwọ ụgbọ elu ya na China National Aviation Corp. na-arụ ọrụ n'okpuru ndị agha US.
Gen. Claire Chennault, bụ onye nọ n'azụ Flying Tigers, otu ndị ọkwọ ụgbọ ala afọ ofufo bụ ndị lụsoro ndị Japan agha na China ọgụ, malitere Ụgbọ njem ụgbọ elu nke obodo iji gboo mkpa China mgbe agha gasịrị.
E goro Smith n'ọrụ, na 1946 wee fega na Hawaii iji bufee ụgbọ elu njupụta iji malite ụgbọ elu ahụ.
"Mgbe anyị rutere Wheeler Field, anyị lere anya n'otu ili ebe ụgbọ elu gara ịnwụ," ka o kwuru n'akwụkwọ ya."Curtis C-46 anyị 15 dị ka enyí na-ere ure."
CAT na-arụkọ ọrụ na ndị otu Nationalist nke China nke Chiang Kai-Shek na-eduzi.N'otu oge n'ime ọtụtụ ọrụ, Smith ji ụgbọ mmiri kwọọ ikuku brass maka mkpuchi shei na osikapa na Taiyuan na China ka Red Army mechiri.
"Ọ were ọtụtụ ngafe iji wepụta osikapa niile. Bọọlụ gọọlfụ na-acha uhie uhie - ndị na-ahụ maka egbe egbe - gbachiri n'okpuru anyị, "ka o dere.
CAT bugoro bullion ọlaọcha nke China na Hong Kong tupu Chiang mee Taiwan oche nke Kuomintang Party.
Jack DeTour, onye bi na Honolulu na onye na-anya ụgbọ elu nke Agha Ụwa nke Abụọ B-25, chetara nzukọ Smith mgbe onye mbụ gbagara Philippines iji zụọ ndị na-anya ụgbọ elu CAT na C-119 "Flying Boxcar" iji nyere ndị France aka na Vietnam aka.
"Enyere m Felix dị ka otu n'ime ndị ọkwọ ụgbọ elu kacha mma m nyochatụrụ," ka DeTour chetara, bụ onye nọ na onye na-egbu ihe n'ụsọ oké osimiri maka ọrụ ncheta.
Smith ji ụgbọ elu C-47 banye na Vientiane dị na Laos gaa n'ime obodo Hmong ebe ngwa agha gụnyere obe na égbè flintlock.N'otu ụgbọ elu, ọ buuru bọmbụ maka ndị agha alaeze, na n'ọzọ, osikapa maka Ụlọ Ọrụ Na-ahụ Maka Mmepe Mba Nile nke United States.
N'akwụkwọ ya na 1995, Smith dere na "laghachi azụ na West Practice, ọtụtụ afọ site na ngalaba 'Alice in Wonderland's' topsy-turvy domain, ana m echeta ogologo oge site na ọdụ ha, na-eche ma ihe ndị ahụ dị ịtụnanya mere n'ezie. Igwe na-ele anya na-ekpughe naanị otu ihe. ihu ịka nká."
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.
Oge nzipu: Dec-02-2019