Volume 8 , Issue 10

WWII In Oklahoma...

by - Charles M. Cook in Louisiana Bayou Country

I remember the Prisoners of War Camp that was located at Tonkawa. I was just a child, but the tower always interested me. In my mind's eye, I could see them watching for a prisoner to try to escape.

One winter during the earlier part of the war, when I was about five years old, we came from Louisiana to visit my grandparents Earl and Edith Smith Cook in Grant County, Oklahoma. One day a great blue norther came rolling in, like a wall from the north. As it approached, we began to hear an airplane's motor. I can remember my grandpa and my Uncle Don going out to see what was going on, with me trailing behind.

The plane circled several times at a low altitude, like a bright yellow bird hovering on the wind. Then to everyone's amazement, it came down for a landing in their wheat field. As it did, snow began to fall. The truck was cranked up and the three of us went rolling out to see what was up. Of course the pilot had been 'forced down' by the weather. In those days there was not a lot of instrumentation in planes. This one was an 'Army Air Corps' air craft. There was no air force as a separate military branch until many years later. I don't remember where it was based. I'm not sure, but in my mind's eye it was a yellow bi-wing, I know they were still in use as trainers early in that war. Now that I have become venerable, I can look back and realize that the pilot was just a kid. However to me he was a shining knight.

After the pilot had been brought to the farm house and given a hot drink and he had used the old crank type telephone to call his base, it was decided that the plane would remain for a few days, awaiting better weather. Later an olive drab military vehicle arrived and two more uniformed kids took turns standing armed guard at the landing site. The living room had become a military bunk house. I was in my glory.

I may have been a pest, because I stuck to them like glue. In those days it was as exciting as it would be today if astronauts stopped off at your place on their way back from Mars. However, the pilot gave me the little wings he had pinned to his lapel. As much as that Wowed me, I then proceeded try to talk him out of the big one that indicated he was a pilot, without success.

I still have those wings over six decades later. Shown in the accompanying photos are those wings. Also shown are photos of my brother Jack and myself in sailor uniforms. Notice that the wings are pinned to me. In those days people were completely patriotic, would never think of undermining the military while troops were in the field. I can remember people standing along the tracks while a troop train passed, with their hat off and held over their heart.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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