Lt. F. Willard Robinson

Navy Wings of Gold: 3rd Edition Lt. F. Willard Robinson 3.º edición

These untold stories of Naval pilots and heroes of World War II include "Robbie" Robinson's war story of miraculous survival, the years just before WW2 broke out, and nine other stories of unique heroism of his fellow officers in the war.  Unique among these stories is the eyewitness account of former President George H. W. Bush's plane being shot down and his submarine rescue. He was nearly captured, and all those captured on Chi Chi Jima were killed or cannibalized.  The story of how Lt. Nat Adams preserved Bush's life from this fate is a special chapter.
 
Other stories of patriotism and courage include Lt. Leonard Muskin's first torpedo to start the sinking of the largest naval battleship ever built, the Musachi.  The vast majority of torpedo bomber pilots in the TBM Avenger (Robbie's plane) never lived to tell their stories.
 
Also told is the story of the first test firing of air-to-ground missiles, which were later used in the South Pacific; and American Ace Lt. Fred Dungan's miraculous survival after his Hellcat was shot up and his arm shattered with one of the bullets.  And just how do you make a landing if you need two good arms to land your plane?
 
A unique chapter provides the perspective of the navy pilot's wife waiting for him in the USA.  Robbie's wife, Joan. only knew he was critically injured somewhere in the South Pacific.  How she dealt with this time and emotional trauma is poignantly told in a later chapter.
 
Other heroic stories include Robbie's brother Lt. Charles W. Robinson on the only cruiser in the D-Day invasion that was not hit by enemy fire (USS Tuscaloosa); Major John E. Jaqua in the Solomon Islands flying the same plane as Robbie, outfitted as a dive bomber; and Lt. William Barnett's rescue stories flying his PBY in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands. 
 
We have especially enjoyed the end of Muskin's story.  On his final mission, helping finish-off the retreating Japanese fleet, he had to return to his aircraft carrier with his instruments all shot up.  In a unique, miraculous way he followed an angel-piloted SB2C in a direction he would not have traveled.  You need to read the story yourself.
 
Robbie extracted these stories from war heroes who would not speak about these awful days.  Many of these courageous pilots had never even told their stories to their wives!  We think you'll enjoy these fresh-old stories of heroism from the Greatest Generation. Perhaps we will have no greater.