WHO'S WHO IN THE 31ST BOMB SQUADRON ASSOCIATION

ELECTED OFFICERS

(Position of President is currently vacant) 

Jim Berry, Vice President

    I was born in Texarkana, Texas, on March 26, 1917, and attended  a multiplicity of schools through seventh grade in Texas.  The family moved to my maternal grandparents farm  in Van Wert County, Ohio, in 1931 to survive the great depression. I worked at farm labor and attended a country high school, graduating in 1935.  In 1935 the family moved to Cisco, Texas, where I worked at an amusement park. Here I attended an American Red Cross Life Saving course, and received life guard certification. Then I attended National Aquatic School on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, where I was certified as an instructor in swimming, life saving, first aid, and small craft.

In 1937 I registered at the Texas A & M University and resigned from A & M in the last semester of 1941 to join the United States Army Air Corps pilot training program. In September 1942, I went into the B-24 pilot training program. Upon completion of combat pilot training in the B-24,  I flew sea searches out of the Hawaiian Islands for three months. Then I joined the 13th Air Force at Espiritu Santos  in the New Hebrides Islands. I flew bombing missions throughout the Solomon Islands Campaign and the Bismarck Archipelago Campaign. During these campaigns I was promoted from first pilot to flight commander.

I completed combat pilot obligations in April, 1944, and returned to the states where I was assigned to Laredo Air Base, Texas. There I flew gunnery students. I married Jacqueline Ruppert on April 29, 1945. Later I attended B-29 training at Randolph Air Base in San Antonio, Texas. Then I returned to Laredo Air Base where I was made squadron commander of a new B-29 Squadron. When World War II ended in Europe, my squadron was ordered to train four-engine pilots returning from Europe to fly the B-29 in the Southwest Pacific War. However, the war ended  before the objective materialized.

In the fall of 1945, I resigned from the Air Corps and flew  DC3 charter and freight flights out of San Antonio. As a civilian I worked as a field engineer on heavy construction (hydroelectric dams, steel mill, chemical plant, etc). When my children became school age and I could not move from project to project, I worked for the General Services Administration as a mechanical design engineer, then as chief, professional services branch.

I retired in 1975 in Fort Worth, Texas, and have enjoyed my retirement by traveling world and stateside, by participating in the activities of the 13th Air force, the 5th Bomb Group, and the 31st Bomb Squadron, and by attending events of my large family. My current reserve officer rank for many years has been Lt. Colonel.

Joanne Emerick, Secretary and Historian

    Joanne Emerick was born July 22, 1951 in Hays, Kansas.  Her parents were 31st Bomb Squadron member Wendell  Pfannenstiel and Mary Wierman Pfannenstiel of Ness County, Kansas. [Wendell joined the 31st Squadron at Kipapa Gulch, Hawaii, in July, 1942. He served the Squadron as a medic until shipping home from Samar, the Philippines, in July, 1945.] 

 Joanne, her sister, Janice, and her brother, Joe, grew up on a western Kansas farm where her family raised wheat and cattle. Joanne graduated from Sacred Heart Grade School, Ness City, Kansas, in 1965, and from Ness City High School in 1969.  She then attended Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, and graduated with an AB in History in 1973. While in college, she was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, national history honorary. She married David L. Emerick June 11, 1983. On David’s birthday, November 3, 1985, she gave birth to their son, Tanner Joseph.

 Joanne began teaching secondary social studies in the fall, 1973, at Golden Plains Jr.- Sr. High School, Rexford, Kansas. She later taught social studies at Lenora Jr.- Sr. High School, Lenora, Kansas; Quinter Jr.- Sr. High School, Quinter, Kansas; and Hoxie High School, Hoxie, Kansas. Joanne retired in May, 2005, after a 31-year teaching career.

 From 1987-2001, Joanne’s students at Quinter and Hoxie participated in the National History Day research contest. They made fourteen consecutive trips to the national finals at the University of Maryland, and were national award winners ten consecutive years. Her students also represented Kansas in the national American government competition, We the People, for three consecutive years. 

 Joanne served on Congressman Jerry Moran’s Military Academy Selection Board for six years. She works extensively with veterans of all ages, and actively collects World War II history. She was appointed Historian of the 31st  Bomb Squadron Association in 1997. She receives, catalogues, and archives memorabilia sent to her by members of the 31st Bomb Squadron and/or their families, answers their requests for information, and edits the 31st Squadron Association newsletter, Tail Winds, which was created by 31ster Sid Ulmer.

Joanne and her husband, Dave, live in Hoxie, Kansas. Joanne’s awards include:

 Kansas Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year - 1988; Kansas History Day Teacher of the Year- 1992; Kansas Daughters of the American Revolution History Teacher of the Year -1994; Milken National Educator Award -1995; Kansas Veterans of Foreign Wars History Teacher of the Year – 2002; Americanism Award – Kansas American Legion - 2002; Twice honored with University of Kansas Teacher Recognition Award 1999-2000 ; Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers - 1996   1998   2004   2005.

 Jim Doty, Treasurer

Jim was born James Willard Doty, in the Tennessee River bottom town of Big Sandy, Tennessee, (pop. 300). He was Willard until Uncle Sam changed it to James. His mother, Lucille, was a teacher and father, Wes, a salesman-business man.                    

At the age of twelve, the family followed his father’s business in Nashville and later to Chattanooga, back to Nashville and then to Bruceton, Tennessee where he, (Jim) finished his last three high school years

During his senior year, he tested for the Army Air Corps Cadet program, passed and volunteered. Two weeks following high school graduation, the call came to report to Keesler Field, Mississippi for Basic. This was followed by CTD at University of Tennessee; Pre-flight at Maxwell Field; Classification at Nashville; Gunnery at Tyndell Field; Bombardier training at Carlsbad, NM; and OTU at Walla Walla, Washington.

As part of James R. Baker's crew, Jim spent one month to the day on a Liberty ship from California to Tacloban on Layte in the Philippines and then down to Morotai, joining the 31st Squadron. They flew six combat missions before the A-Bombs were dropped and six sixteen-hour patrol missions along the west Formosa and east China coasts. In October, 1945, the crew joined the Sunset Project, flying from Samar to a Clark Field rendezvous and then island hopped back to the states. Jim was discharged at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas.

Jim entered the University of Tennessee Engineering school on the GI Bill along with his younger brother, Ray, in March of 1946, some few weeks before the effective date of his discharge. In the spring of 1950, he and Ray graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Jim worked for three different firms but primarily Tennessee Valley Authority for 35 years in Design, Construction and Power Operation Divisions. His final job location was the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant where he held the position of Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor and Assistant Plant Superintendent, (Maintenance).

In 1954, he married beautiful red headed Billie Sandefur. They have two children, one son and one daughter. Son, John, is a journalist and media representative, and daughter, Tracy, is a talented musician and music teacher.

In retirement, Jim serves on the local Planning Commission, and the Economic Development Council, and plays an awful lot of golf!

                         

                                       BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Willie Martens, Chairman of the Board

   I was born on August 21, 1921 in Hockley, Texas (about 36 miles northeast of Houston). I signed up for the Aviation Cadet Corp in September of 1942. Was shipped to San Antonio, Texas and then to Keesler Field, Mississippi for basic training. Following basic training at Keesler Field I was transferred to Maxwell Field in Alabama for pre-flight training. following pre-flight training I was transferred to Nashville, Tennessee waiting assignment to a Primary Flight School.

For Primary Flight School I was moved to Avon Park, Florida in Class 43-1. Following primary flight training I was  transferred to Macon, Georgia for basic training. After finishing basic training I was moved to Valdosta, Georgia for advanced training in twin engine aircraft. After completing advance training I received my commission as a 2nd Lt. and was transferred to Kirtland Field at Albuquerque, New Mexico for training in B-24's. Following training in B-24's I moved to Fresno, California where I was assigned a crew.

As a B-24 crew we were moved to Muroc, California to continue training as a crew in B-24's. When the crew training was complete our crew and other crews transferred to Sacramento, California where we were assigned an aircraft. We named it "Her Baronass" and flew it across the Pacific-Hawaii-Nandi-Guadalcanal, where we were assigned to the 31st Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group. We flew 39 missions over much water to many islands and in 1945 returned to the US. Following my Air Corp service I attended Texas A & M on the G.I. bill and received a degree in Chemical Engineering. I was employed at The Lubrizol Corporation for almost 36 years and retired in1986.

God bless America.

Lou Roffman, Director at Large

    I was born on February 22, 1918 in New York City. I entered military service on June 1, 1936 at Randolph Field in Texas. There I was exposed to 30 days basic training before departing for Chanute Field, Illinois for a year of training as an airplane mechanic. Upon completion of training I received an A & E license and returned to Randolph where I served on the flight line servicing B-10's and B-12's. In 1939, on the day that England declared war on Germany, I was sent to San Francisco for embarkation to Hawaii. Initially I was stationed at Luke Field as a member of the 31st Bomb Squadron. Promoted to Tech Sergeant, I served as a crew chief on B-17's and B-18's and was serving as such when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

In June 1942 I was transferred to Midway and, after a brief stay, back to Kappau Gulch--20 miles from Hickam Field. In 1943, I served as a crew chief in the 19^th Bomb Group, 30^th Bomb Squadron in Darwin, Australia. The Group was returned to the States in the same year.

In 1951-52, I was the crew chief for General Rosie O’Donnell in Korea. O’Donnell was the first general Officer to be relieved of his command. The reason was this: on one occasion he flew down to the Yalu River, the border between Korea and China, for observation. Looking across the river, he saw huge piles of military supplies that were being moved across the river each night for use by the North Koreans against U.S. forces. Later a reporter heard O’Donnell say that if the U.S. were allowed to bomb supplies on the Chinese side of the river, we could have the North Koreans using bows and arrows in a month. When this remark got back to President Truman, he removed O’Donnell from command—a prelude to what happened to General Douglas McArthur. After 31 years in the service, I retired in 1969. .                     

Courtney Clark, Director at Large

   I was born July 17, 1924 in Jacksonville, Texas. I graduated from Troup (Texas) High School in May, 1941 as Valedictorian in a class of sixty four students. Attended Tyler Junior College for one year and enrolled in Texas A & M in the fall of 1942 but did not finish the semester before joining the Army Air Corps Cadet Training Program as a student bombardier. Training followed at Shephard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas; College Training Detachment at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, OK; Preflight training at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas; Bombardier Training at Big Spring AAF, Big Spring, Texas. Stops at Topeka, Kansas; Salt Lake City; and El Paso for transition training in B-24's preceded a flight from Hamilton Field, to Guadalcanal and my Crew's assignment to the 31" Bombardment Squadron in March 1944. My crew completed forty missions to such targets as Truk, Woleai, Palau, Pellilu, Brunei Bay, Palawan, Balikpapan Borneo, and a contingent of the Japanese fleet in the Sulu Sea.

 I returned to the States in the Spring of 1945 and was discharged on the effective date of July 4, 1945 with the rank of First Lieutenant. In the fall of 1945 I entered the University of Texas to study geology, joining Humble Oil and Refining Company in February 1949 as a Geophysicist in West Texas. Four years later I accepted a "temporary" assignment in the Human Resources Department and was subsequently assigned to New Orleans, Tyler, TX, and Midland, TX where I retired August 1, 1986 after a 38 year career.                                                                                                                                             

                                                       IMMEDIATE  Past President

   Born North, South Carolina, April 15, 1923. Enlisted in U.S. Army Signal Corps, December 4, 1942. Transferred to U.S. Army Air Force, August 20, 1943. Basic Training, 51^st Training Group, Class 221, Keesler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi.  Gunnery school, Laredo Air Force Base, Laredo Texas.  Combat Crew training in B-24 bombers, Tonopah Air Force Base, Tonopah, Nevada.  Assigned to Pat Earhart crew as an Assistant Radio Operator – Tail Gunner,  May 1944. Sent to Hamilton Field, California for overseas processing.  Departed for Guadalcanal on May 18, 1944.  Assigned to the 13th Air Force, 5th Bomb Group, 31st Bomb Squadron.

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