Leland Thomas
Now here is a story book Hero. Young, brave, alert, patriotic – all the adjectives that are good can be used to describe this fine American – Leland E Thomas or Tommy as his buddies called him.
A few folks remember him well – graduating from Fruitland High School in 1937. A time of uncertainty, war clouds hovering over Europe, isolationists battling opponents as to which side, if any, the United States should take if war became a reality. Young men were graduating from high schools all across the country; none sure as to what lay ahead in the future. College could be entered if you wanted to work for it and Lee did. Manser & McClure Ford garage offered him a job, which he accepted and he was on his way. Along with two of his friends, Ed Dolton and Earl Howe, he joined the Civilian Air Patrol at the College of Idaho and all three received their private pilot's license. Their training planes were Porterfield Collegiate Trainers with sixty five horsepower motors. Leland went on to Pensacola for further instruction, Dolton made the Air Force his career and retired with the rank of Captain and Howe became the first crop duster pilot in this area. While in Florida, Lee trained with Joseph Kennedy, Jr and several times was a guest at the Kennedy compound at Miami Beach. He often wrote home to tell his parents about the Kennedy family as he saw them and how they appeared to be just 'plain folks', at least in the family gatherings he attended. It was this son of the Kennedy clan that was reported killed in action during World War II. At any rate, upon completion of his training, Lee found himself as a dive bomber pilot in the Marine Corps. The war was on in full swing and young men closed ranks to defend our Country. It was in the Fall of 1942, just two more days and he would be twenty three. He had already gained the attention of the Pentagon for heroism and extraordinary achievement, on two different occasions against enemy forces in the Solomon Island area. His award stated “while vigorously attacking a hostile force composed of a light cruiser, four transports and seven destroyers, Lt Thomas by his expert marksmanship and superb flying skill, scored the second destroyer. Later he scored several near misses on a cruiser and two destroyers....”For his actions he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. But on this fateful September 18th, he was in good spirits as he selected to fly a mission from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal to troop carriers in the Pacific. Radio silence could not be broken as Henderson was completely surrounded by the Japanese. No way in or out except by courageous pilots taking to the air to drop messages on waiting U.S. Vessels in the ocean. Lee was looking forward to his birthday bash with the fellows – all laughing and slapping each other on the back – hiding their deep concern and nervousness over the nearness of the enemy. Knowing today or tomorrow or the next week could bring disaster, injury, death, crashing down around them. For a few hours just perhaps they could joke their fears away. Pretend it was all a game” For he's a jolly good fellow...” Lee saw his mission posted and as he warmed the engines he put all worries aside; he would have a lot to tell Jeannette, his sister, when he got home. He got the signal to take off and into the blue sky the plane roared. Just having Ed Eades along his rear seat gunner gave him confidence. They had seen a lot of action together. he following is a direct quote from Eades: “We labored down the muddy runway, seeking that elusive flying speed, banked sharply over the shell and bomb torn coconut trees and headed down into Sealark Channel, which runs between Guadalcanal and Tulagi. There slowly cruising up the channel were the five transports and escort vessels. The USS Portland was easy to identify as she was the largest man-o-war in the convoy and very awesome in appearance. here is something sinister and deadly about a man-o-war vessel, but at the same time, beautiful. We swung out downwind so our relative difference in speed would be as little as possible and with wheels and flaps down to slow us even more, we looked very much like a Japanese torpedo plane coming in at mast-head height. But with our large, white stars on the wings and fuselage, it never occurred to us we would not be recognized. However, at this very moment, the Japanese launched an attack which took everyone by complete surprise and triggered the events that were to follow. My first realization that we were in serious trouble came as I saw tracers converging on us from all directions. We were closing in on the PORTLAND and in seconds were in a massive cone of fire. I knew Tommy now realized our own navy was doing everything in its power to shoot us down. e had immediately gone to full power and literally hanging by the propeller, he was trying desperately to climb out of danger. By this time we were directly over the PORTLAND and were taking extremely heavy fire from all sides. The air was filled with tracers and streaming up from the ships and our plane was clamoring and shaking as 50 caliber machine gun fire raked us from all angles. I could see the gun emplacements and swung my twin 30’s into position to sweep them but could not push the triggers. ven though it could have meant our salvation, I could not fire on our own ships. We had reached approximately 300 feet and perhaps could have made it but as I watched in utter frustration, a 40 millimeter from the PORTLAND closed on us and our doom was sealed. Once the gunner zeroed in, I don’t think one round missed us. He was so close, I watched him with my guns in hand as he literally shot us to pieces. I watched as in slow motion. Our plane was completely destroyed. Huge holes were appearing in the wings, our diving flaps were blown away, one blade of our propeller and nose spinner came floating by so slowly it seemed I could have reached out and caught them. The plane was engulfed in flames and seconds later we fell off into a spin. I knew I had been hit but had no idea how severely I was injured. I remember wondering if Tommy had been hit and how badly, although it didn’t matter as death was a certainty when we hit the water anyway. They say your life passes before you when you know you are going to die but the only thing I remember was the utter frustration of being unable to do anything to save us when we had survived so many situations just like this, only we could fight back. All I could do was wait for the impact and the end. We were spinning like an ever-tightening spring that would disintegrate upon impact with the unyielding water below. I was half-in, half-out of the cockpit, the 18 inch lanyards of my gunners belt holding me in and the violent centrifugal force of the spinning plane pulling me out. The engine had long since been silenced, only the screaming wind, flames and choking smoke was still with us. One minute we were falling and the next I was in the water. There was no sensation of impact of any kind. I was still in the plane and could not bring myself to believe it, I was still alive! But the taste of blood and salt water was very real. My guns had torn loose on impact and almost demolished my face and I had gone through the back of my gunner’s seat. I could not feel or control my legs. The plane began to sink and somehow I got to the front cockpit and tried to get Tommy out of the mangled remains. It was not to be – his unconscious body was hopelessly pinned in the cockpit and in seconds the plane started under. I clung to Tommy for a little, as the plane slowly sank into its blue Pacific grave, I guess in hopes that something would change and I could save him but in the end I turned loose and came to the surface…I drifted from haze to nothingness – then I was bumping against the gray sides of a ship and the same Navy that had put me here was picking me up.” It was not until October 23rd that Lee’s folks were notified that he had been Killed in Action and the irony of the whole matter was that they both died years later never knowing that it was our side who was responsible for the death of their son. On February 28, 1944, a Destroyer-Escort ship was christened and launched at the Brown Shipbuilding Company in Brownsville, Texas. It was named the USS Leland E Thomas and to this day his sister, Jeanette Dyer of Fruitland, has the pieces of the broken champagne bottle, in a special wooden box used in the ceremony. Leland was to be remembered for many things. He was so handsome and poised, the Navy used his photo to recruit young men before Pearl Harbor. As a lad he played the saxophone for Jay Stoner’s Payette County Band. Mr. Stoner selected Lee to represent the Fruitland High School in a Northwest Contest held in Seattle. Lee’s musical selection was ‘Saxophobia’ and he won over all the entrees in his category. Lee was a perfectionist and friends recall the Sundays afternoons when the girls stood in front of his house listening to him practice on his horn. He was outstanding in school sports – baseball, football, track – making a record in the broad jump, even though he broke his ankle doing it. This poem was found in the papers of his mother Etta May after she passed away. It was in her handwriting and believed to be written by her: ‘Dear God, it seems but yesterday, you gave this boy to me. The one who is many miles from home – whose face I cannot see The years have swiftly come and gone; so eager in their stride To brush me lightly by the way and take him from my side. It seems to me he is still a child; so full of boyish glee. But pleadings of a war torn world has forced the man to be. And now dear God, he joined the ranks of men with golden wings, And searches the heavens for peace and finer things. But oh! dear Lord, if in his flight he fails to come to me Please God take over the controls and change his course to Thee.’ He touched many lives in his short years and left a mark many may envy. A proud, kind, young man with a whole life ahead and yet as a flower slowly opens and blossoms then just as slowly dies, it leaves a memory of its fragrance and beauty in the lives of those who knew it. |
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