There I Was …

Name: There I Was …
Price: $17.50 USD
Author: Robert S. Crouse
ISBN: 9781426938450

The Wartime Memoirs of a Fledgling Birdman

by Robert S. Crouse

Formats

Softcover

$17.50

Softcover

$17.50

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 10/27/2010

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 276

ISBN : 9781426938450

About the Book

When five-year-old Robert Crouse saw a 1910 Curtis pusher biplane fly over his hometown in Tennessee, he was immediately mesmerized. After he watched the plane gently land behind the trees a short distance from his house, he informed anyone who would listen that one day he would fly a plane just like that one. In his memoir There I Was …, Crouse chronicles how his fascination with airplanes grew throughout his childhood and eventually led him on an unforgettable journey as a young airman during World War II. When Crouse was a seventeen-year-old high school senior, the United States became firmly embroiled in World War II. Although he was too young and suffered from a congenital heart condition, Crouse could hardly wait to get into uniform. As Crouse recounts the details of how he was eventually drafted in 1943 despite his medical challenges and later flew thirty-one missions in B-25s, he provides a real-life glimpse into what it was like for thousands of young men to serve their country in perilous times. There I Was … couples historical photographs with personal anecdotes and provides a captivating narrative sure to entertain World War II and airplane buffs alike.

About the Author

Bob Crouse was drafted into the USAAF in April 1943 and would eventually fly thirty-one missions in B-25s in the Mediterranean. After World War II ended, he enjoyed a lengthy career as a metallurgist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now retired, Bob lives with his wife in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Customer Reviews

"This is the type of book that will be valued by historians, both professional and amateur, for years to come. Robert Crouse tells his story as a young kid, barely of enlistment age who volunteers for the Army Air Force. It was the fulfillment of a dream. He had been fascinated by flying ever since he was 5-years old and saw a 1910 Curtis biplane in flight over Tennessee.

The author keeps the narrative moving along at a good pace, but along the way he provides a great deal of detail about everyday life in the Army. These are the sorts of details that one normally has to dig for since they are rarely part of formal histories of battles and campaigns.

What was the Army food really like in various camps? What was it like traveling by train all around the country from one training field to another? What were the personal dynamics between the men in training squads and in combat crews? How does the Army manage the transformation of a lowly grunt in basic training into an officer and a gentleman with pilot wings?

Gearheads will love the details about the various aircraft and especially the Mitchell B-25.

In addition to the descriptions of some hairy combat missions, there is also the thread of a love story. Like millions of other GI's, Crouse married a hometown girl before going to war. She followed her man from station to station as he moved from one stage of training to the next. Crouse paints a vivid portrait of the women who loved the men who went to war in foreign lands.

The book will appeal to individuals who are interested the social history of the times as well as the airplane enthusiasts who are interested in the handling characteristics of the various trainers and combat craft. It will also satisfy those people who want to get a feel for what it was like to guide a B-25 through a sky filled with flak. In short, pretty much everyone."

Dan Setzer

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