From Cynic To Believer

By Hank Acker

A US Marine fighter pilot, who is a religious cynic, is on a "Close Air/Ground" mission over North Korea and crashes his AD-1. What follows is his survival and trek out of the North for the safety of South Korea. What happens along the way changes his life. His injuries are severe and his chances of being rescued are slim to none. The Korean War is still in full day to day battle and danger lies in any person who discovers he is there. A religious cynic for most of his life he now finds himself at odds with his old unbeliefs. His search for a Higher Power begins when he crashes into a North Korean river only a few miles south of the Russian border.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hank Acker
• Release date: Aug 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370327485

Hank Acker

Worked at IBM for 36 years. Began my Computer Consulting Company focused on the education community, (K-16). Moved from Vallejo CA to Nevada City CA and became a Computer Lab Aide at Alta Sierra Elementary School. Retired for the third time to write and work around our property.

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From Cynic to Believer

A story of cynicism, faith, persistence, and Godly Companions

Book One of a Trilogy

by Hank Acker

Chapter One – Mission Number Eight

Not in my wildest dreams did I ever really expect to be doing what I’m doing today. Woweee.

My three wingmen and I, each one a US Marine fighter pilot, have joined up into a loose flying formation after being catapulted from our aircraft carrier the USS Valley Forge. She is cruising in the Yellow Sea west of the Korean peninsula. We are currently flying over North Korean territory.

I make the sign of the cross, mostly to please my mother who lights candles for me every week. I ask God to watch over our flight and note on my knee mounted notepad; today’s date, March 3rd 1952. The flight has rendezvoused at 15,000 feet. All four AD-1’s have checked in with our Flight Leader and are performing well. Each of us has completed the requested testing of our 20mm wing mounted cannons. Four rounds for each weapon. All is good.

We are a flight of four USMC Douglas AD-1 Skyraider’s. Our combat destination is an area the size of the five boroughs of New York City, approximately 300 square miles. Four ground units of US Marines, US Army soldiers along with other UN forces, are dug in, holding defensive positions. They are preventing the North Korean Army from resupplying their pinned down and isolated combat forces. The NKA and the Chinese Armies are dispersed along the Tumen and Yalu Rivers.

Our task is to provide air support to our troops on the ground. My flight leader and his wingman are veterans of the Second World War. Both are really good pilots and demand that myself and my wingman follow directions and orders to the letter. There is little time up here to be a free-wheeling, self-possessed flyer. We are a team.

My name is Stan Morrissey from Newtown, and most recently, Danbury, Connecticut. After nearly two years of training in Primary flight, Advanced flight and more specifically, familiarization with the AD-1 in both flight and combat training. Upon successfully completing my additional months of aircraft carrier training. I was promoted to First Lieutenant and deployed to my current unit in Korea as a replacement pilot.

Our flight leader is Captain Seymour Stravinsky of Akron, Ohio. He was recalled to active duty in October 1951 and deployed to Korea in November, I am this flights most recent replacement. The other two in our flight are Jerry Walsh and Bob Walker, both are First Lieutenants like me, but have over two years of flying the AD-1. My experience flying this aircraft is just over one year.

Currently we are in a loose flying formation over the Yellow Sea. The aircraft carrier we are from is in the process of launching other planes to join our mission up north. Our carrier, the Valley Forge, CV-45, was built during the World War but not completed until 1946. This is her third deployment to Korea since the conflict began in June of 1950. She is over 800 feet long and currently has 98 aircraft aboard. There are over 4,000 of us living aboard the Valley Forge.

She is scheduled to return to San Diego for upgrading and repairs in late July of this year. Prior to that date I will be reassigned to another aircraft carrier to complete my one-year deployment. I will continue to fly in Korea until replaced and sent to my reserve unit headquarters at MCAS Cherry Point, Havelock, NC.

Our flight leader is giving us our new heading to our target area, and to close up the formation. We will increase our airspeed to 225 knots, and fly twenty-five feet apart, wingtip to wingtip. We easily gauge this distance knowing our wings are fifty feet long tip to tip. Divide that in half and there’s the answer. We can see each other clearly and acknowledge with a thumbs up. For me, this is mission number eight, and it is underway.

Our task today is to provide air support to Marine Corps units on the ground who need us to suppress North Korean and Chinese soldiers from over-running the Marines combat positions. Our role, in prior wars, would have been provided by ground and naval artillery. Artillery bombardments are not always practical and the use of aircraft evolved to do a part of their job.

Other aircraft from our Carrier Air Group will cover another zone of equal size in support of UN combat troops on the ground. The Air Group consists mostly of Corsair and Skyraider propeller driven aircraft. Both are uniquely suited for the purpose of close air to ground troop support.

Late in the past world war, aircraft were successfully used to drop bombs and to strafe enemy ground facilities rendering them unusable. That success has carried over to the current Korean Conflict, as the press has named this war. Along with unguided iron bombs we also can carry drop-tanks of napalm (jellied gasoline) to drop on enemy positions. We also use our on-board machine guns, or 20mm cannons, and rockets to disperse the enemy and make them ineffective fighters.

Each of our AD-1’s can carry up to 6,000 pounds of ordnance from 15 hard points mounted beneath the wings of each aircraft. Our large capacity fuel tank, augmented by a reserve fuel tank, allows us to fly more distant missions and to be on station for longer periods of time in support the ground elements. Our reserve gas tank can be jettisoned when empty, or if we are engaged in some sort of combat.

If I sound rather proud of the Skyraider, I am. I learned to pilot this aircraft two years ago after completing my ROTC college training to become a Navy Ensign. For the following two months I attended boot camp for officers to become a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. The next nine months were for advanced aircraft training in the AD-1 Skyraider, including landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier.

After becoming a Marine Lieutenant and my advanced flight training, I married my high school and college sweetheart. She is currently finishing her Pre-Med education and will attend Tufts University to become a doctor of medicine.

Gotta go, we have four new targets to attend to. I’ll be back shortly.

This is Blue Leader; we have four Russian Beasts twelve o’clock low. They’ve seen us, Two and four you take the two going to port. Rookie, that’s me, you follow me well take the other two. Remember, these jokers have a 20 mm cannon facing aft. Over. Roger leader, lead the way, I’m right on your six.

I was excited, my previous missions were all in support of ground troops. This is my first air to air combat. This type of Russian aircraft is not able to climb or fight at high altitude. They have to stay below fifteen thousand feet, we intend to go high and come in with the sun at our backs. The fact that they have seen us is of little consequence they cannot outrun us.

On our descent from 20,000 feet the two targeted planes begin to separate. Rookie take the breaker; I’ll get the other one to port. I clicked my mic twice and head after the Russian built Ilyushin. Like my aircraft he too is a world war vintage aircraft being used to support troops on the ground. I have no idea what country the pilot is from. Some are Russian, some are Chinese and a few, we are told, are North Koreans. It matters little, my job is to shoot him down.

He’s in my gun sights but too far away for a cannon shot. I’m closing on him but not very fast, he must be pushing that engine to the max. I’m getting closer now and can see the rear gunner trying to track me. He’s also has a 20 mm cannon or a 12.7 mm machine gun. I can’t tell which from this far away. If I get close enough to see which he has, I’ll be close enough to be hit by whatever he’s shooting.

I unlock my weapons, test fire four rounds, way too short. A rookie mistake. I have to wait until I can identify the tail details to be in range. As I get closer the gunner looks as if he’s fixing something, maybe I can get closer to fire a couple of rounds. I go to max power and am closing fast. Both planes are at seven thousand feet and descending. Not real steep, just enough to make me conscious of my altimeter.

I’m ready to fire,