Another true American hero! Great military career story.

[Loretta Riddell (Elohi)]

A National Treasure!

Happy 99th Birthday, John Beard. John Beard and Gwen, his wife of 71 years, live in Fort Walton Beach FL. John is very active in our small group of pilots who meet at a little grass airstrip in Niceville, Florida. He makes most of our monthly meetings as well as a fair amount of our Friday afternoon “burger burns,” where we eat hamburgers, drink beer, and listen to war stories. For this article, I interviewed John in his apartment in Fort Walton Beach, on 19 April, 2017. I didn’t have a recording device and was just taking notes on my lap top, so I kept having to ask him to stop so I could catch up. His apartment is on the 4th floor and John told me that at 98, he doesn’t like to take the elevator. He said “It takes too long as they have to make it slow for all the old people. I don’t like to wait for it so I always take the stairs. I like the exercise better anyway.” Most of the words are John’s and are quoted. I did inject some notes as well as some of my comments and questions. He also gave me several papers, books and clippings that, when I referenced them, are footnoted.

John W. Beard was born in Southside, West Virginia on Dec 21, 1918. He will be 99 years old in Dec of this year. He told me “My parents passed away when 4 and I was sent into an orphanage in Elkins WV. It was a big place--over 100 kids. I stayed there until I was 13 years old, then I ran away. Of course, that was right in the middle of the biggest depression we’ve ever had. I didn’t intent to stay away from the orphanage. I just wanted bragging rights for being the first to ever run away. I did intend to go back…but I couldn’t…I was in jail in Baltimore Maryland.”

At this point in our session I had to stop John and ask him to elaborate. And he did. “Well, that was a real jail. All we got to eat was one meal a day—which was a sandwich that they gave us at 1000 each morning. On the first day I turned my nose up at that sandwich, but on the second day, I ate it happily.” Yeah, but John, what were you in jail for in the first place? “Well, I was in jail for riding a freight train on my first day as a hobo.” OK, stop stop stop! Let me get this straight. You were in jail for being a 13 year old hobo and riding a freight train after you ran away from the orphanage? “Well, I didn’t have anywhere to go and nothing else to do. I was new to doing this and after I got on my first train, I rode it all the way into the rail yard and stepped off the train directly into arms of a policeman. They called the orphanage, but they didn’t want me back. They kept me in jail for about 3 weeks before they let me out. I was then at rock bottom and homeless. That’s the reason I never went to High School. But I did finish grade school so I wasn’t a complete idiot.”

“I spent most of my teen years as a hobo, riding the trains and living in hobo jungles. But it was different in the 30s. It wasn’t too bad. People would take you in and feed you. But I was probably the original homeless man.” “In 1940, after several years of this, I decided to join the Navy. So I headed to Charleston WV. When I went to the Navy recruiter, they wanted me to sign-up for 6 years. But I didn’t think I needed that long. So they told me that I might be interested in the Army and sent me around the corner to the Army recruiter, but he was just leaving for lunch. He told me that he would be back in a bit and I told him that I’ll wait. He asked me if I was going to go to lunch and I told him that I would wait right here. He asked “Don’t you have money?” I told him no. So he gave me a 10 cent chit for lunch. I was very impressed as I wasn’t even in the Army yet, but they were feeding me. So I went to a cafeteria around the corner and got lunch and a soda. I think now that with that 10 cents that feller just bought me for 25 years. Anyway, after lunch, I went back to the recruiter’s office and when he finally showed up again, I asked him “Where do I sign up?” He told me that “Not so fast. You got to fill out forms. But you sure are lucky—the Army Air Corps is just starting up and they are looking for pilots. Do you have a college education?” I told him that no, I didn’t. He asked “How many years of college do you have?” I told him that I didn’t have any. Then he asked “You do have a High School diploma, don’t you?” I answered “Doesn’t everybody??” So, on the form he checked yes. That made my military career, and jump started my entire life.” (Note: In case you missed it, John did not have any High School experience, let alone a diploma. To this day, he feels justified in his response and doesn’t feel like he misrepresented himself. He just evaded the question. And I’m very glad he did!)

John continued to describe his early military career: “So I signed up for the Army. And for some reason in my whole career they kept pushing me ahead. I guess they didn’t know they were dealing with an uneducated jailbird.” “Anyway, I had been in Army just one day and they decided to send me to what they called aircraft maintenance school. I started to ask “what is an aircraft?”-but thought better of it. They sent me to Chanute Field in Illinois for initial in-processing and training. Then they sent me to Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama, where they issued me a tool box and said “You are the crew chief on that AT-6.” I walked over and touched it. It was the first airplane I’d ever been close to. My pay in 1940 was $21/mo. 3 months later raised may pay to $30 /month and issued me a specialist rating of aircraft mechanic. That paid me $30 more a month. I was now making $60/month as a private. I was assigned as a crew chief in Valdosta, GA. 1941 came and I’d been in 1 year.”

“Then our country got into the biggest war ever seen. We needed 5000 pilots and couldn’t get them. Somebody decided to take the Sergeants that had High School degrees, give them some flight training and they come out as a Staff Sergeant Pilot.” That “somebody” John is referring to was actually a memorandum issued by the personnel division of the War Department (now the Department of Defense) dated Jan 25, 1941, with an eye towards creating an additional pilot group within the Army Air Corps.[1] This was intended for individuals lacking the educational qualifications required for appointment as flying cadets who were to become officers upon graduation of flight school. The memorandum recommended that candidates be enlisted men of the US Army, unmarried, male, citizens of the United States, between 18-26 years old, High School graduates (or equivalent), of excellent character, sound physique, and excellent health.[2] The US Congress had to first remove the restriction to this type of training for enlisted men, and in doing so the maximum age was lowered to 22. The High School equivalency was also dropped and replaced by a requirement that candidates be graduates of the top half of their High School class. The first class of 122 Sgt Pilots reported for training in Muskogee OK on 21 Aug, 1941.[3] He didn’t explain to me how he skated past the “top half of High School” requirement, but obviously John had what it took. He then entered the Sgt Pilot training program, reporting in March 1942 with class 42H.

“So I went to Pilot Training in March 1942 after war had started.” He flew Primary in Camden, SC in PT-17s, progressing on to the Boeing PT-13 Stearman in Augusta GA. He explained “That was near the famous golf course. I completed Advanced training in AT-6s in Valdosta GA where I had been a Crew Chief on for a year. Then I was awarded my wings and I was a Staff Sergeant pilot.”

The odds against John had been staggering. For every one selected for Primary flight training, three had been rejected. By the time the primary phase was completed, nearly half of those that entered had been eliminated.[4] By the fall of 1942, over 2500 Sergeant pilots had been produced. They were assigned to pursuit, bomber, and transport groups, and many subsequently fought in combat theaters around the globe. John said that “In Dec 1942, the Army came out with new rank called a Flight Officer. “We were moved up and all the rest of enlisted were made FOs after they graduated.” Obviously very proud, John told me that “Of the 2576 of us that wore the wings and stripes, 11 became General Officers, 17 became aces, 152 lost their lives in combat, and I’m the only one that got a battlefield commission.” It is unknown how may lost their lives in training accidents in the US and abroad.

Note: In John’s case, when he started flight school, he wasn’t allowed to take his enlisted aircraft mechanic specialist’s rating with him, which cost him his $30/mo bonus over his basic $30/mo. So on his entry to flight school, the Army promoted him to “Buck Sgt” (three stripes) which at the time paid $60/month, and his pay remained the same. By early 1943, the Army was instructing subordinate commands to promote all their Sergeant pilots serving in the field to the new rank of Flight Officer. While most of those serving in the continental United States were quickly promoted, those serving overseas experienced delays. It was not uncommon to find a mix of Sergeant pilots, Flight Officer pilots and Officer pilots serving in the same unit.[5] The new Flight Officers dubbed themselves 3rd Lieutenants. And while it was essentially an enlisted rank, it did have an advantage: Enlisted personnel were paid an additional 20% over their base pay while serving overseas and Officers were only paid 10%. So a Flight Officer could actually make more than a 2nd Lt.[6]

Graduates of Class 42H were assigned to various fighter, bomber, troop carrier and anti-sub units.[7] John was destined to fly the Mitchell B-25 medium bomber. How he got there is of course typical to his life’s story John’s words: “After I graduated, there were 8 B-25s training in Greenville SC getting ready to go overseas. A day or so before they deployed, something happened to one of the pilots. So they sent me up there to replace that pilot and the next day I went over there to go overseas. We flew the south route: Brazil, Ascension Island, Gold Cost of Africa, and finally into Egypt. All I was doing was flying co-pilot in a B-25, which I never seen before much less checked out in. Now I’m overseas in Egypt in Dec of 1942” (Note: With the 12th Bomb Group flying Close Air Support for the British 8th Army in North Africa). “I flew my first 3 missions as a copilot.” I asked John: You were flying combat mission in an airplane you were never checked out in? His answer: “Oh yeah, I was getting shot at.” “On Jan 4th, flying a mission as co-pilot to the Squadron Operations Officer, we took a German 88m anti-aircraft shell in nose. I went up forward and unhooked the Bombardier and pulled him out of the nose. The mission was only about 90 min long—we were based right next to bomb line. They thought I had done something great and were going to give me the Silver Star. The Operations Officer asked if I wanted an award or to be Aircraft Commander on a new crew they were forming. I told him I would take the AC job. I guess I forgot to tell him that I wasn’t checked out in the airplane yet!”

John continues: “But it was an airplane and I was a pilot. And my next mission was a combat mission as Aircraft Commander so I flew in the left seat. We were flying right off the sand. It wasn’t that difficult to take off and land.” As John’s mission count and combat experience, not to mention his experience flying the B-25 progressed, John said: “I stayed in contact with that Operations Officer and he let me make out Squadron’s flying schedule. So I put myself on every mission. What else did I have to do? I was the 1st pilot in whole Group to complete 35 combat missions. They told me that now I could go home. But I told them that I was an orphan and didn’t have a home to go back to, and asked if I could stay here (meaning flying combat in B-25s in Egypt)? They said “Why not.” So I did. ”

“I completed my 2nd tour of 35 missions and they were trying to get me promoted to 2Lt (from Flying Officer). On 1 Oct, 1943, I got a battlefield commission to 2nd Lt (by order of a memo signed by Lt Gen Carl Spaatz[8]). I was probably the only US pilot to ever get a battlefield commission. 30 days later, Army came down with special orders (again from Carl Spaatz) and made all Pilot SSgts 2nd Lts. And I was on that list. SOooooo….I made 2nd Lt twice. Once on 1 Oct and once more on 30 Oct.” Although he didn’t mention this to me, he was promoted to Captain four months after being promoted to 2nd Lt twice.

“By then we were in Sicily flying and bombing the Germans in Italy. I led a mission and got a Distinguished Flying Cross. Later, when I had just completed my 2nd 35 (combat mission) tour, the unit received orders to CBI (China-India Burma theater). Since I already had two combat tours, they told me again that I could go home. Instead of going home, I decided to go with my unit and flew my 3rd combat tour.” Where were you based? “In India but I don’t really remember all the places. But we flew support for Merril’s Marauders.” What he didn’t tell me was that while he was in the CBI theater, he led a detachment of pilots sent to support C-47 pilots transporting troops and supplies in and out of Burma. He got himself checked out flying C-47 cargo transports and flew almost 20 missions to the Myitkyina airfield while under constant enemy sniper fire. He finished his WWII career with 105 combat missions in the B-25.

John’s Air Force career after his WWII flying was a whirlwind. “I finished my 3rd tour and finally headed back to states.” “I got so much flight time during the war, I was always the high-time-man on any Base or Unit I went to. So I got the choice assignments I was stationed in Los Angles and I picked up first jet bomber the Air Force ever had. It was a B-45.” (Note: The North American B-45 Tornado was the USAF’s first operational jet bomber, and the first multi-jet engined bomber in the world to be refueled in midair). “I picked it up in Long Beach Ca, and flew back to my unit, the 47th Bomb Group in Lake Charles LA. Then I went to El Paso, Texas. Then to Barksdale, LA, where the 12th Bomb Group received B-45. Then to Langley AFB, VA, where we carried special weapons. Wound up in Scullthrope England. This was in 1952 and the Cold War was just really heating up. After a 3 year tour in England, I went to Eglin AFB.”

“The CIA, I guess it was the CIA at that time, was looking for some pilots to run some tests and I was selected. I guess because of my flight time. We are now getting into stuff that used to be classified, but I guess it isn’t anymore.” At this point I told John to hell with the CIA and everybody else Even if it is still classified, he should continue. He did. “Anyway, I ran the complete test of Fulton recovery system P2-V7 USN (Note: The AF called it RB-69). The Air Force bought a few and used it to support secret testing. During the testing of Fulton, in 1956, I made 5 live pickups. It was top secret at the time.” I asked him who the people were that he picked up? He said, “I guess they were CIA. They didn’t even have on uniforms. They had civilian clothes.” He continued “The CIA sent me on two overseas operations. The first in 1956. 2nd in 1960.” I asked him to tell me about those operations and what he did during the deployments: “I can tell you what I did on the 2nd one. I got a classified message to report to classified location in mid-east. When I got there, there was a RB-69. I hadn’t flown that thing in almost 6 years. I asked where the Instructor Pilot was. They told me “That’s why we sent for you. You are the IP.” They wanted to check out two Air America on the Fulton for night and day pick ups. I told them that they should let me do the pick-ups. “No no, we don’t want any military connected with this.” ”

Continuing to describe his Air Force career, John said “Well, things were just so-so after that. Last 14 years of my service, I was either in Alconberry or 3 AF HQ in London, England or at Eglin I stayed in 25 years. I retired in 1965 having flown tactical and test aircraft. Mostly two-engine airplanes.” “After retirement I went to work for AG Edwards brokerage firm. I did that for 45 years. SOoooo…. that adds up to 70 straight years working!” (John was very nonchalant when he said that. The exclamation point is mine.)

I couldn’t coax too much more out of him on his history, so I asked a few questions:

· How many flying hours do you have? “Well, a lot I guess.” Note: As far as I was able to research, he has approx. 9000 hrs. Including the PT-17, PT-13, AT-6, B-25, B-45, B-47, C-47, B-66, B-57, RB-69 (P2V-7) and B-36. He said that when he was flying the B-36, he was listed in flight operations to fly anywhere and anytime they called. “It was not unusual to take off at 0700 one day and land at 0700 the next day.” His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross (with one oak leaf cluster), Air Medal (with nine oak leaf clusters), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with four stars, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal with one star, and the American Campaign medal.

· What aircraft did you like the best? “The B-57 was my favorite. I flew it a lot here at Eglin. It was such an easy aft to fly. At the time I was flying, it had the shot-gun starters. It could get up to FL500. And it was nice and low to the ground, which made it easier to climb in and out of.”

· Tell me about your most memorable flight? “When I got my 1st DFC. Flying in Sicily. Getting the DFC did not come easy in WWII. They did not just put them out. Took a hit on my left engine. SOOooo… had to drop out of the formation and fly all the way back to Sicily single engine. When I landed I got the word that everybody had been told I had been shot down After I shut down the airplane, the Crew Chief said you better get down to your tent. They think you are dead and are dividing all your stuff.” And that is all he would tell me about it. However, the citation, GO#17, from the 12th Army Air Forces, dated 22 Feb, 1944, states in part: John W. Beard, First Lieutenant, 434 Bombardment Squadron, 12th Bombardment Group (M). For extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot of a B-25 aircraft. On 21 Oct, 1943, Lt Beard led his flight of six planes in an attack on the marshalling yards at Cassino Italy. At the commencement of the bombing run, the flight encountered intense anti-aircraft fire which disabled one engine and damaged the controls of his aircraft. Despite the crippling condition of his aircraft , Lt Beard skillfully maintained formation through the barrage enabling the bombers to cover the yards with devastating effect and to establish two additional road blocks on arterial highways. His courageous leadership and outstanding proficiency on this and many other combat missions have been of high inspiration to those serving with him, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

For those that haven’t had the privilege to meet and spend time with John, you might be surprised to know that he is also an accomplished poet. Every Christmas he entertains us by reciting his original works. Here is a poem he wrote, printed here for the first time.

Title: Holy Roller Preacher

The preacher was raving and ranting

He was jumping over benches and chairs

“I can heal just by touching

and do away with all of your cares.”

“With a little help from the lord above

I will cure you worldly ills.

We can do away with all Doctors and do away with all pills.”

Now a man struggled forward on crutches.

Unable to walk since birth

Now if the preacher could heal this fella,

it would be the greatest show on earth

The preacher put his hands on the man’s shoulders

and he said “Do you believe what I say is true?”

Tears glistened in that fella’s eyes

And he said “I do I do I do!”

“Then throw away one crutch” said the preacher

The man did it without any fear

Halleluiah and amen from the front of the church

And a few ‘attaboys from the rear.

The man was standing as straight as could be

He was showing a whole lot of class

“Throw away that other crutch” said the preacher\

The man did

And he fell on his ass.

After the interview, as we were waiting for the elevator to take me back down to the lobby, John explained to me that “They have happy hour every day from 1500-1600. You should come and have a beer with me.” And he was right. The elevator was very slow. So, after I got tired of waiting, I walked down the four flights. But I think I will come back very soon for Happy Hour.

Dave “Maggie” Brown

COL, USAF (Ret)

Niceville, FL

[1] They Also Flew, The Enlisted Pilot Legacy 1912-1942, Lee Arbon, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, copyright 1972.

HQ 12 AF memorandum AG 201, 1 Oct, 1943, Subject: Battle Field Appointment, Flt Officer John W. Beard, 434 Bomb Sqdn (M), signed Carl Spaatz, Lt Gen USA, Commanding.