Bob Moore ) wrote:
: (leslie) wrote
:
: The late Boxcar Willie started on B-36s and was flying C-5s when he
: decided to become a full-time entertainer, per:
:
: http://www.boxcarwillie.com/biography/
:
: Read that biography very carefully with attention to dates and ages.
: Although it states that "he became a pilot" I doubt that he was an
: Air Force pilot, more likely, he was a Flight Engineer. Notice that
: no mention of rank is made which after 26 years on active duty would
: have put him in the range of a colonel, something that would certainly
: have been mentioned if he had been a commisioned officer/pilot.
: The bio mentions the hard times after he was "discharged"...26 years
: gets one maybe 65% of their pay and one is retired, not discharged.
: Altogether, not a very good attempt at crafty biography writing.
:
: Bob Moore
:

Boxcar Willie talked about his days as a pilot on the Ralph Emory Show,
including flying in South Korea when North Koreans attempted to cause
the plane to crash by jamming its instruments when it was on final
approach.

http://obits.com/willieboxcar.htm
Internet Obituary Network, Obituary for Boxcar Willie

"...Boxcar entered the service as a flight engineer, and the performer
became a pilot by the age of 20, carrying the distinction of being the
youngest combat-ready engineer in the United States Strategic Air
Command. Boxcar logged over 10,000 career flight hours as an Air Force
pilot and served 2 tours of duty before joining the Texas Air National
Guard. Boxcar flew B-36s, B-39 Tankers, Recons, Bombers, and KC-97s
and C-5As. (After becoming a successful performer, Boxcar had his old
KC-97, which he had flown in active duty, moved to his Branson
Missouri Train and Aircraft Museum.) Between the National Guard and
the Air Force, Boxcar devoted a total of 22 years to the military..."


--Jerry Leslie
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