Carl S Chilton Jr

On December 7, 1941 Carl Chilton was an 18-year-old, enjoying his second year of college. It quickly became apparent that he would soon be subject to military service. He remained in college for another semester, and during that time undertook tesing to determine if he qualified for flight training as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Corps. He completed the extensive training program, received his pilot's wings and flew combat missions over Germany.

He wrote his parents regularly, describing his experiences and feelings about life in the Army Air Corps. His father saved the letters, and in recent years Chilton has used them as the basis for writing this book. This is a unique story, told in "real time," de-scribing his interesting travels, his frustrations, his anxieties, some enjoyable times, some dangerous times and his thoughts about the future.

Chilton describes World War Two as a memorable time in the life of the country and as a time when he changed from an 18-year-old youth in 1941 to a mature 22-year-old in 1945.