A coworker of mine...........

Originally Posted by vintagemxr

Reviving a very old thread here. I was doing a little research because two days ago at the R/C model airplane flying site here in town I met an old gentleman wearing a WWII veterans cap with various insignia. I really treasure those old guys and their stories so I asked him about his service.

He said he'd flown B-29s and such in the South Pacific. Had quite a time of it. We talked about the B-29 and he commented how sweet it was to fly compared to his earlier planes. When I asked him the name of his plane he chuckled, looked around and said semi-quietly "We called it 'The Cock Wagon.'. On the nose it had a rooster pulling a cart. There was supposed to be a girl too but we lost the plane before the nose are was finished."

So there you have it, the pilot of the "Cock Wagon" is in his 80s now, alive and well and flying model airplanes in Casa Grande, AZ.

If I see him again I'll try to get a bit more info from him, maybe a picture. He said for many years he didn't like to talk about the war but now people are asking, especially the younger folks in their 20s, and he was starting to reminisce more.

Doug

My dad was a crew member on the "Cock Wagon" in Guam in WWII. He was a side gunner, although he said they took out the side guns and covered the hatch so that they could fly higher and faster. He said they got a new commander who took offense at the name and they had to change it to "Little Red Wagon".

Originally Posted by parkered

My dad was a crew member on the "Cock Wagon" in Guam in WWII. He was a side gunner, although he said they took out the side guns and covered the hatch so that they could fly higher and faster. He said they got a new commander who took offense at the name and they had to change it to "Little Red Wagon".

Thanks for that extra bit of info. Unfortunately I have not seen the pilot of "The Cock Wagon" since that one morning last year. I'd still like to get more information from him and a picture. If your dad is still with us please give him my thanks for his service to our country.

Doug

If you ever run into him again, I'd like to know his name and if he'd be willing to talk to me that would be really great. My recollection is that the pilot's first name was Paul, but I could be wrong.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away 5 years ago. I know he would have liked to see an old crewmate.

I think my mom still has some pictures, but I don't remember any of the plane or the nose art, which was what originally prompted my search.

Originally Posted by parkered

If you ever run into him again, I'd like to know his name and if he'd be willing to talk to me that would be really great. My recollection is that the pilot's first name was Paul, but I could be wrong.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away 5 years ago. I know he would have liked to see an old crewmate.

I think my mom still has some pictures, but I don't remember any of the plane or the nose art, which was what originally prompted my search.

I'll try to make it out to the flying field this weekend and talk to some of the regulars. Most likely they will know the gentleman's name at least.

If I can track the man down I'll see if I can get him in contact with you. He may be a "snowbird" i.e. someone who lives elsewhere most of the year and only winters in AZ. Very common around here and those folks disappear long about the end of March and then re-appear in the Fall.

Do you know which bomber group your dad was in?

Thank you, for answering. But this method works for me only with .. In all other cases I get only strange results, like those below :lol:

Hi Doug. I Hadn't Noticed The Date On Your Original Post. I See You Had Met Him At The Rc Strip In April Of '09. Harry Died In November Of That Year...really Too Bad, He Was Quite A Guy.