Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:54 | Being born in New York City to a very patriotic military family, Jack Rodin always knew that he would be joining the military. After starting college early, he left it to join the service and become an aviator.
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Preferring to enlist, Jack Rodin joined and went straight into training for the Air Force. Since he knew he wanted to be a pilot, plenty of advanced training and schooling was up ahead.
Flying practice missions in Kansas, Jack Rodin got a good sense for how to handle his aircraft, the B-29. Dealing with new expensive equipment such as this came with a learning curve but was useful after plenty of hours logged.
On his first mission as a navigator, Jack Rodin had an incredibly close encounter with an enemy Japanese plane that left him shaken up. Counting gallons to ensure aircraft safety was a necessity for them, so correct navigation was essential.
Flying in the Pacific at night, there were some major concerns that you had while operating your aircraft. At night versus at day, they carried out very different missions and therefore had different worries.
While spending some time on Guam, Jack Rodin and his company made a trade with some fellow soldiers for a radio phonograph. One night while listening to it, they heard that the Japanese had surrendered, which turned out to be a false alarm.
After the war ended, Jack Rodin was assigned with transporting enlisted men home from being overseas. While on these missions, he had a lot of funny encounters with men that were looking forward to going home. Talking to guys in other branches, he had a huge sense of camaraderie with all the men and women he served next to.
Being raised patriotic, Jack Rodin is very proud to be an American and maintains that it is the greatest place on earth. Serving his country was very important to him and he's glad he did it.
Doing his job and doing it well was important to Jack Rodin while serving in the military. As he got better and better at it, his confidence and precision went up, keeping him safe through the duration of the war.
