Charles Edward Skidmore,
Jr.
A Concise Biography
By Major Leon B. Spencer,
USAF (Retired)
Edited by Michael
G. Skidmore
Charles Edward Skidmore,
Jr., was born in Columbus, Kansas, on Saturday, 17 January 1920. His birthplace, a small town in Cherokee
County, was located in the southeast corner of the state. Joplin. Missouri, lay just to the east. That same month Babe Ruth was traded by the
Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for the largest sum ever paid for a
player at the time, and the United States Senate voted against joining the
League of Nations. Chuck, as young
Skidmore would be called, was the first of two sons born to his parents,
Charles Edward Skidmore, Sr., and Henrietta Geneva (Gallagher) Skidmore. His father was born in Baxter Springs, and his
mother in Columbus. The Skidmore’s were Catholic by faith. William Dale Skidmore, Chuck’s younger
brother, was not born until 25 May 1923, a little over three years later.
Young Skidmore attended
grammar school in Columbus, completing the eighth grade in 1933. In 1934 he
entered Cherokee County Community High School in the same town, graduating from
there in 1937. Then it was off to college. Chuck attended Coffeyville Junior College in
Coffeyville, Kansas, from 1937 to 1939, and then transferred to the University
of Kansas at Lawrence, where he earned his undergraduate degree in journalism
in 1941.
In late 1940, prior to
World War II and graduation from college, Skidmore took and passed the written
examination for flight training as an aviation cadet in the US Army Air Corps. He would not receive his letter of acceptance from
the Air Corps until 14 January 1941. On
that date, the War Department, Office of the Chief of the Air Crops, notified
him to report to the Induction Station at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on 10 July for
enlistment. He was instructed to bring enough civilian clothes for three
months, as the Air Corps only supplied coveralls and flying equipment. At the
time of his induction in the service he was living with his parents in Columbus
at 235 West Elm Street. On 11 July 1941,
21 year old Charles E. Skidmore, Jr. was sworn in at Fort Leavenworth as an
aviation cadet. The proud new inductee
stood 5 feet 8½ inches in height, weighed 164 pounds, and had brown eyes and hair. His medical records noted that he had a ruddy
complexion, a common classification.
Chuck was transferred to King
City, California, on 15 July 1941 for primary flight training at the Civilian
Flying School at Palo Alto Airport, Inc. that was under contract to the Air
Corps. During his nearly ten weeks of
primary training he accumulated 60 hours of flight time in a Ryan PT-21 primary
trainer, passing all the flight requirements and successfully completing his ground
school courses. Aviation Cadet Skidmore
departed King City for Moffett Field, California, for basic training on 29 September
1941, arriving there the following day. Moffett
Field was located 3 miles north of Mountain View in Santa Clara County. There he flew the 450 horsepower Vultee BT-13,
basic trainer. Before completing his
flight training he was “washed out” for failing to meet certain flight requirements
and was given a check ride, which he failed.
He was promptly given an honorable discharge from the Air Corps on 3
November 1941 and returned to civilian life, but not for long.
On 30 December 1941,
following the sneak attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the 7th of the month, he
reenlisted in the Army Air Corps, this time for bombardier training. He listed Topeka, Kansas, as his home
address, even though his parents had moved from 1100 Taylor Street in Topeka to
604 West 8th Street. This
time he was placed on orders to the Air Crew Replacement Training Center at
Ellington Field, Texas, for initial training.
His training continued there until 24 February 1942, at which point he
was transferred to Victorville Army Air Field, California, on 28 February for
advanced training as a member of an 80 man class. He
failed to satisfactorily complete the course and was eliminated as a
trainee. He was honorably discharged for
the second time on 25 April 1942.
Not long afterwards, Skidmore
heard about the search for candidates for glider pilot training, a new program
implemented under the leadership of Major General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, head
of the Army Air Corps. Not one to be discouraged by failure he
applied for glider pilot training and was accepted as a Class “A” aviation
student in late June 1942. Class “A”
students were those who had previous flying experience as a pilot and had
earned a private pilot’s license or had 200 glider flights. Skidmore had earned his private pilot’s license
on 14 June 1941 through the aviation cadet program. A Class “B” students, were those with no
prior flying experience as a pilot. On
13 July 1942, for the third time, Chuck enlisted in the Army Air Force at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas, this time as a private. Eleven
days later, on 24 July, he was ordered to Sherman Field at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas, to await the opening of a pre-glider school. He
remained there until 24 August 1942 when he received movement orders
transferring him to the Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio, 9.5 miles southeast of
Columbus, Ohio, for pre-glider training.
When Chuck arrived at the glider
school at Lockbourne he learned that the school could not accommodate
additional students for training. Accordingly, on 7 September 1942, he and his
classmates were transferred to the growing glider pilot student pool at
Randolph Field, Texas. There were simply
not enough training facilities in place to train all the glider students in the
pipeline. As a result, they were frequently
held at the glider pilot holding pool at Randolph Field until a new flying
school opened. Skidmore remained at
Randolph until 6 October 1942 when orders finally came through transferring him
to the 21st AAF Glider Training Detachment at Pittsburg, Kansas, for
pre-glider training. McFarland Flying Service, a civilian flying school
under contract to the Army Air Corps provided the flight training and conducted
the ground school for students. The
instructors were all civilians. Only the check pilots were military. The school at Pittsburg was under the jurisdiction
of the Commanding General, Gulf Coast Air Forces Training Center at Randolph
Field, Texas, and was located just a few miles from Chuck’s birthplace.
He received 30 hours of
pre-glider flight training at Pittsburg, completing his flying requirements on
2 November 1942. Most students referred
to the pre-glider flight training as “dead stick” training. The connotation resulted from the type of
flying conducted. A glider student would
take off and climb to a designated altitude, switch off the engine, pull up the
nose slightly to stop the prop from wind milling, and land the aircraft without
power as though it were a glider. The Class
“B” students in his class received 40 hours of elementary flight training and
15 hours of “dead stick” landings. Both
“A” and “B” students were required to practice “dead stick” landings day and
night to improve their judgment and spot landing proficiency. Chuck’s class was held at Pittsburgh until 5
December 1942 because the contract basic glider schools were operating at
capacity. To pass the time the students
were given close order drill, daily calisthenics and classroom instructions in
military discipline and personal hygiene.
Skidmore and his classmates
departed Pittsburgh by train for Lubbock, Texas, where they were assigned to
the 1st AAF Glider Training Detachment. They had hardly settled in before being told that
Lubbock was not equipped to provide basic glider training. Once again everyone was left to cool their
heels, and morale began to suffer. After
what seemed like an eternity a class opened at Vinita, Oklahoma, on 31 December
1942. Chuck and a number of his
classmates boarded a train for Vinita, arriving at the train station there on 3
January 1943. The following day, 4
January, the morale of Chuck and his classmates got a hefty boost when orders
were received promoting them to Staff Sergeant. That same day they were assigned to Class
43-3.
Because there was no military facilities in
Vinita students were billeted in the Teen Town – Senior Citizen Center, a
single story brick building that had been converted into an open bay barracks to
accommodate 200 students. The building
had originally been used as an annex to the county court house. Some of the
folding metal beds had to be double-decked to save space. Several wash basins and six showers comprised
the bathing facilities. The student mess
hall was a converted café in town.
Basic glider training at Vinita was conducted by
Burke Flying Service under contract to the Army Air Force. Glider students received 30 hours of flight training
in the Frankfort TG-1A, a civilian glider known as the “Cinema II,” and the
three-place military TG-5, an Aeronca Defender that had been converted into a
glider. Flight training took place at
the airport, 3 miles north of the town.
Chuck recorded 4 hours and 13 minutes in the TG-1A and 25 hours and 56
minutes in the TG-5 while at Vinita. He
successfully completed the flying and ground school training on 3 February 1943. Four days later, on 7 February, he and his
classmates were off to South Plains Army Flying School at Lubbock, Texas, for
advanced glider training.
On 1 April 1943, Skidmore was
assigned to Class 43-8 and the next day began advanced flight training in the big
15-place Waco CG-4A glider. He logged 48
minutes on his first flight with an instructor.
The Lockheed C-60 Lodestar was
used to tow the CG-4A at Lubbock. Skidmore
completed his flight and classroom training on 27 April 1943, having logged a total
of almost 16 hours and 22 landings in the CG-4A, almost half of it as first
pilot. Having completed his training he was
discharged as a Staff Sergeant on 29 April for the purpose of accepting an
appointment as flight officer on 30 April 1943. The flight officer rank was new in the Army
Air Corps, and was equivalent to a junior grade warrant officer. The pay was the same as a second lieutenant,
with an additional 20% of base pay for overseas duty. The insignia of rank was
an oval bar, the top surface of which was Bristol blue with a gold border
around the edges and across the center of the bar. Flight
officers were addressed as “Mister” rather than by their rank. Of course, glider pilots also received
hazardous duty pay, i.e., flight pay, which amounted to 50% of an individual’s base
pay.
Chuck looked resplendent in
his officer’s pinks and greens on graduation day. He was in high spirits as he marched across
the stage in the base theater, saluted the school commandant, and was presented
with his sterling silver glider wings. He
was now officially a glider pilot, a member of a very unique group of fliers,
and proud of it. Paragraph 59 of
Personnel Orders No. 7, dated 15 April 1943, officially rated him a glider
pilot, effective 30 April 1943, and Paragraph 60 of the same order required him
to participate in regular and frequent flights after being ordered to active
duty. From that date forward, when
someone asked him what the “G” in his wings stood for, his usual response was,
“Guts.”
On 30 April 1943, special
orders were issued transferring newly promoted Flight Officer Skidmore to Louisville,
Kentucky, with assignment to the 27th Base Headquarters and Air Base
Squadron at Bowman Field. Officially,
the base was known as the Glider Pilot Combat Training Unit (GPCTU), but
unofficially it was called the “Home of the Winged Commandos.” In the absence of CG-4A gliders Chuck would undergo
simulated tactical training in light liaison aircraft. He would also be introduced for the first
time to ground combat training. When
glider pilots landed in combat they would fight alongside their glider
infantrymen passengers until they could report to the command post. Chuck’s first flight at Bowman was on 11 May
1943 in an Aeronca L-3C in which he logged three hours, half of it as first
pilot. Dead stick spot landings were
practiced regularly, frequently over two sets of 50-foot barriers placed close
together to teach glider pilots the technique of short field landings. The objective was to clear the first barrier,
land the glider, and stop it before reaching the second barrier. When glider pilots weren’t flying they were
participating in forced marches with full field packs, practicing hand-to-hand combat
and learning other ground fighting tactics.
For the next six months the
daily flying routine was practice, practice and more practice. After days of rigorous infantry training
glider pilots were in the best physical condition of their life. On the light side, during his tenure at
Bowman, Chuck met and began dating Norma Lee Emery, who lived in New Albany,
Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville. She lived at home with her parents, George
Joseph Emery and Grace (Baxley) Emery. After
a short courtship, Chuck and Norma Lee were married in New Albany on 3 August
1943, just days before her seventeenth birthday on 29 August. The young bride was radiant in her wedding
outfit. The newlyweds set up
housekeeping at the home of Norma Lee’s parents at 708 East 11th
Street in New Albany.
A few days after arriving
st Bowman, Chuck met me and we soon became close friends. He called me Spence. We spent a lot of time together drinking
beer at the Red Devil Inn across the road from Bowman Field. Since
we were both members of Flight 3 for training we frequently flew together. Chuck,
and his new bride, Norman Lee, and I shared many evenings together, sometimes
at my apartment at 2208 Lowell Avenue in Louisville, at the Red Devil Inn or at
the movies. Norma Lee always addressed
me as Spencer B. Unfortunately, unpredictable
events would result in the friendship being short lived. After Bowman Field we went in different
directions and would soon lose track of one another. Many years would pass before Chuck and I
made contact again.
Between July and September,
Chuck was involved in two flying incidents, one of them involve me. The first incident occurred on 23 July 1943 when
Chuck and Flight Officer James V. McNally, flying together, were participating
in a low level tactical training flight in an Aeronca L-3C. McNally, who was flying the aircraft, struck an
auxiliary power line damaging the aircraft to the extent that he had to make a
forced landing in a corn field. Both wings
of the aircraft, the propeller, the landing gear and the engine were damaged,
and the cockpit windscreen was broken. Fortunately,
neither McNally nor Skidmore were injured.
The accident review board determined that the accident was 100% pilot
error, and was duly noted on McNally’s next performance report.
Two months later, on 10
September 1943, Skidmore was involved in a second aircraft incident. This time I was involved. He and I were part of a 30 light aircraft flight
from Bowman Field to Lexington, Kentucky and return, a combined distance of 130
miles. The e flight took off and
proceeded in trail to its destination.
The mission was listed as a simulated combat mission in the training
report. Both legs of the flight were
flown at 1,500 feet. The flight to
Lexington was uneventful, but on the return flight tragedy struck. When the column of aircraft made a right turn Flight
Officer Robert T. Sutherlin, 27, from Bloomington, Indiana, who was believed to
be the fifth aircraft in the column, turned too sharply and struck the fourth
aircraft in the column flown by Flight Officer Harold D. Roth, 22, causing
major damage. Roth’s aircraft cartwheeled
according to witnesses and fell into a flat spin all the way to the
ground. He bailed out too low to the
ground, and died from blunt force trauma.
Eyewitnesses who found him testified that he parachute was
unopened.
The aircraft flown by Flight
Officer Robert Sutherlin, which was less damaged, made three wide sweeping
spirals before crashing and burning.
Sutherlin died on impact with the ground when he bailed out at too low
and altitude for the parachute to open.
Eye witnesses confirmed that his chute opened partially but not enough
to break his fall.
Skidmore was flying near
the tail end of the formation and did not actually see the two aircraft collide
but sensed something had happened when I suddenly left the formation and dove towards
a field below. Chuck followed me down
and saw that two planes had crashed in the field ahead of him. One of the aircraft was burning. As he watched my plane buzz the field he saw
it suddenly pitch down and crash. He
pulled back on the stick to gain altitude and instantly saw a clear field he
could land in just ahead. He said in a 1
September 1993 letter to me that he was so shook up when he landed that he
couldn’t find the aircraft brakes. Luckily
his aircraft rolled to a stop before colliding with anything. He jumped out and ran towards the adjacent field
where he had seen my plane crash.
As he ran he noticed that
three other aircraft had landed in a nearby field. When he reached my plane he observed two
young men trying to extricate me. He said
later that I was unconscious and moaning. The wing fuel tanks of my aircraft had
ruptured and soaked me and the aircraft interior with aviation fuel, and there
was the ever present danger of fire. Chuck
nudged his way in and to me and took over the rescue operation with the help of
the three other glider pilots that had landed.
The aircraft engine was lying in my lap pinning me in the aircraft. It was a painstaking task to free me without
causing further injury.
As they worked to hoist the engine off my legs,
one of them glanced up and noticed a man standing no more than five feet away
smoking a cigar. Chuck, he couldn’t
remember which one, but one of the glider pilots , asked the man to extinguish
the cigar and he refused, at which point the glider pilot drew the 45 he was
wearing and said “If you don’t stop smoking I’ll stop you permanently,” or
something to that effect. The guy back
away without a word. After thirty minutes or so they succeeded in
raising the engine enough to free my legs and removed me from the aircraft
still unconscious. I was placed on a blanket that someone had provided. Shortly thereafter a military ambulance carrying
a doctor arrived from Bowman Field. The
doctor examined me, started an IV to prevent shock, and helped load him in the
ambulance. Skidmore accompanied me back
to Bowman Field in the ambulance.
My injuries included a
brain concussion, a crushed right foot, lacerations and puncture wounds all
over his arms and legs, plus contusions and abrasions galore. I did not regain consciousness until after I
was admitted to the hospital. Because
of the seriousness of my injuries, I would be confined to three different
medical facilities for almost eleven months.
In August 1944, I met a medical evaluation board and returned to flying
duties. Thus ended the saga of the
aircraft accidents.
Skidmore completed his
training at Bowman, now called the Glider Crew Training Center, in mid-October
1943. On 21 October, 1st
Troop Carrier Command issued orders assigning him and 227 other Bowman Field
graduates to the 38th Troop Carrier Squadron at Camp Mackall in
Hoffman, North Carolina. The graduates departed the following day by
rail, bus and private conveyance, each granted five days leave before reporting
to their new duty station on 29 October.
Their reassignment orders specified that friends or relatives were
prohibited from either accompanying or joining them at their new base. Everyone felt certain that upon completion of
tactical training they would be headed overseas. Chuck’s wife, Norma Lee, returned to her
parents’ home until she could join Chuck again, which turned out to be many
months. For the next several weeks Chuck underwent
intensive combat training, usually hauling glider troopers, airborne weaponry,
or vehicles of the 82nd Airborne Division from nearby Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
On 26 November 1943, his combat
training at Mackall completed, orders were issued transferring Skidmore and a
large contingent of glider pilots based there to the 439th Troop
Carrier Group temporarily based at nearby Pope Field, North Carolina. When he reported to the 439th he
was assigned to the 91st Troop Carrier Squadron, which promptly
divided the glider pilots into 50-man flights for training purposes. Skidmore was assigned to Flight “C.” Many of the C-47 pilots in the Group had
little or no experience towing gliders so they practiced day and night doing
just that until mid-January when the Group began to prepare for overseas
movement. Much of their training while
at Pope Field was conducted at nearby Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North
Carolina.
In early February 1944 the
air echelon of the 439th was ordered to Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana,
the aerial port of embarkation, arriving there on the 14th of the
month. The ground echelon would follow by
ship to England. The advance parties of
the 439th from two of its squadrons, the 91st and 92nd,
departed Baer Field in their C47 transports circa 19 February 1944. Flying a circuitous route they arrived at Balderton
Airdrome in England on 21 February 1944. The remaining two squadrons, the 93rd
and 94th, did not arrive at Balderton until 6 March. The airdrome was located 2 miles south of
Newark, England in the midlands. Skidmore
and the ground echelon of the 439th TC Group and its four squadrons
left New York aboard the U. S. S. George Washington, an Army troop transport,
on 28 February 1944. After eleven days at
sea the ship arrived at Liverpool, England on 10 March 1944. From there
they traveled by rail to Balderton where they would remain until 26 April 1944.
On that date the group was relocated to
the airdrome at Upottery, England.
Following the Group’s arrival
in the United Kingdom the training continued unabated in preparation for the
invasion of the continent. Several
maneuvers were held to further hone the skills of the C-47 and glider pilots. About a month before the invasion of Normandy,
France the 439th was relocated to Taunton in southern England. On 3 June everyone was herded into barracks
and hangars that were surrounded by barbed wire. Everyone knew that they would soon be facing
the enemy. Finally, the day that every
Allied soldier looked forward to arrived.
Chuck said that you could feel the tension in the air. He would not fly
the D-Day mission on 6 June 1944, but would fly in glider trooper reinforcements
of the 101st Airborne Division the following day, D-Day +1.
Everyone flying the mission
on 7 June was awakened at 4:00 a.m. by the CQ (charge-of-quarters). When they arrived at the mess hall for
breakfast they were surprised to see that fresh eggs were being served. No one had seen a fresh egg since they
arrived in England, so they were duly surprised. The
next thing they were served was a huge piece of chocolate cake. The combination was unusual but not
unappetizing. They took what they were
given and joked about it.
When Chuck, who was flying
copilot, and the pilot arrived at their glider they climbed aboard carrying
their parachutes. Glider troopers were
already seated on both sides of the cabin.
They lay their parachutes on the cockpit seats, and prepared to sit down. At
that point a burly airborne infantry lieutenant stuck his head between the two
pilots and announced, “There’s no use of you two fastening on those parachutes because
we’ll never let you use them anyway.”
Chuck explained to the lieutenant that the parachutes were used only as
a seat cushion and to prove his point, he didn’t even bother to drape the
straps over his shoulder. The CG-4A
cockpit seats were purposely built low so they could accommodate the Air Force
S-1 and S-5 seat pack parachute.
The two hour and fifteen
minute flight to Normandy was uneventful until they arrived near the landing
zone at 600 feet. Just as the pilot
released the glider from the tow plane a burst of machine gun fire from the
ground passed through the cockpit floor missing Chuck’s head by no more than a
foot, and stitched the right wing from end to end. Had the burst arrived a split second earlier
he would have caught it right in the face.
To the consternation of both pilots they noticed that the Germans had
flooded their landing zone. The pilot
had no choice but to land on the water.
Fortunately, it was only about three feet deep. As the glider settled on the water, Skidmore
removed his flak vest, tore a large piece of fabric off the side of the cockpit
and rolled out into the water. He and
the pilot waded to dry land and headed for the nearest hedgerow for
protection.
Once on the ground, so to
speak, the glider infantrymen quickly located the source of the ground
fire. It turned out to be a bunker
containing about a dozen conscripted Polish soldiers with a German sergeant in
charge. After the glider troopers from
several gliders, including Skidmore’s, directed a hail of rifle and bazooka
fire at the bunker the resistance ceased.
Then a single shot was heard inside the bunker, followed by laughter. Soon the Poles emerged with their hands held
high in surrender. They weren’t about to
fight the Americans. They simply shot
the German sergeant.
Chuck, the pilot, and the
troopers took refuge in a thatched roof farm house. They were surprised to find an American paratrooper
with a broken leg on one of the beds. He
had jumped the night before and had fractured his leg when he fell though the thatched
roof of the farm house. A young French
girl was caring for him, so he just lay there waiting for the war to come to
him. Chuck wondered afterwards if he
made it back home okay.
By nightfall, Skidmore said
that he and the pilot began looking for a safe place to catch a few winks. They came upon several other Americans busily
digging holes in a small field, so they likewise began digging in the same
area. “Hey, you guys can’t dig there,”
said one of the Americans. “Why,” we
asked. “Because we’re starting a
temporary American cemetery here,” was the reply. They were burying several dead American paratroopers. That did it. We went elsewhere, Chuck said. For the
next 24 hours they spent some time with a 105mm artillery crew, providing
perimeter guard, and then joined a communications outfit.
There was considerable
confusion for the next two days since there were no distinct battle lines, and
the war consisted of a number of small skirmishes between Americans and Germans. They learned that the troops had moved off
the beach and the Americans appeared to be winning their skirmishes. Chuck and most of the surviving glider pilots
began to assemble at the 101st command post. On the third day they made the 3 mile trek to
Utah Beach where the beach master assigned them the job of guarding German POWs
(Prisoners-of-War). Later that day, glider
pilots and POWs were loaded aboard an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) and then
onto an LST (Landing Ship Tank) for the trip back to England.
A little excitement
occurred while they were on the LST. It
was anchored next to an American oil tanker that subsequently attracted the
attention of a German E-boat (similar to an American PT boat). The E-boat
launched a torpedo that struck the oil tanker below the water line and it exploded. There was only one survivor, a man and his
dog. Moments later a British ground
attack aircraft fired on and sank the E-boat. Chuck said that it was much like
watching a newsreel to watch the incident unfold before your eyes.
Miraculously, the German
commander of the E-boat was rescued by crewmen from Skidmore‘s LST. He had a severe leg wound. Chuck helped carry him to the operating table
below deck where an American medic tended to the wound. When the medic indicated that he wanted to
cut apart the officer’s sealskin trousers, the latter exploded with anger. The medic retorted, “If he wants them all
that bad, let him keep them.” So Chuck
and the medic, with the help of the German removed his trousers. It must have been dreadfully painful, but the
German never uttered a word. He sat
stoically as the medic tended to his wound.
In another instance while on
the LST a German POW caught his ring on a nail while descending the ship’s
ladder. The ring tore into the flesh so
badly that the same medic had to take a surgical saw and remove the ring. He did it without a painkiller, which for
some reason the German refused. Once again,
the pain must have been terrible, but there was not a peep out of the
prisoner. The Germans were obviously
well disciplined when it came to pain, thought Chuck. When the LST landed in England the prisoners
were turned over to the British military.
As he stepped off the ship Skidmore gave thanks that he had survived his
first combat mission against the enemy.
On 5 July 1944, in
accordance with General Order No. 33, Chuck and the other glider pilots of the 439th
TC Group who flew the Normandy mission were awarded the Air Medal for meritorious
service and valor in the face of the enemy, and a bronze arrowhead to the
European-African-Middle Eastern medal for a combat glider landing. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de
Guerre medal (a unit citation) by the French for the liberation of France. The 439th Group received a Distinguished
Unit Citation from the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower,
for distinguished performance in Normandy. Following World War II, Chuck received further
WWII recognition from the French. His
name was permanently inscribed on the Wall of Liberty at Normandy by The Battle
of Normandy Foundation.
Training continued at
Upottery until 8 September 1944 when the 439th was alerted to move
to Juvincourt, France (ALG A-68) as the vanguard of the 50th Troop
Carrier Wing. The movement of equipment
and personnel took several days, but the air echelon returned to England the
following week to take part in the invasion of Holland scheduled to begin on 17
September 1944. Chuck flew the D-Day
mission in a CG-4A as pilot, departing from Balderton Airdrome. He said later that the mission was strange
from the very beginning and almost humorous.
The day of the mission he
was driven out to his glider in a jeep. During
his preflight check he noted that his load was a ¼ ton jeep trailer that was covered
with a tarpaulin. Skidmore asked the
loadmaster what was in the trailer and he told him 800 pounds of land
mines. He was told not to worry because it
would take the weight of a sizeable vehicle to detonate them. Small consolation, Chuck mused. Three gliders troopers of the 82nd
Airborne Division were also included in his load.
Chuck waited outside of his
glider for some time for his copilot who never appeared. When he queried the crew chief he smiled and
said that the Colonel Young had decided against using two glider pilots on this
mission. Just prior to his glider being
pulled into position for hookup a fourth soldier suddenly showed up at the
glider. He wore full combat dress and was
carrying a Thompson submachine gun. He climbed over the jeep trailer and sat
down in the copilot’s seat. Chuck was
surprised to see that it was Warrant Officer Walter F. Domanski, the assistant
engineering officer of the 91st TC Squadron. After a brief conversation Chuck learned that
he was an unofficial passenger, in essence, a stowaway.
The four hour flight to
Holland was boring and tiring, Chuck admitted later that it was a pretty hairy flight
after passing over the Dutch coast. A
tow plane just ahead of him went down in flames after being hit by ground fire.
He watched for parachutes but saw none as
the plane plummeted to earth. He felt
his heart racing, he said, and he began sweating so profusely that beads of water
were showing inside his watch crystal. Near
the end of the 90 mile overland portion of the flight his glider began to take
ground fire from a windmill but fortunately no one was hit. Moments later he received the green light
from his tow plane and released his glider.
Turning to the left he quickly spotted his landing zone. As he circled towards the field below more
ground fire was directed at his glider. As he made his approach he saw another tow
plane go down trailing fire. In an
effort to evade the enemy fire coming up at him he dove towards the ground,
quickly picking up speed. One of the glider
troopers aboard sensed that he was exceeding the usual rate of descent and
decided to take action. He climbed over
the trailer, rapped on Chuck’s steel helmet and shouted, “Slow this S.O.B. down!”
Not knowing quite how to
fly the glider and defend himself at the same time, Chuck did the best he could
under the circumstance… he flew the glider.
The trooper suddenly shoved him in the back which caused the glider to
begin descending even faster.
Fortunately, W/O Domanski came to his rescue. He shoved his Tommy gun into the soldier‘s shoulder
and said, “Get back in your seat or I’ll sit you
down permanently.”
Since the trooper had left
his weapon in the back of the glider, and probably because he sensed that
discretion was the better part of valor, he beat a hasty retreat to his seat in
the back of the CG-4A. Chuck landed the
glider on the proper landing zone, but it didn’t fair too well. The giant beets growing on the landing zone
pretty much destroyed the bottom of the glider. Chuck helped unload his glider and moments
later a jeep arrived to tow the trailer.
Within several days he was back in France. In October, November and December 1944, Chuck
flew resupply missions to Holland as copilot aboard the squadron’s C-47s. On 4 December 1944, he was awarded an oak
leaf cluster to the Air Medal and the Distinguished Unit Badge for his
participation in Operation “Market.” He
was also awarded the orange lanyard by the Dutch, and belatedly was also awarded
the Willemsorde, the Netherlands highest award.
The Holland mission was the
last combat mission Chuck flew, but the stress and strain of the two combat
missions took a toll on his nervous system. He began to have flashbacks of his close calls
in France and Holland. On one occasion German
soldiers passed within a few feet of him as he lay in an apple orchard on a
pile of canvas bags used to drop supplies from the air by B-17s. On another occasion he watched the reflection
of war from a glassed-in porch of a Dutch home and become so entranced that he
didn’t notice the Germans had spotted him and were firing at him. Luckily he was not hit, but he had bad dreams
about the incident later. His
depression and anxiety became worse.
Since October 1942 he had
logged 377 hours and 45 minutes of pilot time in powered aircraft and gliders,
6 hours and 15 minutes of it in combat. In
May 1945, shortly after cessation war in Europe, he was physically disqualified
by the flight surgeon from further overseas flying duty. He languished in France until 26 September
1945 when he was assigned unattached to the AAF/ET Reinforcement Depot there. From France he was transferred to the port of
debarkation at Antwerp, Belgium. Prior
to departing the ETO he was awarded seven battle stars to his EAME medal. The Army troop transport he returned home on lifted
anchor on 3 October 1945 and headed for the U.S.A. Ten days later, on 13 October, the ship
docked in New York and he was transported to the Reception Center at Camp
Shanks, New York. Orders were issued transferring
Skidmore to the Separation Center at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He departed New York that afternoon by
rail.
Four days later, on Wednesday,
17 October 1945, Special Order No. 251 was issued at Camp Atterbury authorizing
Skidmore 2 months and 20 days of unused leave, and releasing him from active
duty effective 9 January 1946. He was also
officially placed in the inactive reserve.
He departed Camp Atterbury and headed for Topeka, Kansas, to see Norma
Lee and his parents. It had been 19½ long months since he had seen them and he
was eager to get home. His homecoming
was all that he hoped it would be. He
was able to hold Norma Lee in his arms again, sleep late in the mornings and
taste home cooked meals again. Life was
good but he was still plagued by a persistent depression and nervous anxiety.
After visiting with his
parents, Norma Lee and Chuck went to live, at least temporarily, with her
parents in New Albany, Indiana. He
landed a job with a local newspaper there for $32.00 a week, a far cry from his
military base pay, allowances, and flight pay.
On 7 January 1946, while still on terminal leave from the Air Force
Chuck became ill and was admitted to Nichols General Hospital in Louisville,
Kentucky, just across the river, the same hospital where I had been a patient Doctors
there diagnosed his problem as psychoneurosis (emotional maladaptation due to
unresolved unconscious conflicts). The
unexpired portion of his terminal leave was suspended. A week later, on 14 January, he was
transferred to Newton D. Baker General Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia,
for treatment. Doctors there declared
him mentally fit on 6 March 1946 and issued orders transferring him back to the
reception center at Camp Atterbury for reassignment. Orders were issued transferring him to the 800th
AAF Base Unit at Greenville, South Carolina, effective 17 March 1946. He remained at Greenville for further
evaluation until 3 July 1946 when he was officially released from active duty.
Chuck and Norma Lee returned
to Topeka, Kansas, where he enlisted as a Master Sergeant in the Army Air Force
for three years at Forbes Army Air Base there on 22 July 1946. His date of rank was listed as 31 April 1943. He listed his permanent home address as 604
West 8th Street, Topeka, Kansas, his parents’ home address. He was assigned to Headquarters and
Headquarters Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Wing at Sewart Army Air Base,
Smyrna, Tennessee, for duty as a historical technician (MOS 274)1. His first assignment was to bring the unit’s
history up to date from the end of World War II. For his diligence and perseverance he was
given a superior performance rating. On
27 November 1946, Chuck was temporarily assigned to the 1100th AAF
Base Unit at Fort Totten, New York, for the purpose of bringing the history of
the Atlantic Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) up to date. He completed the history in three months,
often working 16 hour days. This was a
challenge since the Atlantic Division stretched from Iceland to the Panama
Canal. He was lauded by the command for
his stellar performance.
In April 1947, as part of
his historical duties, he was tasked with writing the history for an Air Force
Reserve Unit in Louisville, Kentucky, and in January 1948, he compiled the history
of another reserve unit in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1947, on 26 July, the Army Air Force
became the United. States Air Force and was placed on an equal footing with the
Army and Navy. Shortly thereafter the
olive drab uniform changed to Air Force blue.
In between writing the histories of the two reserve units, Norma gave
birth to their first child, Joseph Dale Skidmore, who was born in the post hospital
at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 7 December 1947, “Pearl Harbor Day, six years
later.” Parents and grandparents were
elated with their new son and grandson respectively, and doted over the infant.
Chuck remained with the 314th until his three-year enlistment
expired on 31 May 1949. He promptly
reenlisted for three additional years the following day, remaining with the 314th
until 15 August 1950, when he became a recruiting supervisor (AFSC 73370) with
the Recruiting Service Group in Topeka, Kansas.
In January 1950 he was promoted to first lieutenant in the USAF Inactive
Reserve. His next post as a recruiter
was in Lawrence, Kansas. Subsequently,
he and his family moved to Hutchinson, Kansas, where Norma Lee gave birth to
their second son, Michael George Skidmore, on 8 December 1950. Chuck continued his recruiting duties until 2
June 1952 when his enlistment ended.
He reenlisted on 3 June
1952 for the third time since the end of WWII and continued his tenure as a
recruiter at Forbes Air Force Base, Topeka, Kansas. The Skidmore’s third child, and first
daughter, Kathryn Lee Skidmore, was born there on 1 October 1952. At the time the family was living at 909
Michigan Avenue. On 28 December 1952, he
was transferred to the 3500th Personnel Processing Center at Waco,
Texas, as a recruitment supervisor. After serving three years as a recruiter, he was
transferred to Headquarters, 3530th Pilot Training Wing at Bryan
AFB, Texas, on 1 September 1953 as a historical technician. The Air Base was located 6 miles west of
Bryan. Two days later he also became an
information supervisor (AFSC 72170) in the same unit. For the next two years he wrote the history of
Bryan AFB, activated in 1943 during World War II. He was frequently the recipient of awards for
the best quarterly history. His
histories were always rated either “excellent” or “superior”. On 2 June 1955, while at Bryan AFB, Chuck’s
three year enlistment expired, and he reenlisted the following day, this time
for six years.
Just a few days after his reenlistment,
on 17 June 1955, he was transferred to the 784th AC&W Squadron
at Fort Knox, Kentucky, as an information technician. The family packed their belongings, loaded
them in the family vehicle, and headed east. They rented a house near the base at 1909
Taffeta Drive in Valley Station, Kentucky.
Four months later, on 8 October 1955, Norma Lee gave birth to their
fourth and last child, Linda Sue Skidmore, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Chuck was promoted to Captain in the USAF Inactive
Reserve on 1 January 1956. The family
packed up and moved again on 9 July 1957.
This time, Chuck was assigned to Headquarters, 815th Air Base
Group at Forbes Air Force Base as an information technician. They found a place to live at 319 Woodruff
Avenue in Topeka. Nine months later, on
16 April 1958, orders were issued transferring him to Fort Mason, California,
but he would be there for only two weeks.
Overseas shipping orders
were issued on 1 May 1958, assigning Skidmore to the 2710th Air Base
Wing at Tachikawa, Japan. Their
household belongings were stored and the family accompanied him to the Far East
aboard MSTS ship, the USS Frederick Dunston. The voyage took two weeks. The family took a taxi to Tachikawa and was
scared out of their wits by a reckless Japanese driver. After signing in Chuck was told that base
housing was not available so they were temporarily quartered at the guest house
on base. Two weeks later they moved to a
house Chuck rented in Kunitachi. In a 6
July 2007 e-mail from Chuck’s son, Mike, he said that when rain and wind storms
came through Japan his dad would use cargo straps to tie the roof down. During monsoon season the island was hammered
with strong winds and rain.
Sergeant Skidmore was
assigned to the 2710th Air Base Wing (subsequently changed to the
6100th Air Base Wing) as NCOIC of Information Services. In addition to his principal job of
supervising the preparation of the base history, he also edited the base newspaper,
The Marauder. It was judged third best in the Air Force and
was one of the top three newspapers published overseas. He worked closely with Dr. Lulu Garrett, the
base historian. In his spare time he
edited four other English language news publications in the Tokyo area and
worked frequently as master of ceremonies at American Clubs. On 2 June 1961,
while at Tachikawa, Chuck’s enlistment expired.
He reenlisted for the last time on 3 June for three years.
In April 1962, orders were
issued returning him to the states. His
new assignment, effective 18 May 1962, was to Headquarters, North Atlantic
Communications Region, Air Force Communications Service, at Westover Air Force
Base, Massachusetts. The family returned
to the states from Yokota Air Base aboard a Boeing 707. Skidmore’s duty assignment at Westover was
NCOIC of Information Services. The family
moved into quarters on base at 14A Webb Street. During his tour of duty at Westover, Chuck
worked part-time on weekends for a local newspaper, the Springfield Evening News. He wrote feature stories for the newspaper,
gaining valuable writing experience for a civilian newspaper. His job involved interviewing a number of
state officials, including Ted Kennedy, President John Kennedy’s brother.
Fifteen months later, on 23
July 1963, Chuck was transferred to Forbes Air Force Base for the fourth
time. This time he was assigned to the
815th Combat Support Group, Strategic Air Command. His new job was NCOIC
of Information Services. He and his
family moved into a house at 5133 West 32nd Street in Topeka. During the 1961-63 period Skidmore’s primary
duty was writing and editing the base newspaper. His superiors rated him an exceptional airman
of great value to the service. In
September 1963, two months after arriving at Forbes he submitted his request
for retirement. The request was approved
by the Pentagon and on 31 March 1964 he was relieved from active duty and
retired as a Warrant Officer W-1, effective 1 April 1964. It was not possible to retire him as a Flight
Officer, the highest wartime grade he had held, because it was a temporary wartime
rank that had been abolished after the war. Warrant Officer W-1 was an equivalent
grade. Skidmore had served his country faithfully
and honorably for 22 years, 3 months and 7 days. He listed his mailing address as 946 Chester
Avenue, Topeka, Kansas.
Chuck never let grass grow
under his feet. Prior to retiring he had
applied for the job as managing editor of a metals trade journal, Midwest Industries Magazine, located at the
Gage Center in Topeka. The magazine was one of the leading publications of
its type in the Midwest, serving Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and
Nebraska. Skidmore was hired after
competing with 34 other applicants, and reported to work on 30 April 1964. The job required extensive travel to conduct interviews
with leading industrialists in Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and
Denver. During his tenure there, Chuck performed
every facet of the trade magazine business including interviewing, writing,
editing, and doing his own photography work. While the family was in Topeka, their oldest
son, Joe, graduated from high school there in June 1965. Late the following year, 1966, Skidmore submitted
his application for a GS-11 US Civil Service position as historian of the 6100th
Support Wing at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. He gave his home address as 5133
West 32nd Street, Topeka, Kansas 66614. His application was approved
on 16 March 1967. Accordingly, he submitted
his resignation as managing editor of the magazine effective 1 April 1967.
The Skidmore family stored
their household goods, packed their suitcases and said their goodbyes to their
parents and friends. This would be their
second trip to the Orient. The family traveled aboard a Boeing 707,
deplaning at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Saturday, 7 May 1967. They were transported to Tachikawa Air Base by
government vehicle where they spent the next two nights in the guest
house. Monday morning Chuck reported to
his new boss, Lt. Colonel Henry Liljedahl, Information Officer of the 6100th
Support Wing. The colonel explained his
duties as wing historian. His principle job
was to supervise the history inputs from the units assigned to the wing. A secondary function was to provide guidance and
advice where needed to those persons writing the histories. The family was assigned quarters in an
off-base American village that was actually part of the base. The housing area was surrounded by a high
fence. Two years later, in June 1969,
the Skidmore’s second son, Mike, graduated from Yamato High School located at
Yamato Air Station a few miles from Tachikawa Air Base.
The family remained at
Tachikawa until 15 July 1969 when Chuck’s position was taken over by a historian
with more seniority from the disbanded 315th Air Division. The Air Force transferred Skidmore to Misawa
Air Base, Japan, located on the northern tip of Honshu Island. He was assigned to the 475th Tactical
Fighter Wing as a writer-editor (printed media) with the History Division. The involuntary move resulted in a reduction
in grade from GS-11 to GS-9, but with no loss of pay. The Skidmore’s oldest
daughter, Kathy, returned to the states in 1969 to live with her grandmother,
Henrietta Skidmore. She graduated from
Hayden Catholic High School there in June 1970.
The rest of the family remained at Misawa Air Base until 31 March 1971
when Skidmore accepted a position as historian at Taipei Air Station, Taiwan as
a GS-11.
At Taiwan he was assigned
to the Historical Office of 327th Air Division. The following year, on 1 April 1972, a reorganization
of the 327th resulted in Chuck being reassigned to the 6213th
Air Base Squadron as historian. Soon
thereafter he received a letter of appreciation from Major General Donald H. Ross,
commander of the 327th Air Division for getting the 374th
Tactical Air Wing back on track. More
accolades came Skidmore’s way on 23 January 1973 when he received yet another
letter, this one from Major William B. Sandmann, Deputy Command Historian, rating
his two-volume history of the 327th Air Division as excellent for the
period 1 January to 30 June 1972. In 1972 Skidmore turned down a GS-12 position
at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in favor of remaining in Taiwan for an additional
year. Linda, the Skidmore’s youngest
daughter, graduated from high school in Taipei. After almost six years in the Orient, the
Skidmore family returned to the states in May 1973. Chuck was
assigned to the Research Division at Headquarters, Strategic Air Command, Offutt
Air Force Base, Omaha, Nebraska, as a GS-11historian, effective 5 June
1973. The family moved into a house at 337 Spruce
Street in Omaha.
While based in Omaha he
researched and wrote multi-volume histories of SAC units. In the process he organized material and
monographs and presented a synthesis in narrative form accompanied by
supporting documents. Not long after
arriving back in the United States, 47-year-old Norma Lee became disoriented
and began showing signs of senile dementia.
She was examined by a doctor who diagnosed her problem as early Alzheimer’s
disease, the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory,
thinking and behavior. She was treated by a local psychiatrist but
continued to regress. In August 1974, Chuck
was reassigned to the 2803rd Air Base Group, Aerospace Guidance and
Metrology Center, at Newark Air Force Station, Ohio, as a historian and writer/editor. The air station was located 35 miles east of
Columbus. Knowing that he would be unable
to properly care for Norma Lee, Chuck talked over the situation with his children. With great reluctance they agreed that their
mother would be better off in an adult care facility where she could get the
proper treatment. They selected a Lutheran
senior’s home in Omaha where the government would pick up the cost, lessening
the financial burden on the family.
During Skidmore’s tenure at
Newark he met a Korean lady, MiKyong (Jeannie) and they fell in love and wished
to marry. Not knowing how his children would
react if he divorced their mother, Chuck sought for their approval. After much agonizing they agreed. Their mother’s doctor told them that her mental
state would only get worse. When
Norma Lee was told about the divorce she seemed to take it in stride,
especially since she probably didn’t remember her marriage to Chuck. He and Jeannie were married circa 1984
according to his son, Mike. They set up
housekeeping at 199 Lees Drive, Southeast, in Hebron, Ohio 43025. On 10 January 1977, at age 57, Chuck completed
the requirements for an MA degree at Central Michigan University at Mount
Pleasant, Michigan, and was awarded a diploma.
In 1980, he was assigned to
the Directorate of Metrology at Newark with the responsibility of developing a
wide variety of periodicals designed to keep Air Force components up-to-date on
the latest developments in the Air Force Metrology and Calibration (AFMETCAL)
Program. He also assisted in the
preparation of briefings for Air Force major commands and base level
units. For his outstanding performance
he was recognized with the presentation of the AFLC (Air Force Logistics
Command) Significant Achievement Award.
Chuck was rarely bothered
with health issues, but in July 1984 a cyst developed on the right side of his
throat and was surgically removed. The
biopsy was negative, but two months later the cyst returned and was removed
again at nearby Licking Memorial Hospital.
This time the cyst was found to be cancerous. Skidmore had never been a smoker and
considered himself a health nut, but the unexpected had happened. Squamous cell carcinoma was no laughing
matter. His odds were not good. He and his wife, MiKyong (or Jeannie), traveled
to the Air Force Cancer Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he underwent nine
hours of surgery in which both tonsils were removed. They were found to be cancerous, a very rare
condition. He spent three long months
in the hospital. During follow-on treatments,
he endured 6,500 rads of radiation in an effort to ersdicate the cancer cells
which was near the limit for human endurance.
When he and Jeannie
returned to Newark in January 1985, he weighed 136 pounds, down from 165. He was required to return to San Antonio
monthly for checkups and treatments.
That same year he decided he could no longer pay full time and attention
to his job so he decided to retire, this time for good. He submitted his retirement request on 18
April 1985. He was allowed to repay $2,000
to the federal government so that he could retire as a GS-11 with 40 years
total service. His retirement request
was approved and at age 65 he officially retired on 30 April 1985. Without most of his salivary glands, Skidmore
has a constant dry mouth, and almost no sense of taste. For two years he traveled to the Institute of
Health in Washington, DC, to participate in a test program to determine the
possible benefits of pilocarpine, a species of tropical shrub, in the treatment
of persons with the dry mouth problem.
The results were marginal.
Further tests at the Air Force Cancer Center showed that his cancer was
in remission.
Retirement and sedentary
living wasn’t in Chuck’s genes. Even
with his medical problems he merely changed from a paying job to doing
volunteer work for the next 15 years. At
various times he served as president of the St. Leonard’s Catholic Church
Council in Heath, Ohio; published a monthly 12-page church newsletter; tended the church
garden almost daily during the summer; was a member of the Red Cross board; publish
a quarterly Red Cross newsletter; was past commander of the local VFW post and
later adjutant; was commander of the Military Order of the Cootie – a VFW honor
organization several times; volunteered at New
Beginnings, the battered women’s shelter; and was secretary of the Air Force
Association in Newark. There were many
other less time consuming jobs too numerous to mention. He said in a 4 March 1989 article that
appeared in The Advocate, a Newark,
Ohio, newspaper that volunteerism ran in the family. He said that he remembered his grandmother
gathering clothing and food for the needy before government welfare programs
were available.
In January 1992, Skidmore
developed prostate cancer and underwent surgery to remove the prostate. He was definitely a survivor, living for nine
more years of a rather active life.
Sadly, on Tuesday, 1 May 2001, at age 81, he passed away at the Selma
Markowitz Center operated by Hospice of Central Ohio. The VFW held services at 9:45 a.m. followed
by a Memorial Mass of Christian Burial held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 5 May,
at St. Leonard Catholic Church with the Reverend Michael Reis officiating. Interment was in Riverside National Cemetery,
22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, California 92518. There is a marker on his grave. He was survived by his wife, MiKyong, his
former wife, Norma Lee, four children, and five grandchildren.
Norma Lee Skidmore would be
a resident in the Lutheran Senior’s Home in Omaha, Nebraska, 39 years, an
inordinate amount of one’s life. Late in
the afternoon of Friday, 5 April 2013 she spoke to her children and family,
then closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Her nurse said she passed away peacefully at 12:06 a.m. Saturday
morning. She was buried at the Kraft
Graceland Memorial Park in New Albany, Indiana, under the direction of the
Kraft Funeral Home. It is odd that Chuck
wasn’t buried beside her, or vice versa.
She was a proud woman, who took great care of her family and her appearance. It was habit of hers to carry a
puzzle-word-number book in her purse and enjoyed working on them in her leisure
time.
In October 2015, the Skidmore children are
scattered across the country. The oldest
son, Joey Dale Skidmore, age 68, married
for the second time to his Tachikawa A.B. Jr High Girlfriend Susan Justice in
2009, they reconnected through the Yamato High School reunions in in 2005. His marriages produced no offspring. He was employed as a nurse supervisor in a
hospital ER in Los Angeles, California, until his retirement in 2013. During the Vietnam War he served in the US
Army with an armored division as a medic, 13 months of it in Vietnam in
1969-70.
Michael George Skidmore, age
65, the second son, related that he moved ten times while he was growing up and
attended eight different schools before graduating from Yamato High School in
Tokyo, Japan in 1969. He was hired by
the Shell Oil Company Credit Card Department in 1973 and worked there for 27½ years,
before losing his job in 2000 when the company outsourced his work. In 2007, he was in training as a TSA agent at
Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma, He never completed his training. On 9 December
during an ice storm he slipped and fell and fractured the femur in his left leg
in two places. One break was in the
upper part of the femur and the other in the lower part.
Surgeons installed two pins
in the lower break to hold the bone together and three pins in the upper. While he was in the operating room it was
discovered that he had been bitten by a recluse spider and his leg had become
infected. Anti-venom and antibiotics shots
were administered immediately. He was
confined to a hospital for 3½ weeks. To
make matters worse, during that hospital confinement he contracted a staph
infection and developed pneumonia. When
he was released from the hospital he was restricted from squatting, bending or
twisting of his body. He was also
restricted from lifting more than a few pounds. Since he was unable to work he applied for
disability, which was granted in 2008.
.
Mike lives alone in a single family dwelling at
4204 South Chestnut Court in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He has one son, Nicholas, 38, who lives in
Englewood, Colorado. In 2011 Mike joined
the National World War II Glider Pilots Association and attended the annual
held in Oklahoma City from 29 September to 1 October 2011. He took a lot of excellent photographs of the
reunion and the following year at the San Antonio, Texas, reunion agreed to be
the official photographer of the association.
Each year he has taken hundreds of photographs of reunion
activities. He has also produced first class videos each
year with 1940s big band music playing in the background.
Kathy Lee (Skidmore) Dukes,
age 63, lives in Omaha, Nebraska in 2015 and has three children; Christopher,
43, who lives in Simi-Valley, California; Jennifer, 36, who lives in Omaha,
Nebraska, and Chelsea, 27, who lives in Simi-Valley, California. Kathy works fulltime. Her husband owns a small garage there. When her mother was alive she talked to her
most every day and visited her at least once a week.
Linda Sue (Skidmore) Byerly,
age 61, has one son; Jesse, 31. She and her husband live in Reading,
Pennsylvania.
I would be remiss if I
didn’t say a few words about my close friend and fellow glider pilot. Chuck was eminently qualified for every
military assignment he held during and after World War II. He had a master’s degree in journalism, and was
a brilliant historian and journalist.
His military record is filled with superior efficiency reports, letters
of commendation, awards and two Air Medals for meritorious service in
combat. Chuck was one of those persons
that did everything well, but never received the recognition and promotions he
deserved. I am proud to have called him
my friend.
Data Sources:
(1) Charles Edward Skidmore, Jr.’s military
documents, provided by his son, Mike.
(2) Letter from Chuck Skidmore, Jr. to me, dated
1 September 1993
(3) Leon B. Spencer, Harold D. Roth and Robert T.
Sutherlin, Jr. 1943 Aircraft Accident Reports
Note 1: The Military Occupational Specialty 274
was changed to Air Force Specialty Code 72171
Note 2: This biography was compiled by the author
with considerable information provided by Chuck Skidmore’s son, Mike, of Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma. The original document was
published on 8 July 2007. This is the
first revision, published on 25 October 2015, based on new information.
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