Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM World War II

Henry Sayler | 364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force - Army Air Corps

4:28   |   Henry Sayler grew up with a father who was in the Army and Coast Guard artillery in World War I, and was always exposed to the ways of the military. His family was moving around a lot while he was growing up, and they were friends with Dwight D. Eisenhower long before his presidency. Sayler went to West Point for college, trained to be a pilot at flying school, and graduated three months early due to US involvement in World War II.

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Keywords   :     Henry Sayler    World War I    World War II    father    army    Army Air Corps    Coast Guard    Dwight D. Eisenhower    West Point    college    pilot    graduation    Georgia    Fort Leavenworth    Kansas    Fort Riley    New Jersey    New York    Savannah GA    France    White House    California    San Diego CA    San Diego Naval Air Station    Arizona    shelling

Videos ( 6 )
WWII
  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  5:25

    After spending nearly a year in Eisenhower's Intelligence Staff, World War II was finally coming to a close. Unfortunately, the aftermath of everything was a terrible sight for Sayler, who witnessed the horrors of Dachau. In June of 1945, Sayler came back home to the United States.

  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  3:26

    After the events of World War II, Henry Sayler got to visit the White House courtesy of the president at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Sayler's family had gotten close to Eisenhower during the war, and were now invited to have dinner with him and his wife, Mamie. He tells this story as well as gives his reflections about World War II as a whole.

  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  5:22

    When it came time for him to go to Europe, Sayler was shipped overseas on the Queen Elizabeth, outran all the German submarines, and arrived in Glasgow, Scotland. Shortly after, they went to England to start preparing for the D-Day invasion, though there wasn't much preparation for him, that was more done by the 9th Air Force. He talks about the men he fought beside, and the details of D-Day itself. He was tasked with flying up and down the beachhead to get a top view of the entire invasion.

  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  6:31

    While up in the air, it was Sayler's job as a pilot to escort the bombers, and there was one time where he experienced engine trouble during one of these missions. He shares the experience of one of the most difficult missions he flew during his time as a pilot, and how he became appointed to Eisenhower's Intelligence Staff after his flying days were over.

  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  4:19

    After the war was over and during his two weeks of R&R, Sayler had to report to the Pentagon. He worked there as an executive officer for General Vandenberg. This meant that all of the paperwork for the general was first given to him to look over, and ultimately decide whether to give it to him directly or give it to one of the men that worked under him. Sayler also contributed to an assortment of military endeavors such as the building of a missile range through the Bahamas.

  • Henry Sayler  |  WWII  |  364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force  |  6:31

    After some time serving on active duty, Henry Sayler took a Reserve Commission for the military. He then decided to run for office to be a senator for Florida. He was elected in 1966 and served for twelve years until he eventually stepped down from the senate in 1978. He was then elected as Florida's Chairman for the Republican Party, and it was around this time that Ronald Reagan was running for president.

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