By John ‘Butch’ Dale
Guest Columnist
Recently I read a book titled “Hank and Jim,” which told of the lifelong friendship between actors Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart.
John ‘Butch’ Dale
One chapter described their military service during World War II. Fonda served in the Navy and Stewart served in the Army Air Force. Upon further research, I discovered that hundreds of actors (and a few actresses) served their country during World War II, including Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Charles Bronson, Humphrey Bogart, Charlton Heston, Kirk Douglas, Tyrone Power, Bea Arthur, Mel Brooks, Lee Marvin, Eddie Albert, Rod Serling, and Gene Autry … just to mention a few.
Jimmy Stewart flew B-17’s and B-24’s on many dangerous bombing missions over Germany. When asked why he left his acting career to become an army pilot, he said, “The country’s conscience is bigger than all studios in Hollywood put together.” How many of today’s actors and actresses would volunteer to serve their country in time of war? I think we all know the answer to that.
There were many hundreds of Montgomery county men and women who served our country during World War II, and a few were pilots. Clint Wilkins of Linden was a B-24 bomber pilot in the Pacific theater. (Later in life, he restored a PT-19 trainer plane and flew it around here until he was nearly 80 years old.)
Three of the Tribbett brothers from Darlington became pilots. Everett Tribbett flew B-17 bombing missions over Germany. On one such mission, his plane was shot down, and he was held as a prisoner of war for several months. Frank Tribbett flew the P-51 Mustang fighter plane, while Wes Tribbett flew 29 combat missions in his B-29 bomber.
Like most of the World War II veterans, including the actors listed above, these men never bragged, or even talked about, their military service.
Probably the most famous World War II pilot from Montgomery county was Adrian Marks, who graduated from Ladoga High School in the 1930s. After attending Northwestern university and the earning a law degree from IU, he joined the U.S. Navy prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
He flew a PBY-5A Catalina patrol seaplane in the Pacific. After the USS Indianapolis cruiser had delivered the components for the atomic bombs (that were eventually used against Japan), and the ship was returning unescorted to the island of Leyte, it was hit by Japanese torpedoes on July 30, 1945. The ship sunk within 12 minutes, with a third of the crew going down with it, leaving 900 survivors floating in the water … many without life jackets or rafts. No distress signal had been sent on the secret mission.
During the next three days, nearly two-thirds of the men drowned, died of hypothermia or salt-water poisoning, or were eaten alive by sharks … leaving the rest clinging to their lives and praying for a rescue.
On Aug. 2, a patrol plane spotted the remaining survivors, and Adrian Marks and his crew was dispatched to the scene. He soon spotted the badly injured men bobbing in the water. Despite standing orders not to land in open ocean, Marks, after informing his crew of the hazards of landing on 12-foot oceans swells, and after taking a vote, was able to successfully land the plane, after bouncing 15 feet in the air several times over the waves. It sustained damage, but was able to stay afloat.
Marks and his crew were able to pull 56 men inside the cabin and on top of the wings, tying some men down with parachute cord. Many of the survivors were hallucinating and crying with thirst and pain. Thankfully a Navy destroyer arrived on the scene the next day and rescued the men. Only 316 sailors survived.
Marks ordered that his plane, which was too damaged to fly again, be destroyed. Adrian Marks was awarded the Air Medal for his heroic actions, and it was presented to him by Pacific Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz.
After the war, Marks settled down in Frankfort, and began his law practice. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 81. Although he was a famous hero, there were many more heroes from right here in our county. Many suffered terrible and often debilitating injuries during World War II.
Many went above and beyond the call of duty, risking their lives to save fellow soldiers. And still others made the ultimate sacrifice.
Just in my Darlington community alone, 10 men lost their lives in World War II. There are also many other brave men and women from here who served in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts. Most were lucky enough to make it back home. Some did not.
When certain actors and actresses, celebrities, sports stars, and politicians today make disparaging remarks and put down America, ask them what they have ever done to serve our great nation. That’s right. They have done … absolutely nothing.