World War II Honoree

Anthony M. Arra

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

New York, New York

Honored By

Robert A. Larson

Relationship

Son

TECHNICAL SERGEANT. AVIATION MECHANIC, FLIGHT ENGINEER AND CREW CHIEF IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS. SERVED IN THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA CAMPAIGN. HE ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE IN DECEMBER 1937 AT AGE 24. THE ARMY AIR CORPS MOVED HIM TO PANAMA WHERE HE ATTENDED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC SCHOOL. HE ATTENDED AVIATION AND MECHANIC SCHOOLS IN THE SERVICE FROM 1937 TO 1940 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO BOLLING FIELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IN THE BEGINNING, HE BECAME AN AIRCRAFT MECHANIC AND WORKED ON VARIOUS AIRCRAFT. HE BECAME A FLIGHT ENGINEER ON C-54 AND C-87 AIR TRANSPORT PLANES. HE OCCASIONALLY FERRIED BOMBERS TO ENGLAND AND TRANSPORTED DIGNITARIES TO SOUTH AMERICA. HE WOULD SOMETIMES FLY THE PLANES TO GIVE THE PILOTS A BREAK ON THOSE LONG FLIGHTS. BOLLING FIELD HAD THREE MISSIONS DURING WWII. IT SUPPLIED AIR TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER SERVICES FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR DEFENSE OF THE NATION'S CAPITAL AND SUPPLIED TRAINED MEN TO ARMY COMBAT ORGANIZATIONS. AFTER RE-ENLISTING IN 1941, TRANSFERRED TO HICKAM ARMY AIRFIELD IN HONOLULU, HAWAII FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HE WAS THERE ON THAT FAMOUS 'DAY OF INFAMY' ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. HE AND HIS SQUADRON WATCHED IN DISBELIEF, DURING THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR AND ADJACENT MILITARY LOCATIONS. THE NEXT WAVE OF JAPANESE BOMBERS HIT HICKAM FIELD, WHERE MOST OF THE AMERICAN B-17 BOMBERS AND SUPPORT PLANES WERE DESTROYED. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY MEN AT HICKAM AIRFIELD LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN THE JAPANESE BOMBED THE BARRACKS. THE MEMORIES OF PEARL HARBOR WERE AWFUL AND HE DIDN'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THAT FATEFUL WEEK. AFTER THE PLANES WERE REPLACED WITH NEW B-24 BOMBERS IN 1942, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO ANOTHER BOMBER GROUP IN HONG KONG, CHINA. HE MADE STAFF SERGEANT AND BECAME A FLIGHT ENGINEER. HE MADE BOMBING RUNS TO THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON A DAILY BASIS. MOST OF THE FLIGHTS WERE 12 HOURS ONE WAY, THUS 24 HOURS FLYING DAYS WERE THE NORM. THE FLIGHTS WERE COLD AND NOISY INSIDE THE B-24 BOMBERS SINCE THEY WERE NOT PRESSURIZED, UNLIKE THE B-29 BOMBERS. ALL THE FLIGHT CREW WORE FLIGHT SUITS AND JACKETS, BUT STILL VERY COLD FLYING BETWEEN 10,000 TO 30,000 FEET ALTITUDE. THE B-24 BOMBER CREW WAS COMPRISED OF 10 MEMBERS, WHEREAS THE B-29 HAD 12 CREW MEMBERS. HE WAS THE ONLY FLIGHT ENGINEER ON BOARD. THE FLIGHT ENGINEER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE PLANE WHILE IN FLIGHT. THE B-24 AND B-29 BOMBERS WOULD DROP SEVERAL TONS OF BOMBS ON THE ENEMY POSITIONS, WHICH WOULD DO A LOT OF DAMAGE. RARELY, THEY WOULD ENCOUNTER ENEMY FIGHTER PLANES ON THE WAY TO THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. HE LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE SECOND AIR TRANSPORT SQUADRON IN 1944 IN WEST PALM BEACH FLORIDA, WHERE THE UNIT WAS FORMED. THEY TRAVELED FIRST TO EGYPT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THEN TO KALAIKUNDA AIRFIELD IN INDIA. AS A FLIGHT ENGINEER, HE WOULD FLY OVER THE FAMOUS 'HUMP' PART OF THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS IN INDIA, TRANSPORTING FUEL AND SUPPLIES BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA. HE AND HIS SERVICE BUDDIES ENJOYED THE FLYING EXPERIENCE. THEY WOULD MAKE TRIPS TO OTHER AIRFIELDS INCLUDING CALCUTTA, WHERE THEY WOULD SHOP FOR LOCAL ITEMS. SOME OF THE SECOND ARMY TRANSPORTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO LULIANG, CHINA IN NOVEMBER 1944 WITH THE REMAINDER ARRIVING IN DECEMBER 1944. LULIANG AIRFIELD WAS IN A VALLEY SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINS WITH AN ELEVATION OF 6,044 FEET. IT WAS COOL DURING THE WINTER MONTHS AND SOMETIMES SNOW WOULD APPEAR. THE VILLAGE OF LULIANG, SEVERAL MILES AWAY WAS AN ANCIENT VILLAGE WITH A 30 FOOT STONE WALL SURROUNDING THE TOWN. HE BECAME A TECHNICAL SERGEANT, CREW CHIEF AND FLIGHT ENGINEER DURING THIS TIME, RECEIVING LOTS OF FLIGHT TIME AND MORE FLIGHT PAY ON MANY TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHTS. THE TRANSPORTS WOULD FLY TO INDIA AND OTHER LOCATIONS OBTAINING FUEL AND OTHER SUPPLIES FOR THE BOMBERS IN CHINA. ASIDE FROM THE WAR, HE AND HIS AIR BUDDIES ENJOYED THE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS AND CHINA, WHERE ALL THE NATIVES WERE VERY FRIENDLY TO THE U.S. TROOPS. HE INDICATED THE ISLANDS HAD BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS THAT WOULD HELP YOU FORGET THE WAR AT TIMES. HE DIDN'T LIKE INDIA AS MUCH AS THE NATIVES WEREN'T AS FRIENDLY AND THE WEATHER WAS HOT AND MUGGY ALL YEAR ROUND. HE WAS TRANSFERRED BACK TO BOLLING FIELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHERE HE MADE REGULAR WEEKLY FLIGHTS ON B-29 BOMBERS TO GUAM ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC AND BACK. ON AUGUST 6, 1945, A B-29 SUPER FORTRESS NAMED ENOLA GAY CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY. FLYING OVER HIROSHIMA, JAPAN THE BOMBER RELEASED ITS ONLY CARGO: LITTLE BOY, THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB TO BE USED AS A WEAPON. THE BOMB DESTROYED THE CITY, KILLING OVER 70,000 PEOPLE. THE AFTERSHOCKS ENDED WORLD WAR II AND THRUST MANKIND INTO THE NUCLEAR AGE. HE REALLY LOVED THE ARMY AIR FORCE AND RECEIVED PROMOTIONS UP TO TECHNICAL SERGEANT BEFORE LEAVING THE SERVICE IN OCTOBER 1945. HE RECEIVED MANY MILITARY RIBBONS, 3 BRONZE STARS, AND OTHER MEDALS FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE.