Biographical Notes
Relating to
The Earl E. Myers Story

Chapter 13, Page 2 of 3 pages — On To Saipan
I was assigned to the 499th Bomb Group, 878th Sq. My C.O. was Maj. James A. Coats and the Ops Officer was Maj. Marvin K. (Whiskey) Mills. I asked for an appointment with the C.O. and within an hour I reported into the C.O. “Sir, 2nd Lt. Earl Myers reporting to ask a question, SIR!” I proceed to tell him my dissatisfaction continuing on with my present Aircraft Commander and how much training he had received at Pyote. I told him I would volunteer to fly tonight as a replacement crew member with any crew in the Wing.
Saipan, at last!
Photo Ctsy. Earl Myers
I was airborne late that evening as a replacement for a crew member that was DNIF. All went well and I was scared out of my wits, but to the crew it was "old hat" as they had already had 23 sorties under their belt.

Left: Base Chapel on Saipan.
A place to pray for a safe return
and, later, thanks for the surrender
of the Japanese. Photo: EM
About a week later my original crew was scheduled for a sortie and had the Ops Officer with them for the first flight. either the C.O. or the Ops Officer would go on a crews first mission. The A/C taxied into a group of fuel barrels along side the hardstand where they were parked. No 4 prop was damaged and the mission canceled. The crew never was scheduled again as the war was winding down. The ops officer was really Pi---- at him and called it deliberate. Draw your own conclusions as to what category I had already placed on him at Pyote, "too old and set in his ways, dumb or just plain yellow”. Poor guy was terrified. Hell so was I, but I went anyway.
Earl checks out the on-base
spa facilities on Saipan
Photo Ctsy. Earl Myers
Above: Air Sea Rescue at the ready.

Right: Catching fish the old fashioned way.
Photos Ctsy. Earl Myers
I completed 4 sorties as a co-pilot and the 5th was as Aircraft Commander. The war was over and a cease fire was in order. It perhaps was more dangerous being at Eisley Field after announcement of the cease fire as every B-29 that was capable had crew members firing off the 50 cal machine guns, plus the 45s we carried and anything else that would make noise . On 4 bottles of hot beer a week that we had saved up there was one hell of a party.
Left: Earl Myers seeking a wider
vision and possibly a few coconuts.
Photo Ctsy. Earl Myers
Above: Suicide Cliff, Saipan.
Where many Japanese soldiers jumped
to their death rather than face defeat.
An aerial view
of Iwo Jima,
taken in the early
summer of 1945.

The photo was taken with
a K-20 hand-held camera.
Note Mount Surabachi
in the background.
Chapter 13, Page 2 of 3 pages — Go to Page 3

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