Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
8:27 | B-24 mechanic Russell Vaudrey was flying as a substitute crew member when his plane was hit by AA fire in the Philippines. A tropical storm finished the job and they went down on the island of Panay. This began an odyssey for the three survivors during which they were sheltered and then taken to freedom by Filipino guerrillas.
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After some hard times growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, Russell Vaudrey was going to college and working for United Airlines. The war had just broken out and he wanted to get into the Army Air Corps. He enlisted in 1942 and was soon working on the line as a mechanic.
Russell Vaudrey had joined the Army Air Corps and was almost immediately taking care of airplanes at a training base for air cadets. When it came time to go overseas, he got some quick combat training and boarded a Liberty Ship bound for New Guinea. He bought some t-shirts for the bare breasted natives but he had to laugh when he saw what they did with them.
The B-24 squadron on Biak Island was a tight knit outfit. Mechanic Russell Vaudrey signed up for combat duty, which meant he would fly as a substitute flight engineer or gunner when needed. While performing his duties on the ground, he managed to get a plum job as assistant to the line chief.
As a B-24 mechanic and flight engineer, Russell Vaudrey was witness to some spectacular crashes, including one in which he commandeered a fire truck and rescued the entire crew from the burning wreckage. Believe it or not, command had a problem with him taking the truck.
Russell Vaudrey listened to Tokyo Rose quite a bit while stationed in the Pacific. He had to listen to threats and suggestions that he surrender but the music was great.
There was a lot of powdered eggs but precious little meat for the men of the 90th Bomb Group stationed in the Pacific. When they moved to a new airfield, a nearby Navy unit would sometimes share their bounty. Liquor was another sought after item and Russell Vaudrey set out with his boss in a jeep when they heard about a possible source.
By the time the B-24 group moved to Clark Field, the Japanese had run out of fuel for their fighters. Mechanic Russell Vaudrey then moved with the unit to an island off Okinawa, where they prepped for the Japan invasion which never came.
After the war ended, B-24 mechanic Russell Vaudrey was prepping the planes to fly home when a monstrous typhoon hit. It lasted three days and, as they were repairing planes, a second typhoon swept in. Finally, the crews began flying what was left of their aircraft home.
Most of the returning vets didn't talk about the war much but Russell Vaudrey has loosened up a little as the years have gone by. He returned to work at United Airlines and moved into facilities design work.
