[303rd-Talk] Let me in, Please!

[wally tharp]

Greetings,

I was a member of the 360th BS - Went down on 8 March '44, "Doolittles Destroyer" Was a spare engineer, but as I was getting a transfer to where my wife, as a WACC, was to be stationed, I volunteered for 8 March on second Berlin raid. Following "Bombs Away" the pilot, Lt. McGrath, called over the intercom: "Everyone put on their parachutes and get ready to bail out" I pushed in the intercom and asked why? His reply: "#3 Engine is going out" - My reply: "Don't s--- me Lt. you know this is to be my last mission" - - -because of ego, I had volunteered for this mission - to be my 10th, so I could get the cluster for my Air Medal. His reply to that: "If you think I'm s------- you Sgt. look out at #3 engine. Being the l waist gunner I went over to the r wg's window, looked out and saw oil streaming out the nacelle of #3! Shortly after that we were ordered to get out of the plane, immediately!  14 months later we awoke to the news that the Americans were taking over our camp - - you no doubt know the rest of that story. 

Anyhow, a friend of my son's, in Portland, told him of the web site, so I have just had the pleasure of seeing part of the "news" that I guess you are responsible for - Good show! P.S. Following liberation, having styed in service at war's end, I was qualified to be promoted from T/Sgt to 2d Lt, as a result of course of not hyaving had opportunity to be promoted any highter than grade at capture. I retired therefor as a Captain, at March Field - - 30 Aug 1960.

So please tell me cost of your 'publication'- - -am real anxious to get same. Thanks to all,

Wallace L. Tharp, 
1117 W. 35th Way
Vancouver, WA  98660

PS: I enlisted here in Aug 1938 - - because my Dad was stationed here at the time, as a Buck Sgt - - retired in 1950 as a Lt.Colonel - -  -oh yes, and my brother enlisted here a month of so before I did  - - -spent the war in the Aleutians.