User:Cayden.R.C/sandbox/Robert Spec Mclendon

Robert Spec Mclendon

15th U.S.A.A.C. Observation Squad emblem from 1924-2017 (bottom left on first page)

A United States Army Air Corps aviator who served from 1941-1974. Died of a heart attack in 1974.

Service history

He was in Reserve Officers' Training Corps around 1940. was deployed in ≈1941-1942 and this is really all that is known about his service history outside of a small book which lists events from 1941-1947 being the last note.

List of bases

Post Field, Oklahoma 9 January 1941 Ellington Field, Texas, 16 December 1941 (Flight at Post Field, Oklahoma, until April 1942) Godman Field, Kentucky, 23 April 1942 Camp Campbell Army Air Field, Kentucky, 26 June 1942 Key Field, Mississippi, 6 November – 4 December 1943 RAF Aldermaston (AAF-467), England, 22 December 1943 RAF Chilbolton (AAF-404), England, 1 March 1944 RAF Middle Wallop (AAF-449), England, 16 March 1944 RAF Chalgrove (AAF-465), England, 27 June 1944 Rennes Airfield (A-27), France, 10 August 1944 Châteaudun Airfield (A-39), France, 26 August 1944 Saint-Dizier Airfield (A-64), France, 9 September 1944 Conflans Airfield (Y-94), France, 1 December 1944 Trier Airfield (Y-57), Germany, 14 March 1945

Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64), Germany, 3 April 1945 Erfurt/Bindersleben Airfield (R-9), Germany, 16 April 1945 Fürth Airfield (R-28), Germany, 24 April 1945 Reims-Champagne Airport (A-62), France, 23 June – 13 July 1945 Drew Field, Florida, 3 August 1945 MacDill Field, Florida, 21 December 1945 Shaw Field, South Carolina, 3 February – 31 March 1946 Pope Field (later Pope Air Force Base), North Carolina, 3 December 1947 – 1 April 1949 (Deployed to Lawson Air Force Base, Georgia, 22 August–September 1948; Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, September 1948; and Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 3, Florida, 3 October–November 1948)

Stories

One story is that Mclendon was flying from Birmingham, Alabama to pick up an United States Army Air Corps General which he never met. He was flying early in the morning low over the Mississippi River most likely in a Douglas C-47 Skytrain. He was unknowingly approaching a Mississippi River bridge. He was flying to low to go over the bridge in time so he flew under. what happened next was he found a road suitable to land on, he had already landed when a United States Army convoy was approaching after he had made a turn that was in the road. Mclendon tried to wave the convoy off the road and they wove him off. So he ended up having to crash the plane into the trees. He woke up finding himself stuck in a tree having to cut himself down from a tree and ended up breaking his back. Men from the convoy went in a picked him up and when Mclendon was talking to one of the men the man said "I have never heard of somebody do something so insane and managing to survive it ." Mclendon could walk after a period of recovery but It would cause constant pain.

The next story takes place in Alabama. The airstrip had a mountain at the end of it. A pilot that wasn't fully qualified to fly solo had his dad pull some strings so he could fly alone. The pilot ended up not pulling up in time and slammed into the mountain. They sent up a salvage party which included Mclendon. the only distinct body parts they found were fingers, they were having ribs for supper that night. So right as Mclendon walked into the canteen and yelled "Ooh pilots fingers!" and he got all the ribs he wanted that day as all the other men left the canteen.

Category:Military

Category:Military