Mandie Collier

U.S. History Period 1

Corona

March 17, 2002

I interviewed Vince Conway. He was a Lt. Colonel in the European theater. In World War II he served in Foggia in the Air force. He served during the course of the war under General Twining. He was a navigator in both Boeing B-52’s and Boeing B-17’s and went on 35 combat missions. In these missions their task was usually to bomb the enemy. Mr. Vince Conway said that has no regrets about the time he served but doesn’t like thinking about the killing he did. He recalls doing a lot of killing but if ever he feels a regret about it he just remembers that what was done was done for his country. Although killing people aren’t among his finer memories he does have some that he wouldn’t trade for the world. Mr. Vince Conway loved the men he served with and was very happy to have met them. One of his favorite memories goes like this… "He was on a mission to bomb the enemy and they were shot. They ducked down to avoid being hit. He checked to see if he had been hit. When he brought his hand back in front of him form the back of his head it was red, not with blood though. There had been cans of red paint and one of them was hit and splattered on the back of his neck. He first thought was that he had been hit and that he didn’t have long to live. After feeling the back of his neck again he realized it was paint. He was relived and seeing that everyone on his plane was ok and they all laughed about it."

Mr. Vince Conway could not remember too much about before he entered the war but he could remember that he was in the middle of college when he went off to war. When he returned from the war he finished college. His children and grandchildren have always poked fun at the fact that it took him so long to complete college (because of the war.) After finishing collage he became a mechanical engineer and helped in the construction of the New Orleans Bridge. He also worked on airplanes in his later years. When the Korean War started he was working at the March Air Force Base as a mechanic. He was also learning to fly B-47’s, which lucky for Mr. Vince Conway’s were not used for combat in that particular war. He now lives at Air Force Village West with his wife who he met before the war.