HomeMy WebLinkAbout Bill J. Ravey, Brazos Valley HeroesBy Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
Bill J. Ravey of Bryan had a goal of becoming an
electrical engineer, but World War II changed that goal
and the direction his life would take. He became a P-51
pilot. in the China-Burma-India theater during the war
and would continue with a career in the military for 32
years, retiring as a full colonel.
As Ravey recalled, "I was born in FortWorth in 1923
and grew up there. I attended Northside High, graduating
in February 1941 atthe age of 17. I enrolled at Arlington
A&M, studying electrical engineering. I would take 17
to 18 hours each semester while working full-time at
Armour aAd Co. packing house hauling beef carcasses
for 45 cents per hour. I was trying to get my degree as
quickly as I could because the war had started and I
knew that was where I was headed.
"In the early part of 1943 all of our class at A&M
Arlington, Tarleton and Texas A&M were called into the
military. The guys at Texas A&M were commissioned
and we were given the option of OCS or the cadet flight
program. I chose the cadet flight program. I was sent
to Shepherd Field for basic training, but we knew more
than most of the instructors because of our military
training in college.
"From there I was sentto San Antonio for qualification
testing. Your scores would indicate what you were best
qualified for - a pilot, navigator or bombardier. I scored
the exact same score on all three tests, so they let me
choose. I chose the flight program. I was then sent to
Mission, Texas, for cadet advanced flight training.
"When we graduated, we were commissioned. The
day I was commissioned, I received a month's pay as a
second lieutenant, money for my officer's uniform and
a month's flight pay, all in cash. I remember fanning all
that money out in my hand and thinking I had never
seen so much money in my life, and it was all mine.
"The most dangerous period of my military career
was next, advanced flight training in P-40s in Waycross,
Georgia. Those planes were pieces of junk, and every
time you went up your life was at risk. Several of us
had to do a dead-stick landing because of engine
failure. When those who survived the P-40s were sent
to Sarasota, Florida, we were given brand-new P-51 s. It
was the exact opposite of training in P-40s . We had no
accident as a class because the P-51 was such a better
plane. When we completed that training we were sent
on priority A-1 orders to the war.
"I was sent to Asansol, India, where I became part
of the 1 st Air Commandos. Their mission had been and
The 1st Commandos would fly in British and Gurkha
troops to attack points on the rail line, which was their
sole supply line that ran along the Irrawaddy River. The
bombers and fighter planes would assist in those raids
and then we would pull our soldiers out before the
Japanese could arrive to repel our raids. If we couldn't
get the Gurkhas out in time, they just melted into the
jungle and made life very difficult for any Japanese
troops that followed them into the jungle. The Gurkhas
were fierce,fighters, but especially effective in a jungle
environment. That rail line also crossed the River Kwai,
which was the basis of a movie after the war entitled
`Bridge Over the River Kwai'
"The war ended with the bombing of Japan. As one
of the newer pilots, I was utilized as a co-pilot flying a
C-47 moving supplies into China. That was a big come-
down for a fighter pilot. That was also my first time to
fly over the Himalayas, or'The Hump,' as it was called.
The first time I flew over the Himalayas, the view of Mt.
Everest was spectacular but I didn't have my camera.
"We ended up flying out of Husian, China, and Sian,
China, but China was becoming a dangerous place after
the war because of the communists. I finally got orders
to head home in December 1945, landing at Camp
Kilmer, New Jersey, on January 3, 1946. By the time
I got home, I had decided that I liked the military life
and wanted to stay in. I was fortunate to be interviewed
for acceptance into the regular Army (Air Corps), which
later became the U.S. Air Force.
"Starting in 1952 through 1955 I was involved
with the U.S. Nuclear Testing Program in Nevada and
the South Pacific. I have witnessed numerous nuclear
blasts and was amazed at the destructive ability of
a nuclear blast. During this time I was around more
civilians than military people. I can tell you that those
nuclear physicists are a little different from most of us.
They were some really intelligent guys in the nuclear
program. That nuclear.program and the testing we did
is probably the reason there hasn't been alarge-scale
global war since World War II."
Ravey finished his combat career while flying C-
130s in the Vietnam war. His military career ended with
him serving as the vice-commander of Clark Air Base
in the Philippines.
As stated by Ravey, "I enjoyed the service. You can
take any job and make it interesting or you can make it
dull. I always made my job an interesting and enjoyable
one."
Bill J. Ravey's name is found on the Brazos Valley
Veterans Memorial. If you want to have a name added
to the Veterans Memorial, for more information, to make
a contribution. or if you know a Wnrld war Il vataran