Robert L. Hammar, St. George, Utah: an interview by Winston Erickson, September 8, 2000: Saving the Legacy tape no. 104

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ROBERT L. H MM R B ~ R 200 RLH: Oh we had a little rest camp up in northern or ica it call d th I I t I Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was born in Corsica. o thi was a nic place t g fi r a day or two. It was up on the northern edge and close to the sea there. Peaceful· quiet. WE: Do you have any other experiences that you'd like to relate? RLH: I did have a comical experience. It may not be funny now but it was kind of comical then. When I was flying the 38s from Tunis down to Algiers in the P-38s to deliver some maps and as I was checking out of operations, there was a young sailor standing there and he said, "Where you heading for, Lieutenant?" I said, "I'm going up to Tunis." Well, he said, "My ships up at Bizerte. Can I bum a ride with you?" I said, "Sure." Because the feedback was _[unclear]_ we called them the piggyback. We'd taken the radio stuff out from under the seat back there. So we went out to the flight line and every airplane you can imagine the Allies had in World War II was parked out there, but we pulled up back of the P-38 and his eyes kind of bugged out. So I got him in and I said, "Have you ever been in a plane before?" "No, sir." Well, I had to show him a few things. Ifwe would see an Arab riding up a dirt road on a donkey, we had to make him bail off of it. Just stupid things like a young kid-I was young then-we'd get up a couple thousand feet and if we'd see a native hut down there with a thatched roof on it, we would have to blow that roof off, you know. And then buzzing the beach and just kicking up sand behind you. But then I had to do a fighter pull-up when I landed, was going to land. I looked in the rear view mirror of the cockpit and he was a kind of a greenish shade. So I pulled up and did a few "Gs". I had to help him off the wing; he was a little weak in the knees (laughs). But I wouldn't do that now. WE: No (laughs). 39