The Stone That Flew Over the Hump Needed a Crew
Dad flew the Hump from October 1944 to April 1945 as a pilot and copilot. Flying a C-87 or C-109 was not a one-man job. Dad needed a crew to succeed in transporting aviation fuel, parts, other kinds of supply and personnel on round trip flights from Tezpur, India to several airfields in China.The Dad’s crew from Nashville, Tennessee to Tezpur, India in a brand new C-87consisted of copilot Roland E. Speckman; navigator V.W. Walker; engineer J.S. Byrnes; and W. D. Syester, radio. These men made seventeen stops over a twenty-one day trip. Speckman calculated that the fuel for the trip cost $4,000.The following men served as crew members for the round trip flights to China. Several served as crew members more than once, but the majority served with Dad only once.
- R.M. Myers
- W.L. Bridges
- K.L. Aicholtz (R)
- T.N. Nickerson
- G.M. Peterson
- M. Strieker(R)
- H.W. Robenstine
- E.E.Noyes (R)
- L.L. Pruitt
- S.P. Williams
- J.C. Turner (R)
- T.M. Phillips
- W.H. Wedeking
- M.D. Kester(R)
- R. J. Foster
- T. Pawlikowski
- E.H. Bucher (R)
- W.H. Brigdes
- C.P. Callahan (R)
- F.B. Krom
- H.L. Hisey
- K.L. Snapp(R)
- E.P. Czark
- R.E. Barr
- F.P. Mangino (R)
- J.J. O’Hanlon
- C.J. Erickson
- R.H. Garis(R)
- G.R. Reynolds (AR)
- A.C. Polzin
- C.L.Finzel(R)
- ? Robbins,
- ? Williams
- F.J. Bell
- F.A. Huss(R)
- W. W. Testerman
- C. W. Childress
- C.V. O’Brien
- C.F. Guilmette (R)
- C.M. Drake (AR)
- C.A. Grove
- W.H. McLaughlin
- A.R. Blanchette (R)
- J.W. McClain
- A.P. Bryant
- P.W. Gerdes (R)
- R.J. Whitlock
- C.P. Groves
- W. Syester
- G.W. McDow (AR)
- B.B. Vinson
- L.B. Shultz
- G.F.Braam(R)
- F.J. Perrault
- J.N. Braud
- J.B. Brown
- A.W. Dahl (R)
- W.S. Conroy
- R.E. Vennard
- R.R. Gelhar
- F.E. Durr
- R.L. Harrington
- L.M. Burstein
- A.A. Apline
- J.M. Tugwell
- W.M. Byers (R)
- B. White
- K. Miller
- L.L. Talbot
- B.A. Sims
- G.F. Miller (R)
- W. Klemme
- A.W. Shearer
- W.V. Dando (R)
- R. T. Murdock
- R. F. Forti (R)
- H.R. Starke
- J. Wilson
- B.F. Binion
- I. Reingold
- R.T. Cole
- J. C. Rutkowski (R)
- J. A. Spaddacio
- S.R. Craft
- J.W. Carroll (R)
- C.L. McElreath
- H.D. Bowen
- W. Linkenauger
- J. Wong
- O.J. Roberts
- C. Lowe
- C.C. Payne (R)
- G.W. Lake
- C.P. Belmont
- B.A. Burch (AE)
- H.W. Trout (R)
- M.G. Horvath
- F.M. Northrop (R)
- J.J. Amend
- J.C. Patterson (R)
- R.R. Hebert
- D.P. Beliveau
- E.D. Peterson (R)
- R.L. Rankin
- J.W. Krok
- D.A. Fisher
- J.H. Dendy (R)
- R.L. Woodall
- J.A. Kristek
- P.A. Davis
- D.C. Phillips (R)
- A.E. Fulks
- H. Stein (R)
- H.G. Martin
- H. Mayer
- R.H. Norton
- G.W. MacDow
- P.J. Duran
- M.J. Wisniewski (R)
- E.O. Peterson (AR)
- W.L. Gray
- J.C. Burger
- E.D. Hanson
- W. Taylor
- N. Adelman (R)
- H.O. Anderson
- R.D. Dickson
- L.A. Godfrey
- J.J. Russell
- J.C. Turner (R)
- C.R. Ahern
- C.C. Hicks (R)
- O. Barrick
- W.J. Lauf
- T.P. Carney (R)
- A.G. Danforth
- R. E. Speckman
- L.A. Oaks
- E.K. Storts (R)
- W.C. Skelly
- D.F. Gambatese
- C.D. Shamburger
- C.J. Goodnow
- K.F. Barton (R)
- M.W. Brouilette
- H.W. McConegly
- D. H. McLaughlin (R)
- W.A. Kibulus (AR)
- R.Mandelberg
- J.G. Riddle
- W.R. Alcorn (R)
- F.J. Liberatore
- C.J. Spellman (R)
- J.J. Valentino
- E.R. Hickerson
- ? Dey
- ? Mitchell (ARO)
- J.J. Costa
- B. Sobin (R)
- C.A. Kokesh
- W.A. Benson
- K.B.Lownes (R)
- P.W. Gregory
- R.J. Prendergast
- W.G. Johnson(ARO)
- H.W. Griggs
- L.D. Hudson
- T.A. Shuey
- J.W. Marshall (R)
- T.E. Fullick
- J.W. Holmes (E)
- R.Y. Hoffman
- ? Donin (E)
- ? Allensworth