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LEACH, Carlos (b. 1922)

Oral Histories

OH 1466

Dentist. His experiences as a PBJ (B-25) co-pilot in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. Civilian Pilot Training Program, 1941-42; enlistment in the Navy Aviation Cadet Program, 1942; pre-flight training, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 1942; primary flight training, Naval Air Station, Grand Prairie, Texas, 1942; basic flight training, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, 1942-43; advanced flight training, NAS Pensacola, 1943; transfer to the Marine Corps; bomber transition training and crew formation with VMB-433 at Peterfield Point, North Carolina, 1943; combat training, Marine Air Station, El Centro, California, 1944; assignment to Green Island, July, 1944; his first mission against Rabaul; transfer to Emirau, August, 1944; living conditions on Emirau; low-level strafing mission to Kavieng; rest and relaxation leave in Australia; mustering out of the military; his postwar career.