A harrowing war story as told by a member of the “Greatest Generation”

Austin Wells, Editor

(ROCKWALL, TX – March 1, 2017) A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a social for WWII and Korean War veterans hosted by Liberty Heights Gracious Retirement Living and the American Legion Terry Fisher Post 117 of Rockwall.

Let me tell you, these veterans were full of some fascinating war stories. I was lucky enough to get a few of them to share those stories with me, including WWII fighter pilot Paul Waters.

Paul was on a carrier called the USS Sangamon, heading to Miyako Island about 100 miles from Okinawa. The mission – to take out the Japanese aircraft on the island. Piloting an F6F Hellcat, in his words one of the greatest warplanes of its time, flew over a runway on the island preparing to unload the 500-pound bomb he had under his fuselage plus six rockets – three under each wing – to destroy every Japanese aircraft down below.

“We dropped everything we had and destroyed everything on the ground,” he said. “I think we got credit for 25 planes that were on the ground.”

However, seven more Japanese planes circled the runway above, threatening to retaliate against Paul and company. So, the skipper of his crew ordered they strike first and destroy all the remaining Japanese planes.

Paul had a disadvantage against the Japanese plane he targeted, as it was flying higher than him. He continued firing bullets directly into the engine of the enemy plane, even as bullets were flying straight over his own head.

“I thought boy, keep ’em that way,” he laughed. “A few minutes later, boom, he went down.”

Although they accomplished their mission, the USS Sangamon was later bombarded by a kamikaze attack – and Paul was on board when it happened!

“A flame hit me in the chest, and I figured the only way to put that thing out was to go overboard because there wasn’t any water around,” Paul said. “I spent five hours in the water that night. It was a harrowing experience. There were over 100 men in the water. I tied up with five other seamen, and one of them had his life jacket blew up so we had to hold on to him and tread water for five hours.”

A destroyer escort finally came to pick them up at around midnight. “We were grateful that they picked us up because we were a little worried about sharks and the kamikazes shooting down on us,” he said.

Paul was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), one of the most prestigious military medals one can earn, for his heroics during the Miyako Island mission. After hearing his story, I can say with confidence that it was very well deserved. Thank you for your service, Paul, and thanks to all who serve or have served in the military for your service and sacrifice.

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