The Things They Carried Over There & The Things They Carried Back Here

Lt. George A. Hinton (2nd from right)

I was watching the Bulls game the other night when my son asked me for help on an English assignment he was working on. He had read “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien (The story is a fictional accounting of “things” soldiers carried with them as they fought in the Vietnam War.) and he was trying to write an essay on three examples of events or experiences that he felt were “connected” to this story. He had finished writing on two of the three connections and was having trouble coming up with the third.

         

USMC issued footlocker

I thought about it for a minute before something clicked. I went downstairs to my work area where, underneath my workbench rests an old green footlocker that had been used by my father during his stint as a Marine Corps pilot in WWII.  From this musty chest I retrieved an old wooden cigar box that contained an assortment of equipment that he used while flying in the South Pacific. Inside there was also an object that he carried in his wallet during the war and well after the war had ended.
“Maybe you can write about these things that your Granndpa Jo carried with him while he was serving in the war.”

Pictures below are some of the artifacts that my father saved from his time in the war.

To the left is an example of the silk maps that flight-crews carried in their survival kits in case they were shot down over water. The maps shows the direction of the prevailing water currents and their speeds so the downed flier could approximate his position. The two maps I have are framed and are in much better shape

On the right is a mirror that was used by downed fliers to send signals to aircraft and ships trying to located the stricken crew. The side pictured here contains instructions on proper use. The opposite side is a mirror to reflect light towards potential rescuers.

This is exactly like the watch that my father wore when he flew
As a matter of fact, I keep his watch in my bedroom dresser and it still keeps accurate time. I just don't feel comfortable wearing it because it does need to be wound from time to time and I would hate to break the timing spring . The fluorescent numbers and watch hands still glow in the dark.














My father carried this dollar bill with him during the war and for many years after returning to civilian life. It's very  interesting but I'm afraid that much of it's significance may be lost to the ages. The story goes something like this: people in the armed forces would  carry paper currency with them and would have visiting USO stars autograph the money. After the war, my father flew professionally and continued to gather signatures as he flew. I just wish I knew who had signed this bill. The only signature I can recognize is that of  Ed Sullivan. It is on the right-hand side of the bill and runs vertically just to the left of the 1s. There are signatures on both sides of the bill but many have become faded or smudged and are impossible to read.  I don't even know where to begin trying to decipher the writing.

I needed to share more than just the  "things" that my father carried with him during the war. So printed up the following excerpt from a posting I found online shortly after my father had passed away. It comes from article written by 2 former Marine Corps officers entitled "The Story of SCAT"  . http://centercomp.com/dc3/1910.html

Lt. George A. Hinton (Middle standing)

"Picking a Pilot"

"A pilot's need for more than ordinary capabilities is illustrated in a story told by Capt. Heard, a veteran of early Guadalcanal days. A SCAT pilot landed his transport on a New Hebrides strip in a rain squall only to discover when he reached the center of the runway that a New Zealand fighter plane was landing from the opposite direction. With no room to pass, the SCAT pilot, Lt. George A. Hinton, USMC, bore down on his left brake and dropped a wheel off the matting. This raised his Opposite wing just high enough for the fighter plane to pass under with a fraction of an inch to spare. Afterward the SCAT pilot commented that it was sure lucky I didn't tip the other way." The fighter pilot being a New Zealander was used to passing on the left and had probably started instinctively in that direction. Hinton had twelve wounded aboard, evacuated from Bougainville."

Now my father had shared many "war stories" with me but I had never heard this one until I "Googled" his name a few weeks after he passed away.