Because of a personal connection with Jim Brooks, we were able to share his story not only with his grandchildren, but also with you. If you would like to share your valuable stories of WW2 or the P-51 Mustang, please feel free to post it here. Simply register with your Name and Email Address and submit your story as a comment.
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13 Responses to “Share Your Own Stories Here!”
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Kenneth Good says:
I was a replacement pilot, arriving in China in the summer of 1945. I was a P-51 pilot in the 528 squadron of the 311 fighter group, in the 14th Air Force under General Claire Chanualt. My training was with the P-40 in Perry, Florida. My first experience flying the P-51 was in Karaichi, India. What a great plane to fly. While stationed in Sian, China, I flew one combat mission and 2 non combat missions in the P-51.
Roman Susil says:
Hi!
I was looking for Jimmy Brooks adress for a pretty long period. By chance I got a Ghost callendar 2006 with ‘February’ on the first page. Then thanks to Chris Woods I was able to get in touch with Jimmy Brooks.
Jimmy Brooks shot down 4 German fighters over my country, 2 of them on Aug. 29, 1944. That day, 9 US bombers were shot down and crashed around my born town.
I´m in touch with former crew members of those bombers, with former German fighters and that´s why I wanted to get in touch with Jimmy Brooks as well.
This golden generation is leaving us day by day and I got a feeling today´s generation doesn´t know anything about the heroism and sacrifice of our grandfathers…
So I want to thank to all the soldiers who served in WW2 and helped to bring the peace to the world as Jimmy Brooks did. I hope they will never be forgotten!
Jimmy Brooks doesn´t speak much about his WW2 experience. I guess he could write a book just from his memories but he never did it. Thanks to Chris Woods and his DVD we can get to know another almost forgotten WW2 hero who is 4th most successful fighter in 31st FG with his 13 victories.
Dear Mr. Brooks- we will never forget!
Dear Chris- thank you!
Roman Susil
Zlin, Czech Republic
Major Jeff Pruitt says:
I am the senior instructor for the Air Force JROTC program at William Byrd High School in Vinton, Virginia. I got a call last week from a friend of Jim Brooks who lives here in our town. He told me about Mr. Brooks, about his experiences flying the P-51, and about this wonderful DVD called “Gray Eagles.” He asked me if I would like to review the DVD and possibly use it in class. Having recently finished teaching several lessons on air power in WWII, I said I would love to see the DVD. He dropped it off here at the school and I had the chance to show it to several of my classes. My cadets loved it, and watched quietly throughout the entire film. Even some of those we have “problems” with paid attention and asked lots of questions.
I agree that today’s youth probably don’t know much, if anything, about these heroes who fought and died for our freedoms. Part of that is our fault, because we often don’t do enough to teach them about our past. This DVD brings the history we teach to life, making the lessons more real for our cadets. I have always been fascinated with airplanes and with combat aircraft, especially WWII era planes, and it was wonderful to see this film. The P-51 is a magnificent plane, and to see so many of them flying at the same time is breath-taking. Thank you for making this film, and I guarantee that we will continue to use it to educate our cadets about this special part of their heritage.
Major Jeff Pruitt
USAF (ret.)
Joe Noah says:
Really enjoyed the Jim Brooks story.Founding the AFAA was a stroke of genius!
I would like to share the story of two Mustang pilots who did not survive WW II: George & Bill Preddy. Please visit their web site to learn more. BTW, George is our top Mustang ace!
Blue skies and gentle landings,
Joe
C. M. Hunt, Jr., M. D. CDR / USN (Ret) says:
MAJ Brooks:
You have my deep gratitude for your contributions & sacrifices, as one of the guarantors of a future for me & my children / grandchildren. BRAVO ZULU !!
I regret that I had inadequate time at Gathering of Mustangs & Legends (GML) to inspect all the P-51’s—especially “February.” I prize the GML program, and especially its profile of your service.
Very Respectfully,
Mac Hunt
2nd Cousin to Bill & George Preddy
Director, Preddy Memorial Foundation
( http://www.preddy-foundation.org )
Swansboro, N. C.
C. M. Hunt, Jr., M. D. CDR / USN (Ret) says:
THANK YOU !!
LES W. RUSSELL says:
IN 1941 I WAS A CADET AND HAVE TRIED TO FIND A FORMER PILOT THAT FLEW P-51S HIS NAME WAS EARL RUBLE JR.NICKNAME SCRATCH.. LAST KNOWN ADDRESS WAS IN MUNCIE IN.HE IS ABOUT 86 NOW AND HOPE STILL ALIVE. ANY INFORMATION WILL BE APPRECIATED. MAILING ADDRESS P.O.BOX 383 MILAN,OHIO 44846
KEN FERLAND says:
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE P-51 WAS THE BEST LOOKING PLANE THAT WAS EVER BUILT.
I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE, THEY SURE LOOKED GOOD SEEING THEM FLYING OVER YOUR BOMB GROUP ON YOUR WAY TO BOMB THE ENEMY. THEY TRULY WERE OUR LITTLE FRIENDS!!
Jeff Merriman says:
Hi, My Dad was a fighter pilot during WWII. He was stationed at Kingscliff, England in 8th Air Force,20th Fighter Group. He started flying the P-38, then on to the P-51. I’ve done some research on him, and recently was a given a reprint of the flight manual published by North American for the P-51. I found myself amazed at the effort to be, pilot, bomber, and fighting for his life.
Your movie made me very proud of my Dad. Thank you so much
Jeff Merriman
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Tom Knight says:
I’m 68 years old and, as far back as I can remember, I’ve been a fanatic about aviation. I guess I can blame my older brother for that. I had to fight with his models for a place to sleep on my own bed as a kid.
You can’t be in love with planes and not develop some appreciation, if not open love, for the P-51. I can’t tell you how many different models of the plane I built over the years, nor can I recount the countless books I read about the plane and the brave pilots who took them to war. To say I’m obsessed with the lore of the P-51 is not too strong of a statement.
Several years ago, my darling wife….unbeknost to me….arranged for a Christmas gift of a lifetime. In our town, Jacksonville, FL., there is a P-51 owned and flown by Dave Marco. The plane is the “Sizzlin Liz “. It’s stunning. It was awarded the top prize for warbirds at the Oshkosh show one year. It still looks as good as new, thanks to the stewardship of Dave and his crew.
Under the Christmas tree that year was a poster of the Sizzlin Liz and, signed at the bottom, was an invitation by Dave to show up and take a ride with him. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!To this day, I can’t tell you how many times I jumped off the floor…my wife says at least 20.
When the day of the flight arrived, I was a bag of jitters. Dave, though, put me at ease immediately. He showed me all around his hangar, showed the the documented history….pictures and all….of the restoration period his plane went through, and, of course, made sure I was comfortable with all the things we would experience during the flight.
The sounds that plane made may be the most lasting memory I have of the P-51. It’s hard to adequately describe, but the sounds penetrated your soul and spoke to your psyche. On run-up prior to takeoff, you wonder if you could have survived the intensity of the noise without benefit of the headset.
Prior to releasing the brakes for the blast down the runway, your overriding perception is that of being inside a caged, wild animal straining to attack. Then, in what seems a mere moment, you’re climbing through the sky with a level of commitment you’ve never experienced before. Having flown light aircraft myself in years gone by, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how this flight would go. I didn’t have a clue.
To say it was an experience of a lifetime doesn’t do it justice. I heard things and felt things at a level I didn’t know existed. What a thrill those young guys who took this plane to war got to enjoy, and I, now, have a much better appreciation for what a day in the office was like for them. Except, of course, I didn’t share the fear of getting killed as they did, each time they mounted their steed. God bless the souls of each and every one of them.
Eric Alinger says:
My heartfelt thanks to Mr Brooks and his service to this great country. I was moved by his story as it was shared with his grandchildren.
My dad, Capt Henry J Alinger, was a pilot in the Air Transport Command…a “Hump” pilot. Two years ago,
I wrote to the military archives in St Louis and was able to get copies of dad’s miltary records. Dad died in 1975 at the age of 59 which made him an “old man” at the time he flew the Hump. I was 16 at the time of his death. In his records, I found documented the 186 trips he made from Mohanbari, India (or Sookerting) into Kunming, China. These pilots flew primarily on instruments when no one knew how to instrument fly!
In an untested, somewhat ornery, Curtiss C-46 it’s a testament to these pilots spirit that they survivied!
I am so proud of dad and the all the men that served in this little know theatre of the war.
At the age of 16, my son wrote a poem about his grandfather whom he never met…it is titled simply “The Hump”
High above the highest crest,
These heavy airplanes, line abreast,
Though seemingly with steady ease
Do face this day a grueling test.
They fight the Himalayan breeze
To help to thwart the Japanese,
And staying ever mission bound
They help provide a soldier’s needs.
But little glory here is found
Granted to soldiers on the ground,
Who never would begin to fight
Without these fliers, unrenowned
And so they tarry through the nights
and keep their engines clear of ice
And though they’ve the most dangerous chore,
They’re fighting a forgotten war.
Jared was a young man with a love of aviation and his country. He was diligent in his pursuit to attend the United States Air Force Academy. Not long after writing this, he was killed in an auto accident. We learned later that summer that he would have secured a nomation to the USAFA.
The Hump Pilots Association has dissolved due to declining memebership…as mentioned in Mr Brooks video, this generation (the greatest) is dwindling in numbers each day. Please tell your stories and celebrate these men and women who served so unselfishly, so humbly, with so much grace.
We are blessed to have received the gift of their sacrafice!
Mark Lawrence says:
My dear friends and I have worked airshows with the CAF for more than twenty years and have been so lucky to meet many heros like James Brooks. The one thing they all tell me is: If the government gave you unlimited gas and a fast aircraft when you were twenty years old, what yould you do son?
His generation has no eaquals.
Mark Lawrence
Decatur, Ga.
AceJohnson says:
Since I was a small girl, my mother told me stories about her first husband who flew P-51 Mustangs in the Army Air Force during the Korean War. Somehow, I ended up with a small black and white photo of him, standing in front of his Mustang on the base in Japan.
My mother told me that she got to fly in a Mustang once and advised me that if I ever got to take a ride in one, to not hesitate for a second.
I started flight training in February 2009 and promised myself that if I got my private pilot certificate, I would treat myself to a flight in a Mustang. Just one month before I passed my checkride for my license, I met a Mustang pilot at a small gathering of P-51s at an airport in Northern California. We became friends and I spent the day helping him push the plane out onto the ramp, pulling the chocks out from the wheels and keeping track of the protective plugs that go in the exhaust ports. The day was drawing to a close and people were leaving for home, when the pilot grabbed me by the arm and instructed me to climb into the back seat of the plane and buckle up. I was going for a ride in a P-51 Mustang!
It was everything I ever imagined it would be and 1,000 times more! As we taxiied back to the hangar, tears streamed down my cheeks as I thought back to nearly 60 years earlier, when my own mother sat in the back seat of a Mustang and experienced that same thrill. I know she was right beside me in that cockpit as I rolled and looped among the clouds.
Hearing Lt. Jim Brooks’ story and seeing this documentary was fantastic. I know I will watch it over and over again. Thank you to all involved in this great effort.
Blue skies…