Felix Smith akabhururuka "Hump" pamusoro peHimalayas munguva yeHondo Yenyika II, akabatana nemutungamiri weFlying Tigers ane mukurumbira mushure mehondo yeChina uye kwemakore akawanda akatyaira ndege kune iyo yaizova CIA-run Air America muChina, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam neLaos - kupfurwa nguva nenguva mukuita.
Akaroora muzukuru-muzukuru wamambo wekupedzisira weOkinawa uye akazove mutungamiriri wekushanda kweSouth Pacific Island Airways muHawaii.
Zvichida hazvishamise, saka, madota aSmith paakaparadzirwa kubva kuCoast Guard cutter kubva kuOahu svondo rapfuura, kuti aimbove mumiriri weCIA, mumwe mutyairi weAir America mutyairi, Hondo Yenyika II inobhururuka ngano uye vamwe vanhu vane mavara vaivemo.
"Kwete. 1, akanga ari munhu anoshamisa - anoshamisa kuva pedyo. Uye mutyairi mukuru wendege," akadaro shamwari yenguva refu uye mumwe mutyairi wendege Glen Van Ingen, uyo aiziva Smith kubvira pakupera kwema1960 uyewo akabhururuka kuAir America.
"Dai uchibva kudhorobha diki muWisconsin uye uchida kuona nyika, waisagona kuita basa riri nani," Van Ingen, makumi masere nematanhatu, akadaro pamusoro paSmith.
Smith akafa Oct. 3, 2018, muMilwaukee pazera remakore 100. Shamwari Clark Hatch, anogara muHonolulu, akati chido chake chekupedzisira chaiva chokuti madota ake apararire muPacific kumativi eHawaii.
Chirikadzi yake, Junko Smith, akati murume wake aive ne "nguva yakanaka" yekugara muHawaii kwemakore makumi maviri nerimwe, kutanga mukupera kwema1970.
"Aida Hawaii," akadaro mushure memusangano wekurangarira muchikepe cheCoast Guard cutter Oliver Berry."(Aigara achitaura) kumba kwake kuHawaii. Takava nehupenyu hwakanaka kwazvo muHawaii."
Lt. Cmdr.Kenneth Franklin, panguva iyoyo-mukuru weakacheka, akati, "Felix Smith akashandira nyika, uye Coast Guard inodada nekuremekedza hupenyu hweavo vakashandira nyika."
Smith akarondedzera hupenyu hwake hwekubhururuka - zvinhu zvekunetsana nedzimwe nyika - mubhuku rake, "China Pilot: Flying for Chennault Munguva yeCold War."Akatanga kubhururuka kuCivil Air Transport, iyo yakava chikamu cheCIA's Air America.
Sangano rehungwaru rakafunga kuti raida kutakura mhepo muAsia, uye muna 1950 rakatenga muchivande zvinhu zveCivil Air Transport.
Maneja wendege ye "CAT" akataura kuti vatyairi vendege vaisafanira kutaura nezveCIA nemazita uye panzvimbo pacho vaifanira kureva vamiririri se "vatengi."
Munguva yeHondo yeKorea, Smith akarongerwa kubhururuka kuenda kuSaipan.Paakasvika paAndersen Air Force Base paGuam, mukuru weAir Force akasvetukira Jeep yake ndokumira akati, "Ko iwe uri kuitei pano?"Smith akadaro mubhuku rake.
"Ndisati ndatanga mhinduro inoremekedzeka, mutakuri wezvombo akatyaira nevanhu vanenge 15 vakapfeka hembe dzealoha kana kuti plain khakis, heti 10-gallon, ngowani dzezuva kana kuti dzisina ngowani, bhutsu dzemombe, shangu dzerabha kana tenisi," akanyora kudaro.
Mundege yekudzoka, Smith akabhururuka vafambi vapfumbamwe vakavhara maziso - vese veChinese vemunyika vakadzidziswa sevasori - uye "vatengi" vatatu.Kamwe kamwe kamhepo kaivhuvhuta mukamba kakamuudza kuti gonhi guru rakanga ravhurwa rikavharwa.
"Handina chandakataura kunze kwekuona, mushure mekumhara, kuti vanhu vasere chete ndivo vakaburuka. Ndakafunga kuti vatengi vedu vawana mumiririri maviri," Smith akanyora.
Pakapera Hondo Yenyika II, Smith akanga ari mutyairi wendege neChina National Aviation Corp. achishanda pasi pesimba reUto reUnited States.
Gen. Claire Chennault, uyo akanga ari shure kweFlying Tigers, boka revatyairi vezvikepe vokuAmerica vakarwa nemaJapan muChina, vakatanga kutakura Civil Air Transport kuti vazadzise zvaidiwa neChina mushure mehondo.
Smith akahaiwa, uye muna 1946 akabhururuka achienda kuHawaii kunotora ndege dzakasara kuti atange ndege.
“Patakasvika paWheeler Field, takatarisa kumakuva kwakanga kwaenda ndege kunofira,” akadaro mubhuku rake."15 Curtis C-46s dzedu dzakaita kunge nzou dziri kuora."
CAT yakashanda yakabatana neChinese Nationalist Party inotungamirwa naChiang Kai-Shek.Mune imwe nguva pamusoro pemamishini akati wandei, Smith akayedza madonhwe emhepo emhangura dzemagoko uye mupunga muTaiyuan kuChina sezvo Red Army yakavhara mukati.
"Zvakatora mapeji akawanda kuti mupunga wose ubude. Mabhora matsvuku egorofu -- machine gun tracers - akakombama pazasi pedu," akanyora kudaro.
CAT yakatakura Bank of China silver bullion kuenda kuHong Kong Chiang asati aita Taiwan chigaro cheKuomintang Party.
Jack DeTour, mugari weHonolulu uye mutyairi weHondo Yenyika II B-25, akayeuka kusangana kwaSmith apo wekare akabhururuka kuenda kuPhilippine kunodzidzisa vatyairi veCAT paC-119 "Flying Boxcar" kuti vabatsire maFrench muVietnam.
“Ndakati Felix somumwe wevatyairi vendege vakanakisisa vandakanga ndamboongorora,” anoyeuka kudaro DeTour, uyo akanga ari paCoast Guard cutter pamusangano wechirangaridzo.
Smith akabhururutsa ndege yeC-47 ichipinda nekubuda muVientiane muLaos kuenda kumisha yeHmong uko zvombo zvaisanganisira ma crossbow nepfuti dzeflintlock.Pane imwe ndege akatakura magirinedhi emauto eumambo, uye pane imwe, mupunga weUS Agency for International Development.
Mubhuku rake ra1995, Smith akanyora kuti “kuMadokero kunoshanda, makore kure ne 'Alice in Wonderland's' topsy-turvy domain, ndinochengeta ndangariro kwenguva pfupi nemiswe yadzo, ndichinetseka kana izvo zvinoshamisa zvakaitika chaizvo. Girazi rinotarisa rinoratidza chete kuchembera chiso."
This article is written by William Cole from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
Nguva yekutumira: Zvita-02-2019