Howard Leon Whetten Pt3
If you have missed parts one or two of this story please seek them out and then come on back to the concluding portion of this miraculous account. Now Continuing along with this true taleā¦this first bombing run for Howard Leon Whetten seemed routine and promising. As they flew into the evening sky their B-24 bomber passed through an electrical storm along their charted pathā¦everything was about to change. Communication was down, some plane controls were disabled. Bomb bay doors were jammed open, bombs couldnāt be dumped to lighten their load. Into the dark stormy night over the South Pacific Ocean their B-24 Bomber wandered without navigation. One by one the engines began to sputter and then stop completely as the fuel tanks ran dry. Not knowing where they were or if a signal could be heard, the crew prepared for the inevitable crash into the oceans surrounding the Solomon Islands.
Leon recounted āI watched as the plane skimmed the top of the waves and then hit the water. I was praying fervently and all the while I tried to undo the straps. But I couldnāt get the strap undone that would release me from my gun position and from the plane. I asked the Lord to help me get out of the belt, to protect and help me, and to help my crew. A calm assurance filled my heart. God would let me know what I needed to do. Somehow, miraculously, I was released from that strap but I couldnāt get out of the tail. It was now sinking and I had to go down deep into the ocean so I could get out of that tail section. A still small voice said to me, ādive Leonā¦dive quickly into the rising water and to go down until I could get under the sinking tail and then to come up to the top of the water.ā
Somehow I knew I would be alright and I made up my mind to quickly obey.
(Leon Gasping for air)
(Leon) wow, (gasping) that nearly expired me. Dang this flight suit is HEAVY when its wet. I just gotta get this zipper undoneā¦(struggling)ā¦seems to be stuckā¦Dear Heavenly Father What can I do? What can I do?
(Still Small Voice) āUse the little knife that you have in your pocket and cut the suit off.ā
(Leon) Oh yes, the pocket knifeā¦
(Leon narration) This flight suit is full of waterā¦and every wave rolls me overā¦.(wave splash) One minute I am right side up and breathing air and looking at the skyā¦(wave)ā¦and the next wave turns me upside down and my face is in the cold, salty water.
(Leon) Now whereās that knife?
(Leon) Thereā¦now get out the large bladeā¦.and cutā¦.(knife breaks)
Oh snap, that was my best bladeā¦I gotta slow downā¦Please dear God help me to calm down and get this suit cut from my bodyā¦what do i do now Heavenly Fatherā¦.Ok...open the little blade and cut close to the zipper where its more solidā¦got itā¦oh thank goodness that off, now to cut the pants looseā¦there! Thats so much easier to swim.
(Lieutenant Lord) Leonā¦Leonā¦Whettenā¦Whetten can you hear me?
(Leon) Here Lieutenantā¦Im over here!
(Lieutenant Lord) Winham?!ā¦..Kenneth Windham?!
(Silence, waves sloshing, overhead thunder)
(Leon) Winham!? Kenneth?!
(Winham, faintly responds) over hereā¦
(Leon) Iāll bring him in Lieutenant Lordā¦Iāll go get him
(Leon) Winham, thank goodness you got your Mae West floatation device onā¦why are you swimming in circles?
(Winham) My arm is hurt bad Leonā¦Iā¦I cant seem to use it
(Leon) thats ok Winham, i got you, let me hook my foot under your life vest and just try and help me.
(Winham) Okā¦Iāll do my best
(Windham) Leon,ā¦that was some āWater landingā? More like water crashing. There was nothing ālandyā about that kind of ālandingā.
(Lieutenant Lord) Winham?!
(Leon) Winham is with me Lieutenant, Iām bringing him in.
(Crew) Winham, Whetten?!
(Leon) There Winham, i see some small lightsā¦theyāre standing on the wing with a flashlight.
(Crew) Leon, weāre coming to help
(Crew dives in to help Leon)
(Crew) Ok, weāll get him back to the wing
(Leon standing on the wing, dripping, waves sloshing)
(Potter calls faintly) Helpā¦over here
(Whetten) Thereās Potter holding onto the oxygen bottleā¦Keep your light on him. Hang on Potter, Iām coming
Potter?ā¦hereās the oxygen bottleā¦Potter where did you go?ā¦.POTTER?!?
(Whetten) Heās gone Lieutenantā¦Potter is gone
(Lieutenant Lord) anyone seen Claude Meyers
(Crew) no sir. No telling whether he got out of the plane or not.
(boats and paddling sounds)
(Leon) Lookā¦Lieutenantā¦boatsā¦they look like island natives.
(Crew) they got knives and axes Lieutenant, not a lot of whittling to do out hereā¦and they donāt look friendly.
(Lieutenant Lord) Were Americans. We need helpā¦.
ā¦they want us to get in the boats boys.
(Crew) Iāll take the chances in a boat š¶ to staying on this wing.
(Boats rowing back to shore)
(Leon) Lieutenant i think If we had been Japs, that would have been the end of us. Howā¦how do you suppose they knew we were out here, and found us. Unless midnight is prime time fishing for these natives, this wasnāt no coincidence.
(Leon) Chappyā¦how are you feeling?
(Chappy) Not so good Leon. I think both of my legs are broken. That impact was really badā¦I dont think that landing gear helps at all during water landings. (Laughing)
(Chappy) Leonā¦can you pray for me?
(Leon) I already am Chappy. From the moment we hit the water its been one continuous prayer.
(Chappy) Thank you Leon.
(narration) When we reached the shore, they took us to a small hut and laid us all on bamboo mats. One of the natives spoke good English and told us to take off our clothes so they could dry them. We kept our underclothes on. The natives gave us a blanket of some kind and told us to go to sleep until morning.
It was beginning to get light when they brought the clothes back, all except mine. I had no clothes except the under garments I was wearing. I feel a little suspicious as to whyā¦you see I was about the same small stature size as the natives there. They thought that was great. Well I also think they wanted a comparable pattern to clothingā¦and wellā¦I just happened to āfitā the bill.
(Native) I have other clothes for you soonā¦.Hereā¦eat
(Crew) would you look at them bounteous rations. Itās a breakfast made out of native fruitsā¦and lots of other things from the island.
(Leon) either this is some of the best food I have ever eatenā¦or i am just really hungry.
(Leon Narration) Assessment was taken of the injuries sustained. Everyone needed a doctor as fast as possible, except Leonā¦who was unhurt.
2nd Lieutenant Lord, the pilot, had cracked or broken ribs.
2nd Lieutenant Radford, the co-pilot, was injured seriously
2nd Lieutenant Roark, the navigator, had his scalp partly torn off.
2nd Lieutenant Potter, the bombardier, was dead.
Ed Semick, the engineer and nose turret gunner, was injured seriously
Robert Chapman or Chappy, the radio operator had broken both of his legs.
Claude Meyers, a side gunner, was dead.
Kenneth Winham, another gunner, had damaged his shoulders.
Harold Ewing, a side gunner, had an ear nearly torn off.
Howard Leon Whetten, assistant radio operator and tail gunner, not injured.
(Leon Narrating) The man who spoke English told Lieutenant Lord that the United States Navy Seabees were working on the island. There was a road to the place that they were building a runway that was about three or four miles away. There was a trail thru the jungle that would lead to the road.
(Lord) Leon, Since youāre the only one without injuries, would you go & let them know we need help.
(Leon) Sure Lieutenant Sure
(Villagers speakingā¦warning him of Nephilim giants, hands him a bible)
Whatās this? A Bible? You want me to read it? Okā¦.āAnd there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
(Lieutenant Potter) Leon, I think heās saying that a man small of stature & big of heart is heading out into the land of legendary Nephilim giantsā¦he will be praying for you.
(Leon) umā¦.I might be a little rusty on my Old Testament, but thats not funnyā¦.and donāt you dare tell him thank you for the warning. My name might not be David, but after all of the near death moments last night, Iāll take my chances.
I took the trail hoping to find the road and get some of the truck drivers to come help.
(Leon) āOh hold onā¦I hear voicesā¦Probably not giantsā¦but just to make sure they are friendlies, I will just hide here for a bit.ā
(Doc) Military mail service is pretty difficult.
(Navy Seabee) yeah, Iāll say, I havenāt heart from my girlfriend in a monthā¦
(Leon) Hey, you guys are Navyā¦thank goodness.ā
(Navy Seabee) Yes sirā¦you with the B-24 crew that went down? We are on our way to help you right now. Lets go.
There were a couple of doctors and some help from the construction site. The chief had already sent a native runner over to tell them that we were there and to ask for help. They brought all the medical supplies needed to patch the crew up.
They even brought some extra clothing of which I was extra grateful.
(Seabee Captain) There Lieutenant Lordā¦thats the best our docs can do for you here. We will radio your location to the nearest airbase with a PBY and get you guys outta here to more suitable help.
(Chappy) Lieutenant Potter, whats a PBY?
(Potter) a PBY is a plane that can land on waterā¦i mean one that is supposed to land on water.
(Chappy) uh captain? How long do you thinkā¦.
(Seabee Captain) ā¦probably two or three days at the most before the plane will arrive. We have more supplies at the airstrip weāre building. We will be sure to make your crew comfortable in the meanwhile. Giving a rough location is a good start. Itād be best if you get to the beach tomorrow and build a big fire so the PBY will know exactly where you are.
(Leon narration) Our crew stayed at the nativeās camp that night and the next day we started cutting and gathering wood for the fire.
(Narrator) Sure as promised The PBY came and picked the crew up a couple of days later.
(Chappy) See there Lieutenant Lord? Now thats how you land one properly in the water. Haha.
(Lieutenant)Thats what I did Chappy, couldnt you tell?
(Chappy) No I couldnāt tell. Felt more like we was stumbling blindfolded in the dark backwards, across a floor of covered in legos, then falling off a 1000 foot cliff into the rocky ravine below, where the river is full of hungry crocodiles, who have rabies.
(Lieutenant) Wellā¦Hereās to hoping we donāt ever have to experience that againā¦.at least not the legos part, the rest of it we could probably survive.
(Both laugh)
We were flown from that island to a B-17 air base somewhere and the injured were admitted to the hospital there and they finished caring for their wounds. It was another day or so before any of the men felt like traveling again. I cant blame em. Henderson air base on Guadalcanal was told or our situation and our entire crew, minus Lieutenant Potter & Claude Meyers, may they rest in peaceā¦the rest of us were flown back to Guadalcanal in a B-17.
You know what? When we arrived back at Henderson Field all our stuff was missing out of the barracks. The other squadron members had taken itā¦thinking weād been lost for sure, and would never return, so they had divided up all the stuff. It took awhile to get it all gathered back up, but thankfully everyone returned the items.
As soon as the rest of the crew felt well enough to enjoy themselves a little, we were put on a plane and sent to New Zealand for a little military R & R. (thats Rest and Relaxation for you civilian folks). It was our first trip to New Zealand, but not the last.
(Lieutenant Lord) Leon?
(Leon) yes Lieutenant Lord
(Lieutenant Lord) I been wonderingā¦.wellā¦.I just dont know how youā¦.the plane broke in two on impact, the tail section was going down tail upā¦how did you get out of the plane with out being injured.
(Leon) Iā¦well lieutenantā¦i heard a voice that told me to dive straight into the rising water, and to swim under the tail section and then back to the surface.
(Lieutenant Lord) By voice I assume you meanā¦.mhmā¦.and thenā¦.Normally I would say thats impossible to do, and it is. Butā¦wellā¦Leon, i am still unsure what is really impossible for you.
āYour prayers have been answered for all of us. You know that.ā
(Crew) thats right Whetten
(Chappy) Lieutenant Lord speaks for me on that as well Leon.
(Leon) I feel like we surpassed the critical mass of coincidences a dozen times over during that one midnight bombing run, that turned into an unscheduled water landing. Ever since that incident, I frequently ask myself the same questions of impossibilityā¦
Why were we stopped from trying to dump the bombs?
What would have happed if just one of them wouldāve armed itself as we attempted to offload it?
Why did we run out of gas where we did?
Why did God take us to that particular island?
What if we had run out of gas somewhere where there was no island?
How did that restraint strap break to set me free?
What alerted the natives of our problem in the middle of the night?
What if they had decided to wait until morning to come out in their canoes?
How many of us would have survived?
What if the natives hadnāt sent a runner down the road several miles to alert the trucks?
What if there had not been Seabees working on the island to come and take care of us?
At what point does coincidence become providence?
(Lord) We ready men?
(Chappy) Hold on there Lieutenantā¦we gots a preflight matter to take care ofā¦Leon, um, Whetten?
(Leon) Yes Chappy?
(Chappy) Whettenā¦have you said ourā¦i mean have you said YOUR prayers?
(Leon) Yes Chappyā¦Heās been notifiedā¦I mentioned you by name.
(Chappy) oh, okā¦perfectā¦well lieutenant Lordā¦what are you waiting for?
(Lieutenant Lord) All right Crew, Baton down the hatches, Trim the sails, put your tray tables and seat backs in their upright and locked positions. Temperature at Henderson field airport is 87 today and just about as muggy. There will be no snacks on todays flight unless you brought them yourself. Keep your eyes peeled, and your seatbelts on for the duration of todayās mission. Thank you for flying Guadalcanalās very own Liberator Airlines. Enjoy your flight.
Howard Leon Whetten served for 2 1/2 years of active combat duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He flew a total of 43 bombing missions, and numerous search missions in the South Pacific areaāfar more than the maximum of 25 missions allowed, He was awarded two Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and many other medals and honors for his service.
That water landing incident, on Howard Leon Whettenās first bombing run, had brought into his heart and soul the truth that God would really take care of him and bless him as his father had promised. Leon only needed to do his part and listen when God spoke.
That night in the South Pacific Ocean things changed for Leon. He rarely felt fear the rest of his time in the war. Post war analysis shows that Rear-Turret Gunners were in the most vulnerable position on the Plane. The life expectancy of a WW2 Rear-gunner varied but was never high, mostly about just 5-Sorties or less than 2 weeks.
Larry H Miller is quoted as saying, āHow many coincidences need to occur before they are not coincidences?ā
Leon served his country faithfully, not with hatred in his heart for the enemy, but with deep love for his country and freedom.
Leon spent six months under the care of the Fort George Wright Convalescent Hospital at Spokane, Washington, spending around two months of that time gaining strength and solace from farm work in Idaho. He received his honorable discharge from the Army on December 7, 1944.
Just over a year later Leon met his sweetheart, Delilah Echols, at a dance in Mesa, Arizona. He walked home with her and a group of friends, and found, much to his surprise, that he was living next door to her. Their romance blossomed, and they were married on January 22, 1946.
One week later Leon started college at Tempe, Arizona. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. During his working years Leon taught school in Bluewater, New Mexicoā¦worked summers as a ranger for the forest serviceā¦Served in his church and community as a scoutmaster for 12 yearsā¦.He was an assistant principal and a gifted teacher, who helped many students who were struggling with studies or with life.
Leon eventually purchase his dream truck, a 1953 Ford F100 4-speed.
Yet of things most important to Howard Leon Whetten was his marriage to Delilah and the 6 children they raised together. Leon & Delilah lived together for 61 years and 9 months until her passing in 2007.
Howard Leon Whetten himself was transferred to heaven on the 14 January 2013. They now rest together again, side by side, in a small cemetery behind the chapel in Moccasin, Arizona.
This fabulous story from the life of Howard Leon Whetten is just another spoonful of the unbelievably wonderful stories you will find here on the Family History Drama podcast. Special thanks to Linda Whetten Goldthwaite for sharing with me Leonās personal account of this incredible moment from WW2.
Are you related to the characters in todays episode? Well thereās one way to know. Download the free Family Tree app today and find out. Everything is free. All genealogy ID numbers will be listed in the show notes. As well as links to their branch on the Family Tree.
Just remember, Your ancestors want to be felt as much as they want to be thought ofā¦.so keep their stories alive by recording them, telling them, and preserving them on the Family Tree Memory page.
See Ya Laterā¦.
