1st. Lt. Earl Robinsheaux with the US Army Air Corps discusses being a P38 pilot in the Pacific Theatre in this Vtv15 studio interview. This video originally aired on Vtv15 in May, 2011. Directed by O.C. Garza
I don't usually spend an hour listening to a RU-vid video....but listening to Earl Robinsheaux as a P-38 pilot during WW 2 was an honor. I salute you, sir.
This video was like a great book you just couldn't put down until you went from beginning to end and refreshed some of the highlights. I was born in May 41 and still remember the electric atmosphere surrounding the sight of the troops returning to the home many thought they would never see as many didnt.
I'm 67. My Dad was a B17 Bombardier who flew 35 missions all of which were over Nazi Germany.. I'm listening to this amazing Americans story with tears running down my face.. MAGA MY ASS!!!!
Earl Edward Robisheaux Sr., 93, died May 14, 2017, with family by his side in Victoria, Tx. Earl was born February 24, 1924 in Orange Field, Tx to Willard Robisheaux and Loretta Delaune. He bravely protected our country during World War II and entered the Air Force at the age of 18. Earl earned his wings and commission from Aloe Field in Victoria, Texas. Flying the P-38 Lightning with the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 13th Air Force, he saw combat in New Guinea, the South Pacific and the Southern Philippines.
Fascinating! My father flew a P-38 photo version (the F-5) off of Morotai, which Earl talks about at around the 20-minute mark. Dad was probably on the island when Earl's group landed, having arrived there in November of '44. 56 combat missions later, the war was over for my dad and he and the other boys started coming home.... in waves. My Dad got back to the States and was discharged on Christmas Day, 1945. He wouldn't turn 21 for another month. He later went back into the Air Force as a pilot and weapons officer, retiring in 1972. Heroes all, these boys.
Great story. My dad was Navy PBY crew Chief Petty Officer. He joined summer before Pearl Harbor. He is dearly missed. His last words were to me "Son what you can do for me is Enjoy your life." God bless all of you men and families of WW2. My Neighbor is 99 and was a B 25 Gunner radioman in Pacific. Wonderful person. Great stories.
Ahhhhhhhh what a bummer he was tough as nails like the rest of them. So strange with 64 Missions and all the training in Air Craft repair and flying plus his time in the cockpit he never flew again I wonder why?
Lt Robisheaux thank you for your outstanding service! Sgt Louis Guidry from down the bayou, Vietnam vet. Lt, i was scared everyday i was there humping a m60 machine gun. Lt, prayers for your family and my you Rest In Peace. JOB WELL DONE, SIR!!!
My grandfather flew the p38 in ww2 in the pacific. He was in the air force at Kelly. He had some interesting stories. Crash landed in the Phillipines out of fuel. They had some pics of the natives in grass skirts that took care of them until he was picked up. He buzzed the courthouse in Comanche, TX to let family know he was home to go pick him up in Brownwood. Someone turned him in and he was met by the MPs instead. They didn't detain him. His name was Reginald. His wing man didn't make it back hit by a zero. Years ago, I was at an airshow, and Lefty Garder flew over with his white P38 in knife edge and mentioned it was in honor of my grandfather. My grandmother said she pulled shrapnel from him until the day he died. He never flew again upon returning home, and didnt talk much about it. We think he blamed himself for the loss of his wingman.
Whoever thought to have this remarkable guy at age 84 be recorded telling his story with such clarity, THANK YOU! My father was a bomber pilot in Europe who went through the same early training as Mr. Robinsheaux. He was the equivalent of first officer or captain of his B-24 bomber and was the same age as Mr. Robinsheaux. Unfotunately, at the time of this recording my father was in assisted living with Alzheimer's disease and couldn't tell us much of anything. He would have flashbacks of fright in his dementia as he would feel like he was back in that cockpit being strafed by German fighter pilots. He, like so many other war veterans, never spoke of the war. He had a long career as an airline pilot.
This fine fellow Earl was a Texas pilot who helped America win the Pacific War against the fearsome Japanese. At the end of the war, when he got injured flying, he was discharged and had to go looking for a civilian job because he was newly married. He eventually got into sales. His homespun style -- which we listened to on this video for one hour -- probably sold a lot of goods and kept his family fed. His WW2 story here was humble, genuine, purely American.
I had a friend here in Texas, from Brownwood Texas. He was a P-38 pilot and flew some with Dick Bong. The gentleman's last name was Dirtsche. A awesome guy.
Wow, I’m proud of this bloke and I’m an Australian! These men are true heroes not the over paid sports stars that are held up on a pedestal. I’m so glad that he got to have a successful life. Cheers, Stuart 🇦🇺
My Dad was with the Army Corps of Engineers that put in the runways you boys flew from and he maintained P-38's. Looking at the maps I can see that Dad was on nearly every one of those islands and missed very few of the battles. He very rarely spoke of his time in the Pacific.....I think that mainly he wanted to forget the war. After Dad passed we found his Purple Heart in his sock drawer, carefully wrapped up with his certificate from the War Department. I think that never again will we see a generation of men like these WWII soldiers.
P-38’s were the best planes of WWII. No other plane could fill as many roles. Mr. Robinsheaux is such a masterful storyteller and a true American hero.
VICTORIA - Earl Edward Robisheaux Sr., 93, died May 14, 2017, with family by his side in Victoria, Tx. Earl was born February 24, 1924 in Orange Field, Tx to Willard Robisheaux and Loretta Delaune. He bravely protected our country during World War II and entered the Air Force at the age of 18. Earl earned his wings and commission from Aloe Field in Victoria, Texas. Flying the P-38 Lightning with the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 13th Air Force, he saw combat in New Guinea, the South Pacific and the Southern Philippines. After leaving the Air Force, Earl returned home to begin a career in sales and was the owner of Corpus Fire & Safety for 56 years. After retiring he moved to Goliad and eventually Victoria, TX. For over 50 years, he was a Master Mason, Shriner and member of the P-38 National Association.
There is a company, WestPac at the airport in Colorado Springs, Co. that restores vintage aircraft. I visited their facility a few years back and saw a P-38 that had crashed in the jungle of New Guinea that was being restored. It looked really a mess and obvious the restoration would take a while. A WWII veteran pilot in Colorado Springs, got wind of the restoration and since he had flown a P-38 during WWII, had his daughter take him out to see the aircraft. He was a wing commander in Australia when they got in some new P-38s and he assigned one to himself. He flew it on a few missions and then turned it over to another pilot and it was shot down over New Guinea. The vet and his daughter took down serial numbers from the plane and after some research discovered that this was the same plane her now 100 year old father had flown. On October 17, 2016, 101 year old Frank Royal witnessed the first flight of the beautifully restored P-38 he flew over New Guinea during WWII. In November of that year, he also watched from a chase plane as his P-38 flew over Colorado Springs accompanied by a restored WWII B-25 bomber. I was lucky enough to see that incident as they flew over my house. Frank passed away one month later, making his last flight to see his wife in heaven as he would say. I knew Frank and spoke to him several times about this. WH - Colorado Springs, CO.
Remember Colorado Springs very memorably. In 1984, I ran the accent of the Pikes Peak Marathon. Started in Manitou Springs . . . hit the Barr Trail. Upon its' completion, at 14.1 miles . . . completed the accent portion, of the race ! Time - 3 hours, 12 minutes. Same time as my one completion of the Boston Marathon - however Boston, was 26.2 miles. Yes . . . up at altitude, much less oxygen ! 😬🇺🇸
Fine, worthy story teller. Humble. No beer stories. Learned wisdom at a young age. Serious about fighting but not hateful. Honest about his recall. Truly part of The Grestest Generation.
The "Greatest Generation" is an overblown concept. Tom Brokaw made it up so he could kiss ass and write a book. When the nation has been in jeopardy, EVERY generation of Americans who have been asked...have answered. That's why it's America.
Greatest generation is exactly correct. That generation went from horses to the moon. The double-overhead-cam 4-valve-per-cyclinder turbocharged engines we have today they had in their airplanes. They designed and built aircraft whose speed records have not been equaled today. They invented the computer, solid state electronics, artificial intelligence, radar, sonar, microwaves, air travel, supersonic airplanes, self-sealing tanks, turbine engines, nuclear power, and the deepest diving submarines and submersibles. Most of the metal alloys we have today were invented and used then. The bloviators of today demean their courage, character, hard work, and accomplishments, in order to take credit for their accomplishments, to acquire undeserved significance, while possessing none of the traits required to make that possible. I am a retired military pilot who had the opportunity to fly with a few of the stragglers from WW II. They were smart, plain as an old shoe, and I learned more from them, would rather be around them, than my often arrogant contemporaries. Two were B17 pilots who flew on some of the same missions to Germany. One had a cottage on a lake near a base and invited me to stay with them one weekend. I mostly listened to talk about some of those missions and learn from each other about what happened to who. I was also dual rated. One night I was flying a chaplain in a rotary wing to another base. I learned that he had flow P-51s in Europe during WW II. For those who know anything about rotary wing know that without autopilot, they require constant attention and a rapid crosscheck. I let him fly, believing he would not do well. After all these years he could freeze the needles in an aircraft type that was more unstable and sensitive than anything he could have flown. The Gulf War was the last war I was given an assignment for but was not deployed in time. I was out prior to the Iraq War. I learned a few things. The people you were with during the hardest times of your life are the people you never stop caring about, even though with them a short time. I remember my mom not understanding why my dad was so severely affected when he lost a friend from suicide who had been a friend during the Battle of the Bulge. My ear is just naturally to the ground for anything good or bad in the life of my friends and we never stop corresponding. It was the best brat camp possible and imparted a maturity and confidence that I would have never acquired otherwise. On the other hand I don't remember those I went to school with for 13 years very well, and I couldn't tell you who was best man in my wedding without looking. The current and my generation in no way measure up to theirs, but have benefited greatly.
I like the way this guy tells his story, like forest Gump (not meant talking shit) blunt to the point and "that's all there was to it". It's just here's the facts
When i was in my teens I worked at a drive-in theater, the owner had been a P38 pilot in the war and remained in the reserves flying jets. He retired as a Lt. Col. He talked me into joining the Air Force where I became an Air Traffic Controller and then joined the FAA. I owed him a lot for steering me in the right direction.
As a retired Military I truly enjoyed Lt. Robinsheaux's discussion of his experiences as a fighter pilot during WWII. Amazing recall of his training and career.
You're right on that luckily in the last fifteen or so years people have been smart enough to get these veterans together and record their stories not many of them left my grandfather and great-uncle we're Naval aviators luckily our family got to hear their stories may they both rest in peace with all their buddies
And remeber, pilots and infantry made up 2% of the total force. We only ever hear about these two types in uniform. Where are the other stories from the 98%?
My father flew a bomber in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. We owe our country and our wonderful way of life to heroes like Earl. Thank you Earl Robinsheaux for your service to our country! And thank you TV15 in Victoria for bring this man's brave adventure to us.
I was a US Navy pilot during Viet Nam. I trained in the southwest part of Texas. The courage of men like Earl Robinsheaux and the sacrifices they made should be remembered. Thanks to Vtv15 for helping us to understand what they accomplished.
Outstanding storytelling from this fine gentleman. I lived in Corpus Christi for many years & wished I had met this man so I could shake his hand & thank him for serving his country. So glad I happened upon this video. Thank you for your service & rest in peace.🇺🇲
Quite the story. He had great recall, too! My dad’s first cousin flew a P-38, but was shot down over Bremen, Germany, his body was never found. He was also training Stateside, but volunteered to fight instead. This man, my cousin, my dad, all of these then young men and women of that era were made of different stuff.
@@PacWestFish Thanks, I’ve always been a klutz with the family tree nomenclature! The saddest thing is that cousin Milton was an only child and according to everyone that knew him, a lovable, humorous and generous soul. He could have stayed in the states as a trainer, but he wanted to fight. He was about ten years older than Pop and called my dad “Little Buddy.” Pop still has some letters. He is the only one left of that generation and will be 94 this year. When he was stationed in Germany in the Occupation Army (45-47), he spent a considerable amount of time trying to find any information he could about Cousin Milton, but nothing ever turned up. His P-38 is believed to have been lost over the North Sea, after tangling with German fighters over Bremen. There was a display about him here in Richmond, VA at the Air Museum just outside of the airport. That museum is gone now and all of the display items about Major Milton Joel are in the possession of one of my more distant cousins, related to him, with the same last name.
I could listen to this old war hero for hours. His recall is incredible overshowed only by his humility. His generation was amazing in their eagerness to join the fight. I was wondering myself as other commenters did why he never seemed interested in flying after the war. I've heard that it was all about the mission and once it was over, they moved on with their lives. I had a college room mate that flew F4's in Vietnam off a carrier and he became a flight instructor in San Diego after the war.
Thoroughly enjoyed Listening l😮learning how he became a P38 Pilot. Thank you Sir for serving your country🇱🇷 Your sharing held me memorized. God Bless you✝️🙏🙏
My grandpa flew SBD Dauntless dive bombers during the war. As a kid, I asked him how come he never flew after the war. He said he never wanted to climb in a cockpit again. He was happier climbing into the cab of a tractor I guess.
We are so incredibly lucky to have these men around to tell their stories and share their experiences. Even more so to have the medium to easily share them with the world and keep them online forever.
The P38 has always been my favorite WWII fighter. It's a shame that most of them were never brought back to the USA, but were sold or given away where they were at the end of the war. I believe there were more versions of the P38 than of any other U.S. fighter/interceptor at that time. It was/is a beautiful aircraft.
As an Aussie, Sir I salut you and do thank you. You sir have the gift of story telling, I do hope this is played in all schools by the department of education as we need the younger generation to appreciate the sacrifices that so many made for your country.
Unfortunately, they have a much more important agenda with teaching gender reassignment and infecting young persons minds. Far too few people know or even care abt these old and tired stories.
Some people have a way of telling a story that makes it so interesting. This gentleman has that. He doesn't heap praise on himself, just tells the story. If he didn't participate in some operation, he says so. Very refreshing.
Imagine throwing up 5 straight times and going and cleaning up the mess and almost being washed out but persevering to become a pilot and surviving the war! Then reminiscing such a incredible story
It's the most unfortunate thing in the world when you have someone like this, and they've had a stroke or are at the beginning of dimentia, they're trying to impart important things, but you just can't understand them, he's talking like it happened yesterday.
Wow. My father served on Middleburg Island. Other tan my father's account, I had never heard of anyone who knew of Middleburg. My father George Thomas Reed was in Army Air Corps and was a tower operator. He was a morse code operator and told me many stories of P38s, and other types of aircraft he was in the tower helping. He told me one time the wind sock was across the runway, and P40s came in to land on the short runway, and he warned them but they must have been on the wrong channel and cartwheeled upon landing. Nobody killed. When Google Earth was available, Middleburg Island was one of the first places he wnated to see. He identified the 1.1 miles runway, 3/4 of it is still visiable. He had a bowl of shells he had collected next to us. Now I knew where he had collected those. It was on the north east side of the island. Thank you for this info!
I just listened to this and it gave me chills, because it sounded just like the stories my Dad used to tell me. Dad was in the 17th Airborne, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment. God bless you, Mr. Robisheaux. Thank you for keeping our country safe.
What an outstanding account! Strange that he did not continue flying after leaving the air force, however to you and all who gave their all during those times, thankyou very much for your service. Most appreciated from Perth, Western Australia...
Thank you for your appearance here, Lieutenant Robinsheaux. God bless you. My father was working at a defense plant in California in 1941, and was deferred from the draft. He quit his job, gave up the deferment, and enlisted, and served during WWII in the United States Army. He spent most of his time on a Mine Planter (go look it up) and after the War served the balance of his enlistment in the Infantry. After all these years, I never found out what he did in California. Every veteran has a story and thank you, Lieutenant, for yours.
What a wonderful blessing it is to have such fine and soft-spoken MEN in our world. They went forth and SAVED THE WORLD, and then they came home and had little to say about their adventures. My Dad was among them and I am forever his proud son.
Thank you for your service and your bravery, Earl. You make us all proud, and we love our freedom. Also thank you for your efforts in telling your story. We love you. One of my uncles flew P-47 Thundrbolts and -40 Warhawks in the Pacific in the late years of the war, and he died ferrying a P-38 Lightning from Guam to Iwo JIma in the last days of the war, when the convoy lost radio contact in a storm. This was probably about he time of the Nagasaki bomb. My other uncle flew 33 bombing missions over Germany in B-17s and B-24s. My father came in to the service during the last few months of the war, he and one other fellow parked most of the returning aircraft at the Davis-Monthan "Boneyard" airfield in Tucson, AZ. I salute you, sir, and them, and all the brave men and women who fought and served, and those helped in the home front. I wish today's generation had your qualities.
This Gentleman, must of flown with a Friend of mine, who has since passed - George Chandler. As George was also with the 339th Fighter Squadron. I met Mr. Chandler, from a "Air Classics" article He wrote, & His organization - 'the Second Yamamoto Mission'. George was a real Gentleman and all around Good Person. I miss Him.
What a great episode! How valuable to have that in-depth interview. The P-38 was in it’s best element in the Pacific. There was no need for a heater in the cockpit. In Europe, pilots complained about being cold because there was no effective way to get the heat from the engines to the cockpit because of the twin boom configuration of the P-38. The range of the P-38 was problematic when the US first entered WWII. It took a civilian to teach the Army pilots how to get the most range out of the P-38. This civilian told the pilots and ground personnel that they need to run the engines on the P-38 as lean as possible. His recommendations were much leaner than the Army or Lockheed had ever tried. Many crew chiefs in the Pacific were sure that the civilian’s recommendations would burn up the engines on missions. However, the civilian had a lot of experience in long distance flight. His engine procedures became gospel. After several P-38s returned to base with half full gas tanks, the military soon realized that the civilian knew what he was talking about. The civilian flew 50 missions in the P-38 and was credited with one “kill” of a Japanese plane. When the story of this civilian made the news, General Douglas MacArthur ordered the the civilian, Charles Lindbergh be flown to Australia as quickly as possible.
Absolute HERO! He and all that served and those that serve now! Not many truly think about what kind of country we would be without these hero's! I had the privilege of knowing two WWII Pilots. Neither were ones to talk about their heroism but heroes they were! Thank You to this "channel" for documenting and sharing these Historical accounts!
"I don't know why, but I was always the Colonel's wingman." You were his wingman because you were a damned good pilot. Typical self-effacing / humble guy. The mark of greatness.
Wow, what a tale! Did anyone notice how he pretty much never described his own accomplishments, but only those of his buddies? My Grandpa was in the Navy on Attu (or Kiska) from '43-'45. My Dad as a 17-year-old served on a troopship '44-'45 in the N. Atlantic. Neither saw any action. My Dad post-war went to college & then did a tour as a recon platoon Lt. in Germany. Post-Army, he went on to own and fly a Cessna Skymaster for 3,000+ hours. But my Uncle Brud was a Serjeant in the 28th Pennsylvania Infantry Division--which saw 90% casualties at Aachen and then at the Bulge (16,762 battle casualties). He and the survivors of his squad were trapped behind German lines for 2 weeks in the Schnee Eiffel before the Germans got pushed back. Took him decades after the war to (mostly) shed his PTSD. My cousin and I tried mostly in vain to get him to tell us stories. But boy did he ever hate Germans for the rest of his life. He was my hero.
The memories this man is recounting here are vivid and clear, and it seems like they happened a few weeks before this video. Massive respect for his bravery and determination to fly 64 missions (!) in the Pacific. Earl Robinsheaux and men like him - my father being one - brought that war to it's end, then returned to build the greatest nation in human history. Honor to these, and all veterans for their selfless courage. To the self-serving cowards who in 2021 seek to destroy it from within, I look forward to your defeat.
Same here. My Dad spent almost five years serving this great country in WWII in the Army and Mom served in the Navy. I despise these Socialists today and will do all I can to destroy them. In November 2022, there will be an incredible repudiation event. Inflation will be so painful for the Democrats and the other idiots that support Socialism they will forget all about “free” money.
My dad flew a converted hospital B-17 from Oakland> Pearl> Guam with return with wounded soldiers in the Pacific Theatre. My mother's brother flew with Shenalt and is buried in Shandong Province China. My dad said he liked PBY's best.
Thank you Lt. For your service to our country, and for your patriotism. It was an honor for me to hear your story. You are indeed a man of courage. My best wishes to you.
I really appreciated your story! Thank you so much! My great uncle also flew the P-38 in the Pacific theater. Claud McLemore. Bless you for your service!
One of the most interesting hours I have had in a long long time. Thank you so much for everything, the producers the uploading and of course Lt Robinsheaux for his amazing story, he is so well spoken, organized in thought and what memory for detail. Exceptional man you can tell. God Bless him. Thanks again from Alberta Canada
You had me glued to the seat for an hour and got quite an education on what you all went through that I never heard before. The explanations were perfect, learned a great deal about your many difficulties like flying through tropical storms, flack, barge traps, horsepower requirements, Fuel, ammo, torque and so much more. Really impressed with your memory all these years later and how you maintain a level head through all that chaos. Thank you for all you and your squadron mates did to keep on the winning side. There won't ever be another generation like yours to bring us so safely through so much turmoil.
My dad was in the 347th Fighter group in the 68th Squadron Lightning Lancers. He told me stories similar to these about Saigon harbor where he sank 7 ships, among others. When I was 5 years old he took me flying on his lap. It always seemed like it was in my blood. I sure do miss him and salute Lt Robinsheaux.
I had 2 uncles that served in WW2. One on a submarine and the other flew B17 missions over Germany. This brings back the stories of their experiences to me. I proudly pass that knowledge on to my kids and grandkids. The P38 experience was very interesting! Gary Cave
