Felix Smith adawulukira "Hump" pamapiri a Himalaya pa Nkhondo Yachiwiri Yapadziko Lonse, atalumikizidwa ndi mtsogoleri wa Flying Tigers odziwika bwino pambuyo pa nkhondo ya China ndipo kwa zaka zambiri adayendetsa ndege zomwe zidzakhale CIA-run Air America ku China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam ndi Laos - akuwomberedwa pafupipafupi panthawiyi.
Anakwatira mdzukulu wa mfumu yomaliza ya Okinawa ndipo pambuyo pake anali mkulu wa ntchito ku South Pacific Island Airways ku Hawaii.
Mwina sizinali zodabwitsa, ndiye, pamene phulusa la Smith linabalalika kuchokera ku Coast Guard wodula Oahu sabata yatha, kuti yemwe kale anali wothandizira CIA, woyendetsa ndege wa Air America, nthano yowuluka ya Nkhondo Yachiwiri Yadziko Lonse ndi anthu ena okongola anali m'ngalawamo.
"No. 1, anali munthu wodabwitsa - wodabwitsa kukhalapo. Ndipo woyendetsa ndege wamkulu," anatero bwenzi lakale ndi woyendetsa ndege Glen Van Ingen, yemwe adadziwa Smith kuyambira kumapeto kwa zaka za m'ma 1960 komanso adawulukira ku Air America.
"Mukadachokera ku tawuni yaying'ono ku Wisconsin ndikufuna kuwona dziko lapansi, simukanachita bwino," adatero Van Ingen, wazaka 86 za Smith.
Smith anamwalira pa Oct. 3, 2018, ku Milwaukee ali ndi zaka 100. Mnzake Clark Hatch, yemwe amakhala ku Honolulu, adanena kuti chikhumbo chake chomaliza chinali chakuti phulusa lake libalalika ku Pacific kuzungulira Hawaii.
Mkazi wake wamasiye, Junko Smith, adati mwamuna wake anali ndi "nthawi yabwino" kukhala ku Hawaii kwa zaka 21, kuyambira kumapeto kwa zaka za m'ma 1970.
"Ankakonda Hawaii," adatero pambuyo pa mwambo wachikumbutso womwe unakwera pa Coast Guard wodula Oliver Berry."(Nthawi zonse ankati) kwawo ndi ku Hawaii. Tinali ndi moyo wabwino kwambiri ku Hawaii."
Lt. Cmdr.Kenneth Franklin, yemwe anali mkulu wa ochekawo, anati, "Felix Smith adatumikira dzikolo, ndipo asilikali a m'mphepete mwa nyanja amanyadira kulemekeza miyoyo ya omwe atumikira dzikolo."
Smith adafotokoza za moyo wake wowuluka - zomwe zidachitika padziko lonse lapansi komanso zokopa alendo - m'buku lake, "China Pilot: Flying for Chennault during the Cold War."Ananyamuka koyamba pa Civil Air Transport, yomwe idakhala gawo la CIA's Air America.
Bungwe la intelligence lidaganiza kuti likufunika kuyendetsa ndege ku Asia, ndipo mu 1950 adagula mwachinsinsi katundu wa Civil Air Transport.
Woyang'anira ndege wa "CAT" adalengeza kuti oyendetsa ndege asatchule dzina la CIA ndipo m'malo mwake ayenera kutchula othandizira ngati "makasitomala."
Panthawi ya nkhondo yaku Korea, Smith adayenera kuwuluka kupita ku Saipan.Atafika ku Andersen Air Force Base ku Guam, wamkulu wa Gulu Lankhondo la Air Force adayimitsa galimoto yake ya Jeep ndikufunsa kuti, "Mukuchita chiyani kuno?"Smith adanena m'buku lake.
"Ndisanapeze yankho lolemekezeka, wonyamula zida adakwera ndi anthu wamba pafupifupi 15 ovala malaya aloha kapena khakis wamba, zipewa za malita 10, zipewa zadzuwa kapena zopanda zipewa, nsapato za ng'ombe, nsapato za raba kapena tennis," adalemba.
Paulendo wobwerera, Smith adawulutsa okwera asanu ndi anayi otsekedwa m'maso - onse aku China ophunzitsidwa ngati akazitape - ndi "makasitomala" atatu.Mkokomo wadzidzidzi wa mpweya womwe ukudutsa mnyumbamo unamuuza kuti chitseko chachikulu chatsegulidwa ndikutseka.
"Sindinanene kanthu koma ndinawona, nditatsika, kuti anthu asanu ndi atatu okha ndi omwe adatsika. Ndikuganiza kuti makasitomala athu apeza awiri othandizira," Smith analemba.
Kumapeto kwa Nkhondo Yadziko II, Smith anali woyendetsa ndege ndi China National Aviation Corp. akugwira ntchito motsogoleredwa ndi asilikali a US Army.
Gen. Claire Chennault, yemwe anali kumbuyo kwa Flying Tigers, gulu la oyendetsa ndege odzipereka a ku America omwe anamenyana ndi Japan ku China, adayambitsa Civil Air Transport kuti akwaniritse zosowa za China pambuyo pa nkhondo.
Smith adalembedwa ntchito, ndipo mu 1946 adakwera ndege kupita ku Hawaii kukatenga ndege zambiri kuti ayambitse ndege.
"Titafika ku Wheeler Field, tidayang'ana kumanda komwe ndege zidamwalira," adatero m'buku lake."Magalimoto athu 15 a Curtis C-46 amawoneka ngati njovu zowola."
CAT inagwira ntchito limodzi ndi Chinese Nationalist Party motsogozedwa ndi Chiang Kai-Shek.Nthawi ina pamaulendo angapo, a Smith adayendetsa madontho amkuwa amkuwa kuti aziyika zipolopolo ndi mpunga ku Taiyuan ku China pomwe Red Army idatseka.
"Zinatenga maulendo angapo kuti mpunga wonse utuluke. Mipira ya gofu yofiira - makina opangira mfuti - yokhota pansi pathu," analemba motero.
CAT inanyamula ndalama zasiliva za Bank of China kupita ku Hong Kong Chiang asanapange Taiwan kukhala mpando wa chipani cha Kuomintang.
Jack DeTour, wokhala ku Honolulu komanso woyendetsa ndege wa Nkhondo Yachiwiri Yapadziko Lonse B-25, adakumbukira kukumana ndi Smith pomwe wakale adawulukira ku Philippines kukaphunzitsa oyendetsa ndege a CAT pa C-119 "Flying Boxcar" kuti athandize French ku Vietnam.
DeTour, yemwe anali pa Coast Guard cutter pa mwambo wa chikumbutso, anakumbukira kuti:
Smith anaulutsa ndege za C-47 kulowa ndi kutuluka mu Vientiane ku Laos kupita ku midzi ya Hmong komwe zida zinali ndi mivi yopingasa ndi mfuti za flintlock.Pandege ina ananyamula mabomba a asilikali a ufumu, ndipo pa ina, ananyamula mpunga ku bungwe la US Agency for International Development.
M'buku lake la 1995, Smith analemba kuti "kalelo ku West zothandiza, zaka zambiri kuchokera ku 'Alice in Wonderland's' topsy-turvy domain, ndimakumbukira pang'onopang'ono ndi michira yawo, ndikudabwa ngati zinthu zodabwitsazi zinachitikadi. nkhope yokalamba."
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.
Nthawi yotumiza: Sep-07-2019