Oral History Interview with Edward J. Saylor, January 24, 2012

Oral History Interview with Edward J. Saylor, January 24, 2012

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Saylor. Saylor begins with a brief description of his life on a cattle ranch in Montana during the Depression years. He worked on the ranch until 1939 when he joined the Army Air Corps. After finishing basic training, Saylor went to aircraft mechanic school. He eventually worked as a flight engineer, going wherever his airplane went. Shortly after the war started, Saylor volunteered for a mission and began training with other B-25 crews in Florida under Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. Saylor provides details of … continued below

Physical Description

34 p.

Creation Information

Saylor, Edward J. January 24, 2012.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Saylor, Edward J.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Saylor. Saylor begins with a brief description of his life on a cattle ranch in Montana during the Depression years. He worked on the ranch until 1939 when he joined the Army Air Corps. After finishing basic training, Saylor went to aircraft mechanic school. He eventually worked as a flight engineer, going wherever his airplane went. Shortly after the war started, Saylor volunteered for a mission and began training with other B-25 crews in Florida under Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. Saylor provides details of getting aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8) in California. Saylor was flight engineer with Crew 15, second to last to take off, and his plane bombed Kobe. Crew 15 made a water landing near an island and were able to get to shore. Chinese citizens aided Saylor and his crew by hiding them in a cave while the Japanese Army searched for them. After another day, Crew 15 was taken to the Chinese mainland and met up with some other Raiders. They eventually made their way west to Chunking where they met Generalissimo and Madam Chiang Kai Shek. Saylor's wife learned of his activities when she saw a Movietone Newsreel of Saylor being awarded a Chinese medal by Madam Chiang. Saylor describes getting from China to India by hitching airplane rides over the Himalaya Mountains and flying to Africa before returning to the US. He also tells stories about getting married while in the service and a few other humorous anecdotes about his wife and family during the war. Saylor went on a brief war bond drive tour of Montana while home on leave after the Raid. With leave complete, Saylor headed to Florida for training in B-26 bombers and eventually went to Europe. Saylor describes training in England, being in France after D-Day and in Belgium for the Battle of the Bulge. Saylor stayed in the Air Force making a career of it for 28 years.

Physical Description

34 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH03431
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1606129

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Edward J. Saylor, January 24, 2012 - ark:/67531/metapth1609936

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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