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1 M/Sgt. Bernice
Olivia Barbour (now Bernice Raiford) was
head of the technical section and commander
Allen H. Watkins's administrative assistant.
She remembers him as tough but fair.
2 I had some
dates with the navy boys. One of them, after
finishing his training at Norfolk before
heading for the Pacific, made a training
flight to Manteo to see me. After
landing--without permission--he came across
the field to invite me to go flying with
him. "Sure," I said, "if Major Watkins will
let me." We weren't long on protocol there,
so for effect I entered his office very
military-like, clicked my heels, and said,
"Major Watkins, Sir! Lieutenant Freeman has
asked me to go flying with him in his SNJ'
Sir!" Major Watkins looked at me kind of
amused, and after a moment said, "Well, if
the Navy doesn't care. I don't guess I do."
We flew for about thirty-five minutes, and
that boy showed me every combat maneuver he
knew. I loved it. Our pilots, with hundreds
of hours in the air, said they'd have been
sick as dogs.
1&2 excerpts
"FROM MAINE TO MEXICO" by Louis E. Keefer.
As curator and historian, for the Dare
County Regional Airport, I strongly
recommend this book. Find out more about it
under publications on the museum home page.
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