Craig Air Force Base in Selma holds a special place in my heart, as does the city. My father was stationed there for several years. When I came across a vintage postcard from Craig Field showing an AT-6 trainer airplane, I decided to investigate and see who the sender and recipient were. Before I proceed, it is worth noting that Craig Field was renamed Craig Air Force Base in 1947.
The postcard is postmarked “Craig Field, May 3, 1943.” This was a Monday, and World War II was still raging. Air Cadet (A/C) Robert Young mailed the card to someone named Nathan Dodge in South Tunbridge, Vermont. The postcard was then forwarded to the Randolph, Vermont, Hospital.
I had to search WWII records to find a pilot named Robert L. Young. Being such a common name, only one person fit the bill. Robert Lincoln Young was the only son of Robert Lincoln Sr and Kathryn Young of New Jersey. The postcard he mailed to Mr. Dodge contains the following message as written with no corrections:
“A/C Robert L. Young 43-F
Dear Mr. Dodge, May 2, 1943
Another spring rolls around and I naturally think of the Tunbridge Hills and wonder how everything is going. I hope all is well with you and Mrs. Dodge. It is rare that I hear from folkes in Tunbridge because I was there hardly long enough to become acquainted. Bob O’Brien is now overseas as a bombardier and I hope I am successful here so I can finish training and take to the sky. With every good wish.
Sincerely, Robert Young”
My research shows that 2nd Lt. Robert L. Young Jr. got his wish. He completed 14 successful missions as navigator on the B-24 Liberator named ‘Ready Willing and Able’. During this time, he was awarded 2 medals, the Purple Heart and Oak Cluster.
Mission number 15 was a risky one, as groups of bombers were destined to fly into dangerous German territory before dropping their bombs on Berlin. Heavily damaged, ‘Ready Willing and Able’ successfully dropped its load and headed back to Wendling Field in England, where the crew was based.
As it flew overhead, circling the runway waiting to land, the twin-engine airplane suddenly exploded in a huge ball of fire, killing all 11 crewmen on board. 2nd Lt. Robert Lincoln Young Jr. is buried at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. This place of internment lies in Cambridge, England.
Nathan Dodge, the person that Robert Young sent the card to, was a teacher and administrator, and also a farmer. It’s fair for me to assume that Mr. Dodge had been Robert’s teacher.
As previously stated, the postcard that Young mailed to Nathan Dodge was postmarked May 3, 1943, with the educator sadly passing away 16 days later on May 19 of the same year. It’s unlikely the young man knew of Nathan’s illness while he was in Selma. Nathan Dodge’s unfortunate death came from a case of appendicitis.
An obituary for Nathan Dodge painted a picture of him being a great instructor and a person deeply concerned for his students. One line from this lengthy article pretty much sums things up here.
“Mr. Dodge never failed to give good and wise counsel to young men who brought their problems to him like a big brother.”
Robert Young thought highly enough of his former teacher to take the time and write a letter. I doubt many students do this these days. The young man was undoubtedly counseled on his entering military service by Nathan Dodge.
There is one additional person mentioned on the postcard by Robert Young, Bob O’Brien. This fellow was probably a classmate of Young and a student of Dodge. Bob O’Brien took the most research to pin down, but thankfully, Robert Young mentioned the guy as being a bombardier, and that helped me immensely.
1st Lt. Robert Emmett O’Brien served as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator in WWII and made it back home alive. After finishing up his education, he started a successful business with his wife, called KOB Carpet in Atlanta, Georgia. After retirement, he and his wife lived in Pompano Beach, Florida, for a spell. Bob O’Brien died in 2007, at the age of 84, and is buried in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I like to write junk... 