Staged for Deployment

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"After we finished this long flight of 3,000 miles, we were sent to Topeka, Kansas. Topeka had an airfield, and it served as a staging area. There, we were equipped with all of our overseas gear. We still didn't know our final destination.

They issued us a .45 calibre pistol, a canteen, a survival knife (which I'll show you later), a medical kit containing two syringes of morphine (apparently for self-administration to ease pain in case of injury), an oxygen mask, and flying clothing.

From Topeka, we went to San Francisco. North of San Francisco lies Hamilton Field. We didn't stay long there before boarding a C-54 transport plane to Hawaii. Our time in Hawaii was brief – just an hour or two for refuelling and possibly a crew change. Our next stop was Johnston Island, a tiny island with just an airstrip. It's used solely for refuelling aircraft in the air, not necessarily B-29s, but any type – Navy, whatever. Finally, we landed on Kwajalein. That's when it really hit me: What in the world am I getting into?”