Robert S Crouse

Robert S Crouse was born 14 June, 1924. . . in Gibson County, Tennessee.

   14 June of every year is "FLAG DAY" and Bob was born to be Patriotic !  His Enlistment Recorts show he was accepted into the Army on  3 April, 1943 at Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia.                    Now, as per the CORRECT order :)

        Induction and classification - Ft. Oglethorpe, GA Basic training - Miami Beach (life was tough in those days) CTD (college training) - Beloit College, Beloit, WI Classification and Pre-flight - Santa Ana, CA Primary Flight training - Claiborne Flight Academy, Wickenburg, AZ Basic Flight training - Minter Field, Bakersfield, CA Advanced Flight training - Mather Field, Sacramento, CA Overseas (Transition) training - Greenville Army Air Base, Greenville, SC         The Over-seas Transition Training was a "Crash Course" at Greenville, SC in the B-25's just prior to going over-seas.  (Pun intneded ;)  This was the 334thBG "Aid From Above" Auxillum Ab Alto !  And they were going to need it !  Flying into the Brenner Pass on any day was no picnic and that "Aid From Above" would see them home on a Wing and a Prayer many-a-day.  Most of the current generation are completely unaware that our Boys, for the most part....never climbed into a B-25 until just before they flew over !  Many also never flew in one, much less pilot her until they arrived "over-there !  They were mostly trained in B-26's, the B-25's being built were needed imm. in the Theatre, where-ever that was !       At the 334thBG, Greenville, Bob was assigned to the 310th BG that was on Corsica, however upon arrival he would then have been assigned to the squadron that needed a new pilot the most.  New=bee's were buddied up with "seasoned" Combat Pilots, oddly, that could have applied to a guy who have as few as "several" Missions...... the new buddy would then learn about Combat as he flew straight into it ! 

334thBG, Greenville, NC - B 25's "Auxillium Ab Alto" "AID FROM ABOVE"

   Many made Friends for life, but as we all too well know, many of them did not come home.  All War is Hell, but the necessity of it to save the World can fire up men from every walk of life, and that includes the little-guy in the back who keeps an eye on the newest puppy while peeling potatoes and praying for ALL ships to return each and every Mission.  -B

(More to come - Barbi Ennis Connolly)

Bob writes his own Story :)  14 Oct. 2009.

I was born on a farm just outside of Rutherford, Tenn.  I was the youngest of seven, five sisters and one brother.  My parents names were Alice and Charles, better known in the community as "Miss Alice and Mr. Charlie."  In that part of Tenn. the cash crop was cotton.  We also raised hogs, chickens, dairy and beef cattle.  You see, we were pretty self sufficient.  We raised most of what we ate and depended on the stores for staples and dry goods.   My wife, Laverda, was my high school sweetheart and we were married in Corinth, Miss. the day before I reported for active duty in the Army.  We were fortunate in that she was able to be with me while I was in Bakersfield, Sacramento and Greenville.  The story of the wives of servicemen in WW II is pretty much untold.  They were amazing!  They would travel from base to base on their own, secure living quarters and show up at our first time off looking as beautiful as brides.  The sacrifices they made were awesome and they were not recognized by the public as they should have been.  They made our lives more livable with their presence.    Our first child, Betty, was born while I was in Corsica.  We have two boys, Dan, who was born in 1949, while I was still in the University of Tennessee.  Our second son,Terry, was born in 1953, after I had been  working at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. for four years.   I graduated from the University of Tenn., Knoxville, in 1949 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and worked as a metallurgist at ORNL for 391/2 yrs.  I was involved in the development of materials and alloys for several nuclear reactor projects and found the development of new materials extremely interesting and exciting.   I retired Jan. 1, 1989, to a life of leisure, travel and church work.

From Bob Crouse to Barbi Ennis Connolly (The gift of an AAC silk Scarf) June '08 Princess, I apologize for being so dilatory in thanking you for the beautiful scarf, but I've found myself somewhat distracted lately as I sit at the computer.  I just became a great grandpa recently (Betty's Grandson) and I tend to get wrapped up in the pictures that seem to keep showing up in my mail. 

  *** That is just the kind of scarf I wish I had had when I was flying, especially in Primary.  The watchword constantly repeated was, "Keep your head on a swivel"   That meant to keep looking all around; back right, down right, up right, scan the instruments, up left, down left, back left, then do it all over in reverse.  This instruction had an extremely important function.  You never knew when the enemy or a bone-headed cadet might be bearing down on you and you didn't want to be caught concentrating on your instruments or staring straight ahead.  You can imagine, all that twisting and turning would soon rub your neck raw.  So you see, a good scarf was far more than a piece of apparel to make you look dashing.  It served a very utilitarian purpose.       Thanks again.  I shall treasure it.        Regards,  Bob

 Barbi  is a 57th BW Researcher and the Historian for her own Dad/Ed's 321st BG.  PRINCESSBARBI_B25@msn.com   (Additions ?  Questions ?)

  Bob is a very special Vet and friend to me, I love the men and enjoy recording their great stories/experiences for all time !  xo  Barbi