Wings Over America: William Doyle Harris and Aerlyn Augusta Hatter, One Family’s Story

By Peggy Harris Dionne

William Doyle Harris’ military career from 1940 to 1970 paralleled the birth of today’s US Air Force, as well as three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Aerlyn Augusta Hatter was his partner in life and, in many ways, a partner throughout his career. Wings over America, by Peggy Harris Dionne, honors her parents’ contribution to the “wings over America” of their generation, as well as records their life story. This story shares how William and Aerlyn grew up in small rural Texas towns in modest, almost destitute, circumstances. It tells how William finished high school at age twenty-one, attended college, joined the Army Air Corp, and went on to make the Air Force his career and calling. Aerlyn was his partner in this—a willing and adventurous traveler, anchor, and homemaker in many lands, and a gracious, accomplished lady in her own right. Inspiring and encouraging, Wings over America offers a look at one family’s life and service in the military and gives unique insight into American history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: May 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483462967

Book preview

Wings

over

America

William Doyle Harris and Aerlyn Augusta Hatter, One Family’s Story

Peggy Harris Dionne

Copyright © 2017 Peggy Harris Dionne.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6295-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6296-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016920993

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/19/2017

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1 Doyle

Chapter 2 Aerlyn

Chapter 3 Doyle’s Pilot Training, October 1940–May 1941

Chapter 4 World War II, Seventeenth Bombardment Group, May 1941–May 1942

Chapter 5 Special Assignment London, May–September 1942

Chapter 6 South Carolina, October 1942–March 1945

Chapter 7 Chanute, Illinois, March 1945–March 1946

Chapter 8 Flight Communication Service, March 1946–September 1946

Chapter 9 Bootstrap Degree, September 1946–June 1948

Chapter 10 Japan and Korea, July 1948–December 1950

Chapter 11 Armed Forces Staff College, February 1951–July 1951

Chapter 12 Otis Air Force Base, Falmouth, Massachusetts, August 1951–January 1952

Chapter 13 Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, January–May 1952

Chapter 14 Ent Air Force Base, May 1952–May 1954

Chapter 15 Hamilton Air Force Base, California, May 1954–January 1956

Chapter 16 JUSMAGG, Athens, Greece, February 1956–June 1958

Chapter 17 Syracuse, New York, July 1958–June 1961

Chapter 18 Ent Air Force Base, Colorado, July 1961–July 1964

Chapter 19 Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Florida, July 1964–July 1966

Chapter 20 Clark Air Force Base, Philippine Islands, July 1966–July 1968

Chapter 21 Final Assignment at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs August 1968–January 1970

Chapter 22 Retirement to Commerce, Texas

Appendix 1 Enlistment and Pilot Training

Appendix 2 Letter from Doyle to Aerlyn, 1940

Appendix 3 Aerlyn’s ETSTC Graduation Transcript

Appendix 4 Orders to South America, 1942

Appendix 5 Letter from Doyle to Aerlyn, 1942

Appentix 6 Orders to London, 1942

Appendix 7 1944 Efficiency Report

Appendix 8 Summary of 1988 Interview with Doyle Harris

Appendix 9 1946 Commendation

Appendix 10: Letters from Doyle to Aerlyn, 1946

Appendix 11 Regular Army Application, 1946

Appendix 12 NTSC Graduation, 1948

Appendix 13 1951 Performance Report

Appendix 14 Article on Tyndal Mission by Doyle, 1965, as published in the Panana City News Herald

Appendix 15 Retirement Letter, December 1969

Appendix 16 Résumé, 1970

Appendix 17 Doyle’s Family Tree

Appendix 18 Aerlyn’s Family Tree

Appendix 19 Compilation of Data from Form 11

Appendix 20 Partial Summary of Doyle’s Military Papers

Bibliography

About the Author

Figure1.jpg

Graduation of Class 41-D, Doyle in lower right section, second in at three o’clock. Army Air Corps US Army Photo, May 1941

This book is dedicated to my parents,

Doyle and Aerlyn Harris, for their love, example, and inspiration.

Acknowledgments

M y sincere love and appreciation to my sister Martha and brothers Bill and John for asking me, Where did we live when …? Those questions were the genesis of this effort and the process of answering them has been a journey of learning more of why we were there as well. It is my hope that they and all of Aerlyn and Doyle’s descendants will long appreciate the story.

I thank dear friends who helped me edit this book and make it more interesting and readable: Gene Dionne, Laura Rogers Harris, and Karen Kerschen as well as the staff at Lulu. I am also very grateful for the abundance of photos that I have inherited from my parents, some of which they took and some which were Army Air Corps or Air Force photos they received through the years. Quite a few of these are included in this book and will hopefully add to the story. In writing this I became acutely aware of the many wonderful people who touched their lives in many ways. This story is meant to be a tribute to those mentioned, as well as to Aerlyn and Doyle.

Without today’s Internet community, researching the many places, planes, and organizations this tale includes would have taken me several more lifetimes. I am grateful to those who have graciously contributed their knowledge. Nonetheless, the responsibility for as much accuracy as possible is mine. Should you discover inaccuracies or additional relevant information, please contact me at [e-mail]. Thank you to all of the contributors of websites mentioned.

Preface

M y father’s military career from 1940 to 1970 paralleled the birth of today’s US Air Force, as well as three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. My mother was his partner in life and in many ways a partner throughout his career. This book is written to honor their contribution to the wings over America of their generation, as well as to record their story.

They grew up in small rural Texas towns in very modest circumstances. In fact, Doyle’s family was close to destitute most of the time. In his youth he worked cleaning out the inside of railcar oil tankers before he took a job at a florist and decided to finish high school at age twenty-one and then go to college. Years later, I was told by a cousin that the life he made for himself was truly awe-inspiring to her family and many others. He went into the Army Air Corps at a most propitious time and, in his own words, learned everything he could about everything there was. He volunteered when Maj. Jimmie Doolittle came to the Seventeenth Bomb Group in Pendleton, Oregon, and went on to make the Air Force his career and his calling. From 1940 to 1970, he was part of the formation of a truly respectable and world-powerful military organization. Aerlyn was his partner in this—a willing and adventurous traveler, family anchor and homemaker in many lands, and a gracious, accomplished lady in her own right.

Though I hoped someday they would write their own story, they never did. Thankfully, in later years we had some times together to visit and get to know each other better as adults. It is from these visits, as well as written personal and military records and photos now in my possession and my own memories as their oldest child, that this brief biography of them and their family is woven.

Their story is one of young people growing up with little during the Great Depression and exceeding their limits to meet the great challenges of their day with exceptional balance, grace, love, intelligence, and enduring faith.

Chapter One

Doyle

Figure2.jpg

Doyle in about 1928. Making these caps from old felt hats was all the rage.

A s a toddler Doyle sat on the floor next to his mother’s Singer treadle sewing machine, hands on its wheel, and pretended to fly his airplane. He logged many hours on this home trainer. In the early 1920s airplanes were rare, and the only flying was in the army. As a youth Doyle was considered something of a maverick for wanting to fly. When he was about fifteen, the Army Air Corps barnstormers came to Corsicana, Texas, on a fundraising tour. Doyle didn’t actually have any money for a flight, but army pilot Lieutenant Thompson gave him a ride in exchange for guarding the plane overnight. The next day he got to ride in a Jenny and then a Ford Trimotor.

Doyle’s father, John B. Harris, was a barber, but during the Depression, he also worked in the oil fields in East Texas. In those days men worked for a dollar a day when they could. Gasoline was ten cents a gallon, bread was five cents a loaf, and hamburgers were a nickel. His mother, Maude Eleanor Williams Harris, took in laundry and ironing. Maude’s parents had each been orphaned at a relatively early age but went on to raise a large and close family of eleven children. Maude was second to the youngest child and the youngest of six girls. Her maternal grandparents had both come to Texas before statehood.

Nonetheless, John and Maude’s family was poor and struggled to raise food and afford a place to live. Born February 13, 1917, Doyle was the fourth of their five children.¹ One of his memories was that in spite of this, Maude kept all five children in clean clothes. She also made sure they attended Sunday school at her Baptist church, and she kept a kind of scrapbook where she stored mementoes of their accomplishments. As a youngster, he delivered papers and worked in Sowell Brothers Grocery Store. Each morning he would get up well before five and go down to meet the Interurban Express, an electric train that came in from Dallas with the Dallas Morning News. He would roll and deliver the papers. Then, after going by Collins Street Bakery for rolls and milk, he was off to school. After school he worked at Sowell Brothers and delivered groceries.

Doyle’s generation grew up before air conditioning, television, antibiotics, frozen food, FM radio, tape recorders, credit cards, shopping malls, pizza, or Scotch tape. There were no McDonald’s, no motels, and no interstate highways; no electric typewriters, cell phones, computers, helicopters, jet aircraft, or internet. Walt Disney’s first animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, came out in 1938. There were no school lunches. A