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HomeMy WebLinkAbout Pat Mann, Brazos Valley Heroes One in a series of tributes to members of "The Greatest Generation" wl10 served~u~ co~!.iy dJ.l.!jng wo!.!.rl .~aLl . - On Nov. 10, 1944 Pat Neff Mann was on his 24th mission as a bombardier for the 13th Air Force, 307th Bomb Group, 474th Squadron. He knew if he survived this mission and one more and if his replacement had reported in, he would be allowed to go home. But his plane never made it back from that 24th mission. Mann was born and raised on ;; farm near the' original toll road near Arlington, Texas. Hegrad- uated from Arlington High in 1941 and started college at North Texas Agricultural College, which was then part of the Texas A&M System. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and sent to Camp Wolters in Texas and later to Ft. Knox, Kentucky where he was given an as- signment to the Air Corps. He was sent for training at various places around the country, finally receiving a commission and an assign- ment as a bombardier with a 8-24 bomber crew at Hamilton Field in California. They were assembled into 1 Q-man crews and then fiew to the South Pacific for combat duty. "We were able to carry 40 1 OO-pound bombs, but most of the time we carried bigger but less number of bombs so we could carry more fuel. Most of our bombing missions were long and over a lot of open water. I remember one mission where we carried only one SOO-pound bomb, the rest of the weight being crew and f~eL Our longest mission lasted over 17 hours. Most of the time we had no fighter escort. It was mostly a lone-wolf type of mission." "On the 1 Oth of November 1944, we were over Negros Island in the Philippines when we were shot down. Our No.3 engine caught fire and we had about 30 seconds to get out of the plane. Three of the crew didn't get out. "When our chutes opened, what remained of ourcrew were strafed by Japanese planes. One - - % "I couldn't get out of my chute and I couldn't reach the trunk of the tree. I finally managed to swing my chute enough to where I caught some limbs and managed to reach the trunk. It was a drizzly, rainy day and the trunk was wet and slick, but I managed to finally reach the ground. Jap plane made these strafing passes at me. I still don't know how he missed me, but he did. "I landed in thick jungle and my chute hung up in a tree about 40 to 50 feet off the ground. I knew I needed to get down because the island was controlled by the Japanese and I knew they would be coming for me real soon. "When I got on the ground I knew I had to move out pretty quick because some one would be coming soon. I hadn't traveled too far when I came to a big boulder about the size of an automobile. As soon as I reached it, I heard someone coming. All I had was my .45 pistol. I heard someone coming around one side and I also heard someone coming around the other side. I had to decide which one I was going to shoot first. About that time, I heard someone back in the bushes say, 'Don't shoot Americana - friend - don't shoot Americana'. It turned out to be an old Filipino lady who might have weighed 100 pounds. I was soon surrounded by 15 to 20 Filipino "'" guerrillas who I hoped would be my friends. So began Pat Mann's34days missing inaction. That part of his story will appear In next week's paper. Pat Mann's name can be found on the Brazos Valley Veteran's Memorial. For more informa- tion, to make a contribution, or if you know a World War II Veteran whose story needs to be told, contact the BWM at www.veteransme- morial.org. -..- - Il ~-- ;'~' One in a series of tributes to members of "The Greatest Generation" who served our .country during'World~War"'Il Continued from last week... On November 1 0, 1944, Pat Mann's bomber had been shot down and he had parachuted to the ground on Negros Island in the Philippines. an island held by the Japanese. He had been rescued by 15 to 20 Fillppino guerrillas. "I was wondering how I was going to get out of this trap. They didn't seem to want to take my .45 pistol so 1 decided maybe they were friends. We soon took off to what I understood to be their camp." < "When I got there, they had a tent that I entered and we talked until I was finally allowed to go to sleep. I was exhausted in every way you could think of. When 1 awoke the next morning my gear was gone. We always kept some supplies of medicine and other essentials In our gear. I found my medicine strewn down a trail, so J picked up air the pills I could find." "About that time, an old man came by who said he was a doctor, but all he had was a black bag with a tin cup inside it. He asked if I hurt and I said my side was painful. He took the cup, turned it upside down, lit a candle under it and slapped it on the sore spot and put a vacuum on it. It seemed to help, so I gave him all my medicine I had retrieved. He said he had been reading about the sulfur drug I gave him. He used it on a boy whose leg was severely infected and it seemed to help_ "When we got to the guerrilla headquarters they want- ed to hold a celebration. All they had was a scrawny pig that probably didn't weigh 25 pounds, which they barbequed. They collected some bananas and offered me the first of the sparse food they had. When I tried to give my part to a young boy, they refused. I had to eat first. I was their honored guest. They treated me like a king the whole time I was with them." "The guerrillas collected the rest of the crew that sur- vived and other Americans they had rescued and be- gan the trek to the coast so we could be taken out by submarine or plane. "We were able to identify the bodies of the crew that didn't make It before we left so they could be account- ed for. Our navigator, Lt. McGee, was also rescued along with airmen from three to four different organiza- tions, to include one guy who had survived Battaan and had escaped. He had been there about three years and looked like an animal. Also in the group were a couple of Japanese prisoners. "On the way to the coast, we were serv,,2d some 12; .. cal coconut beer called 'tuba.' Some of the guys got drunk, including the guy from Battaan. He and another it guy got into an argument over whether they should skin and then kill the two Japanese prisoners or kill them first and then skin them. "They asked me to settle the argument, so I said nei- ther. I said I needed someone to carry my pack and I went to sleep. I guess that solved the argument, be- cause the next day we still had those Japanese prison- ers to carry our packs. "We finally made it to the coast without running into any Japanese patrols. About mid-morning our planes came over and we flashed them with a mirror. They flashed back and before too long a PBY, a Catalina flying boat, came. There were about 15 Americans and when we tried to board the plane, the pilot said: 'We can't carry everyone. Some will have to stay and we will come back for you.' He couldn't get anyone to volunteer to stay. Eventually we all got aboard and somehow that pilot got the plane airborne." Mann and his surviving crew members were taken to New Guinea and returned to their unit, 34 days after the crash of their plane. Because Mann was an MIA, he was allowed to return home. "When we got home, we had only the clothes we wore when we boarded ship. When we tried to get some more uniforms, the guy at the supply depot kept say- ing they were out of each item we requested. The sup- ply person then said, 'Don't you guys know there's a war going on and some things are hard to get?' We told him we were aware there was a war going on." After their arrival back in the states. he and Lt. McGee were allowed to enroll in flight school to become pilots. They were about to complete flight school when the war ended. "t was asked to stay in the Air Force, but I wanted to complete my I3ducation. I got out and enrolled at MM. McGee stayed in. Fifty years later, we got together to talk about the war. We have managed to get together nearly every year since." Pat Mann worked in the Chamber of Commerce field for many years, serving as the executive director of the Bryan College Station Chamber of Commerce for 18 years until he retired in 1984. His name can be found on the Brazos Valley Veteran's Memorial. For more information, to make a contribution, or if you know a World War II Veteran whose story needs to be told, contact -the BWM at www.veteransmemorial.org or Bill.Y.oungkin at (979) 260-7030. --