John Stewart
80+ bombing runs
in the Pacific
John Stewart
Lieutenant Commander, Navy Air Corps
1940–1945
Lt. Cmdr. John Stewart
Ota Mesa, CA, 1944
I got shot down off the Saipan in the Marianas Islands. I was assisting in the invasion on D-Day and the initial attack on the island.
I was 20 years old, born on 1920. I’m from Hunter, Colorado east of Pueblo, SE of Denver. I grew up in Kansas. Went to Fort Hayes State College then into the service, after the service I went to law school at the University of Michigan.
Joined service in 1940. Joined before the war. They paid better. If you learned to fly they paid better than that. Joined the Navy Air Corps right after I got out of college, this was 1940.
They sent me to Pensacola, Florida for flight training. I instructed there until the middle of 1943. Went to Seattle formed a squadron and we worked our way down the coast training. Then we went to the Pacific. I was on the Gambier Bay Air Craft Carrier. It was sunk by the Japanese at the Philippines in October on 1944. I was flying Grumman Fighters, Hellcats and Wildcats. My primary support was ground support. I was supporting the troops that was trying to gain ground on the ground. So we were staffing and bombing every day. I supposed 80-90 bombing runs. Bombed Saipan, Tinian, and then on onto the Palu Islands and the Philippines.
The Gambier Bay was a little 400 foot transport carrier. It was originally meant to just transport planes. The one I was on, the first trip was to the Hawaiian islands to deliver planes. They found out with a little luck they could get a plane on and off of one flying. I think they made 60 some of them. It was pretty scary coming on and off, the big carrier were about 1200 feet long, these were about 400. Your landing strip was a little short.
I got shot down off the Saipan in the Marianas Islands. I was assisting in the invasion on D-Day and the initial attack on the island. Somebody had some pretty good air craft guns. I landed in the Pacific close to a destroyer. I was within a block of him. It was a little tense. You can’t bail out, the wind might take you into the beach where the Japanese were. Had to bail out and make damn sure I didn’t get ashore. I landed the plane in the water.
Proud of my service, started and saw it thru to the end. There were so many stories. There were 4 invasions. Philippines sunk my carrier flying off the beach a few days. I was 60 miles away, over the island of Leyte, when they sunk my carrier. They radioed everyone, I had no pace to go they landed on the beach. I knew where I was landing I knew they had a beach head. It had been a commercial air strip before the war. It was an old commercial airstrip on Leyte. Landed among the sand burs. I shot down two Japanese planes in the Philippines.
There were some planes like mine, I ended up with 11 fighter planes that their ships were sunk or disabled, so I had these 11 fighters I took charge of them we operated off the airstrip. The Army was there and they had gasoline and 50 caliber bullets. We operated off that strip, slept there, get meals from the Army for about 3 days. Eventually they got places to go. Everyone went some where any place where they could land. I went out on the Kitkun Bay Air Craft Carrier a small escort carrier.
After Gambier Bay was sunk I came back to the states and form another squadron and I was going back again when the war ended. I thought about making it a career but after about 50 carrier landings it was not a particularly enjoyable life.
Went to Michigan Law School in the fall of 1946. Two and a half years went straight thru including summers when I got out. Went in with an attorney in LaJunta Colorado. I got in with an attorney that was looking for a younger attorney to practice with him. He became a judge and I continued practicing for 63 years. I was 86 when I quit. I enjoyed it. My specialist was taxation, estates, and trusts. Taxation law will alwys be there, spent the whole time in Colorado.
Next I retired, did some painting, hunting, fishing, took it easy. Came to San Antonio about 2 years ago, packed me into a Uhaul and brought me here. I was living alone. I like the weather down here. I can get along with out snow. When you get older, the weather is not as quite as forgiving. {12-11-2016 • San Antonio TX)