Excalibur Squadron OOC 2: The Song Remains the Same

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Can we just get all the Aussie and Kiwi people we can find and get on a ship to Turkey and convince them to stop being dicks?

isn't it a good thing the fundy is leaving.

[Grenartia]

Had to put the research and what not on hold for a bit, to avoid being dumped. But its all resolved now, for the better.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

app is now done.

[Morrdh]

Can we just get all the Aussie and Kiwi people we can find and get on a ship to Turkey and convince them to stop being dicks?

That's it?

Just Australia and New Zealand?

Could send along the Royal Anglians but one of their companies might just vanish without a trace (again).

[The Two Jerseys]

That's it?

Just Australia and New Zealand?

Could send along the Royal Anglians but one of their companies might just vanish without a trace (again).

Could bring the French Navy, but they'll probably sail right into a minefield.

[Goram]

Could send along the Royal Anglians but one of their companies might just vanish without a trace (again).

Could bring the French Navy, but they'll probably sail right into a minefield.

To be fair, they weren't the only ones.

[Morrdh]

So yeah, turns out this aircraft was on HMS Orion during the Spanish Civil War and was the only FAA asset during the Battle of the River Plate (embarked on HMS Ajax).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Seafox

[Altito Asmoro]

So yeah, turns out this aircraft was on HMS Orion during the Spanish Civil War and was the only FAA asset during the Battle of the River Plate (embarked on HMS Ajax).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Seafox

Although the Seafox handled well, it was criticized for being underpowered, engine cooling was poor and landing speeds were higher than desired.

I mean...this plane is um..not really good.

[Morrdh]

So yeah, turns out this aircraft was on HMS Orion during the Spanish Civil War and was the only FAA asset during the Battle of the River Plate (embarked on HMS Ajax).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Seafox

Although the Seafox handled well, it was criticized for being underpowered, engine cooling was poor and landing speeds were higher than desired.

I mean...this plane is um..not really good.

That said it stayed in service until 1943, granted in 1939 the Fleet Air Arm was in a rather poor state.

[Altito Asmoro]

Although the Seafox handled well, it was criticized for being underpowered, engine cooling was poor and landing speeds were higher than desired.

I mean...this plane is um..not really good.

That said it stayed in service until 1943, granted in 1939 the Fleet Air Arm was in a rather poor state.

Speaking of poor state, RCAF did undergone a very poor state, and hopefully is a reasonable reason for Martin to served in Spanish Civil War, seeing that he may or may not be permanent in RCAF.

[The Two Jerseys]

it was criticized for being underpowered...and landing speeds were higher than desired.

[Goram]

it was criticized for being underpowered...and landing speeds were higher than desired.

What? How? I don't even?

[Morrdh]

What? How? I don't even?

Nose heavy is my guess.

[The Two Jerseys]

What? How? I don't even?

Nose heavy is my guess.

Or it was an aerodynamic masterpiece, and they intentionally underpowered it to keep the pilots from doing something stupid with it.

[Grenartia]

Question: What would be the minimum age to be a Marine Corps Aviator during the Banana Wars?

[The Two Jerseys]

Question: What would be the minimum age to be a Marine Corps Aviator during the Banana Wars?

Seems that the absolute minimum was (and still is) 19.

Depending on the year and method of getting his wings, there may have been either a prior service or an education requirement. There's some info here that may help you piece a background together:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_Cadet_Training_Program_%28USN%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_Cadet_Training_Program_%28USAAF%29

[Grenartia]

Question: What would be the minimum age to be a Marine Corps Aviator during the Banana Wars?

Seems that the absolute minimum was (and still is) 19.

Depending on the year and method of getting his wings, there may have been either a prior service or an education requirement. There's some info here that may help you piece a background together:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_Cadet_Training_Program_%28USN%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_Cadet_Training_Program_%28USAAF%29

I'm just going to give USAAC (given that this is interwar) experience instead of MCA. The USAAC article doesn't mention any specifics on MCA or even USNA (despite the ACTP USN article saying the Navy's program merged with the USAAC's program). Also, probably going to drop the Banana Wars experience idea. Just can't make that fit into a good timeline. Either the character CAS's the shit out of the Caribbean at a ridiculously young age, or he's still in training after all the fighting's died down and they're pulling out.

[Organized States]

Name: Kenneth Franklin Carson
Date of Birth: 27
Rank: 1st Lieutenant, USMC/Detective I (LAPD, Formerly)/Flying Officer, RCAF
Physical Description/Picture:

Place of Origin: United States of America
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY):

-Aviation Cadet Program Indoctrination
-Flight Training at NAS Pensacola
-VMF-2
-Fleet Problems XIX
-Fleet Problems XX
-RCAF Training
-No.1 Squadron, RCAF

Ground Combat Experience: The United States Marine Corps Basic School in Philadelphia, LAPD Police Academy
Specialties:
-Trained, but inexperienced combat pilot
-Pistol Marksmanship
-Trained Investigator
-Effective Interrogator
-Knowledge of Platoon-sized Infantry Tactics
Weapons of Choice: Colt M1911/Colt Official Police/Thompson Submachine Gun/Winchester Model 1912
RP Experience: Well, I'm just hurt by this question
Personal History:
Kenneth Carson was born in Santa Monica, California in January 1912 to Frank Carson and his fiance, Barbara Myers. For the first few years of his life, he lived in relative domestic tranquility with the support of his well-to-do grandfather, who had made large amounts of money as a succesful doctor to various early Hollywood personalities and investors, along with the his father's paycheck from his service as a pilot with the Aero Service in the First World War. However, tragedy soon struck the family when his father was killed over France. The first in a series of tragedies to strike the family, it was soon followed by his grandfather being murdered by members of an organized crime elements after he stood up to strong armed robbery of a morphine shipment. This proved to be the family's financial collapse, with Kenneth living through years of poverty as a child, even before the start of the Great Depression in 1929, which totally destroyed his chance at attending any college. Robert eventually joined the LAPD in January of 1930 right after turning 18, and graduating from the Police Academy later that year, and began working as a Beat Cop in December. He completed enough night classes to obtain a college degree in 1931, thus qualifying him for promotion within the LAPD. After spending three years as a beat cop, he was promoted to Detective I and was soon transferred to the prestigious Homicide Desk later that year. In December of 1935, he received a case that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

On the Morning of Monday, December 16th, 1935, America was reading headlines of the Detroit Lions' resounding victory over the New York Giants in the National Football League's championship game and of its continued long slog through the depression. However, Hollywood's many film studios were still making movies in spite of the economy, and various stars had risen in their employ. However, actress Thelma Todd career came to a tragic halt when she was found dead in her 12-cylinder Lincoln in the garage of former actress Jewel Carmen. The 29-year actress was declared as having committed suicide via Carbon Monoxide poising by the other detectives of the LAPD, despite being believed by her family and friends to have no motives for taking her own life and blood being found in the car along with having injuries to her face along with having multiple connections to possible organized crime elements in the city. Despite the case having been declared closed by the other detectives of the heavily corrupt Los Angeles Police Department, Carson continued to dig, thus making himself many enemies within the Department and uncovering a possible link to mob boss "Lucky" Luciano. In spite of his discoveries on the case was soon sent away from the Homicide desk in a politically-motivated transfer in 1936, being sent to the infamous Vice Desk, known primarily for its racism against Los Angeles's Latino and African American communities, excessive use of force, and being heavily paid off by the mob bosses of the time, such as "Bugsy" Siegel. It proved to be a perfect set-up for the older generation of corrupt LAPD officers, particularly the enemies he had made at the Homicide Desk, to pin something on him. Falsely accused of corruption during the Administration of Mayor Fletcher Bowron, Carson was among 45 officers forced out of the Department in Late 1937.

Once again left in life with no alternatives, Carson decided to follow in his father's footsteps and in his boyhood dreams of being a pilot and attempted to join the Navy's Aviation Cadet Training Program as a Marine Corps Aviation Cadet in December 1937. He completed the program at NAS Pensacola soon afterwards in 1938 and was soon commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Marines within the year and assigned to VMF-2 at Naval Air Station San Diego, flying the Grumman F2F. He participated in two major Fleet Problems while with VMF-2, and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant following the end of Fleet Problem XX in February of 1939. With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, Carson transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve and itching to get into the fight, he traveled to Vancouver to join the RCAF secretly under a false identity. He was temporarily assigned to No.1 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, before receiving mysterious transfer orders to the mysterious No.319 Squadron in the English countryside, with seemingly everyone else having never heard of RAF Manston or of its mysterious tenant unit. Someone, somewhere was apparently keeping an eye on him and knew of his past, and clearly had plans for Carson which he didn't understand, but was determined to find out.

[The Two Jerseys]

snip

I think him and Talbot are going to get along just fine...

[Organized States]

snip

I think him and Talbot are going to get along just fine...

Well, personally, I think Talbot has excellent taste in firearms...

[The Two Jerseys]

I think him and Talbot are going to get along just fine...

Well, personally, I think Talbot has excellent taste in firearms...

At least we know who to borrow some extra rounds from.

And it just occurred to me, I should've listed the Winchester Model 70 on Talbot's list of preferred weapons...

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Name: Henri Vodat (real name Marat Korenov)
Age: 39
Rank: Lieutenant (Flying Officer)
Physical Description/Picture:

(Image)

Country of Origin: born and raised in Russia, moved to France in 1925
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY): Armee de Air, 1938-39
Ground Combat Experience: Red Army: 1917-21, FFL: 1925-36, International Brigades 1936-38.
Specialties Demolition/sabotage, irregular warfare, Language (Russian, French, English)
Weapons of Choice: Lebel 1886 rifle Nagant 1895 revolver
RP Experience: 4 years here count, right
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):
The son of a prominent Tsarist officer turned communist, Marat followed him into the service of the red army in 1917. Unlike his father, who joined the regular military at his current rank, Marat had to work his way up the ranks as he fought under the command of Joseph Stalin in the Caucasus's, Ukraine, and Poland, eventually making it to the rank of Lieutenant by 1921. While originally a firm believer in Lenin and Trotsky's vision for Russia, Marat became embittered by his time spent under "Lenin's attack dog", as Stalin was privately called amongst the ranks. When Lenin died and Stalin took power, Marat saw the writing on the wall. He opted to leave the country, joining The Legion like all young men without a country.

Changing his name as per legion tradition Marat, now Henri Vodat, served in Morocco and North Africa for 11 years. When the Spanish civil war started up Henri resigned from the legion and went to Spain. Using lessons learned in both Russia and Morocco, Henri worked with various groups battling nationalist forces in the southwest of Spain. It was here that he gained an appreciation of aerial warfare, both from talking to downed pilots his group had rescued and from seeing the effects Nationalist bombers had on republican positions. With defeat looming in 1938, Henri made his way back to France where he joined Armee de Air in July, having a rather ordinary career until being seconded to the RAF for some sort of special assignment.

Accepted.

Name: Gareth Cowell
Age: 41
Rank: Flying Officer
Physical Description/Picture: Slight but not emaciated or sufficiently skinny to be unsuitably so, gaunt face with sharp lines. Maybe 5ft 8 or 9. Close cropped black hair with moustache and blue eyes.
Country of Origin: England
Flight/Flight Combat Experience: Inter-war civilian flight lessons and over a decade's experience flying small aircraft, suitable for
Ground Combat Experience: Service in the Royal Naval Division in WWI, service with the Fieldgate Groundsmen in the pre-war and inter-war years.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Kinda good at flying. Also skilled at
Weapons of Choice: Anything he can get his hand on really. He's not exactly a crack shot with anything, and hasn't used a 'standard' or 'service' weapon in years. He does, however, have a sawn-off shotgun stored in the bottom of his duffel bag which was first fired in anger in 1900 by his father, and has been used semi-regularly ever since.
RP Experience: This one time I was in a game of DnD, conducted internationally over three years on an IRC channel between three Brits, two Americans, a Canadian, a Swede and a Russian. Is that good enough Role Playing Experience?
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Gareth Cooper was a rough-tough docker's son, living and working in the largest port in the world - the Port of London. In London he worked alongside a wide-range of figures, engaged in entirely legitimate business activities which at no point ever resulted in sprinting through the streets of the East of the city being chased by the sound of boots on stone and blowing whistles. During this time he gained a healthy respect for the country which had taken his family in, and also made a number of contacts alongside his father and two brothers. When the time came in 1914, he and the three other men of the Cowell family volunteered for war, and were split up with two going to the Royal Naval Division and two being stationed on HMS Indefatigable of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron. Gareth's father and middle brother served on the battlecruiser until the 31st of May, 1916. Meanwhile, Gareth and his eldest sibling, fought first on the Western Front and in the Dardanelles before, following his older brother Jack's death, Gareth was transferred to HMS Furious.

It was aboard that ship that Gareth first gained his appreciation for flying - something that would continue well after his demobilisation in 1920. Returning to London with his new knowledge of the brutalities of war, he continued to 'work' as a London Docker, while also gaining an impressive relationship as a man who could get things done in the East End, especially using contacts in the British Army to obtain and make use of entirely inappropriate munitions. However, at home he also indulged the love of flying, joining a local Aero Club and gaining enough experience to be able to move through the air skillfully in small mono- or bi-planes. Following injury and imprisonment after the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, he decided to quit the life he'd led for himself and focus on the flying while also serving his country in what he was sure would be a coming opportunity to 'cut the cunts' in Germany. Just at the upper age limit for enlistment, he commissioned in the Royal Air Force as a Pilot Officer where he has served since.

I mean, he's pretty old, but this seems okay otherwise. There are some unfinished sentences, though?
Accepted.

So, at the holiday park my gf works at there's only wifi in the show bar, where she and her co workers are currently doing the evening's entertainment.

I'm literally sat in a bar, on my laptop, surrounded by racist old people talking about how Nice vindicates Brexit and Nigel Farage in order to steal wifi and write that app.

You guys better appreciate the blood that poured through the keyboard from my ears to form those words.

MEH

Name: Clifford John Clavin "Cliff" McTavish
Age: 26
Rank: Flying Officer
Physical Description/Picture:

(Image)

Country of Origin: United States (he's from Bahston, see?)
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY): US Navy; RAF
Ground Combat Experience: Basic Training, as well as commando
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): TBD
Weapons of Choice: Browning Hi-Power (and sten guns, once they come into use)
RP Experience: One of the greatest P2TM RPs of all time (and also Excalibur Squadron )
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Clifford John Clavin McTavish was born on July 14th, 1913 in the small village of Cohasset, Massachussetts, in the Greater Boston area. He came into a large Irish-American working-class family; his mother was a seamstress and his father was a fisherman. His family had long been one with the sea; Cliff could trace his bloodline all the way back to a fisherman-turned-sailor during the revolutionary war. His great-great grandfather on his father's side had been on the United States when it captured the Macedonian and his grandfather had been on the Conestoga while it bombarded Fort Henry. His father himself was a veteran of Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet, but, finding it easier to have an extra naval pension rather than live off naval pay, returned to what the McTavishes had always done best: fishing. Taking his young son with him on these long daily trips, the elder McTavish would regale him with stories of far-off adventure. As they cast their nets, seaplanes on their daily patrols from the nearby Naval Air Station at Squantum would buzz low overhead, and once in a while they would waggle their wings in acknowledgment of the awestruck child down below. It was here that his love of flying would be born.

In 1927, at the age of 14, he heard the news of Charles Lindbergh's landing in Paris after completing his transatlantic flight, further inspiring Cliff to pursue aviation (much to the dislike of his seagoing father). Despite his aerial ambitions, he continued to work on his father's fishing boat until the Great Depression hit. His mother was laid off, and his father was forced to do the same to many of his fishermen as well. Life got harder, and Cliff got more cynical with it. Although Cliff offered to stay and help his father, he was told instead to go out west so he too could help support his family at home. Along with many of his older siblings, he volunteered with the Civilian Conservation Corps and was sent to North Dakota, where he was stunned by the low-flying cropdusters. After his six-month enrollment was up with the CCC, he secured a job flying as one, which he held until being laid off in 1934. With nowhere else to go, he chose to enlist in the US Navy, as so many of his forefathers had done. However, with the rising tensions in the Pacific, he decided instead he could serve his country better (and perhaps make a little more) by becoming a naval aviator. He excelled in his rigorous 18 month training, and with the rank of ensign, he was posted to the USS Lexington, flying Grumman F2Fs and eventually the new Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers.

Even though he was an excellent flier and took orders well, the low pay and slow promotion rate frustrated him as well as the other fliers, leaving the group’s morale at rock bottom. A particularly traumatic incident near the end of his enlistment further disillusioned him, and he resigned his commission in late 1938. Going back to work with his father, who by now was back on his feet, was more or less the same as usual, but that proved to be exactly the problem. He aimlessly drifted from one week to the next, with his cigars and alcohol being the only things that could take his mind off of what had happened. When he heard that the RAF was accepting foreign nationals, he sailed to Liverpool and enlisted, hoping this could change something. Graduating basic training, he was assigned to No. 6 Squadron based in Mandatory Palestine, where he flew numerous counter-insurgent sorties against the Jewish and Arab terrorists in the desert. With the outbreak of war, he dogfighted with German and Italian fighters on a few occasions, earning 2 kills in one flight. This, matched with his exceptional flying, led to further investigation into his Navy background, and, unbeknownst to him but knownst to us, his actions in both services had his superiors put him on a shortlist for some sort of clandestine squadron in England...

Also still a few unfinished sentences, but accepted too.

Name: Kenneth Franklin Carson
Age: 27
Rank: 1st Lieutenant, USMC/Detective I (LAPD, Formerly)/Flying Officer, RCAF
Physical Description/Picture:

(Image)

Country of Origin: United States of America
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY):

-Aviation Cadet Program Indoctrination
-Flight Training at NAS Pensacola
-VMF-2
-Fleet Problems XIX
-Fleet Problems XX
-RCAF Training
-No.1 Squadron, RCAF

Ground Combat Experience: The United States Marine Corps Basic School in Philadelphia, LAPD Police Academy
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.):
-Skilled Pilot and Driver
-Trained Investigator
-Naturally Inquisitive
-Knowledge of Radio Communications from his time with the LAPD
-Decent Aim
-Skilled Speaker/Smooth-Talker/Interrogator
Weapons of Choice: Colt M1911/Colt Official Police/Thompson Submachine Gun/Winchester Model 1912
RP Experience: Well, I'm just hurt by this question
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):
Kenneth Carson was born in Santa Monica, California in January 1912 to Frank Carson and his fiance, Barbara Myers. For the first few years of his life, he lived in relative domestic tranquility with the support of his well-to-do grandfather, who had made large amounts of money as a succesful doctor to various early Hollywood personalities and investors, along with the his father's paycheck from his service as a pilot with the Aero Service in the First World War. However, tragedy soon struck the family when his father was killed over France. The first in a series of tragedies to strike the family, it was soon followed by his grandfather being murdered by members of an organized crime elements after he stood up to strong armed robbery of a morphine shipment. This proved to be the family's financial collapse, with Kenneth living through years of poverty as a child, even before the start of the Great Depression in 1929, which totally destroyed his chance at attending any college. Robert eventually joined the LAPD in January of 1930 right after turning 18, and graduating from the Police Academy later that year, and began working as a Beat Cop in December. He completed enough night classes to obtain a college degree in 1931, thus qualifying him for promotion within the LAPD. After spending three years as a beat cop, he was promoted to Detective I and was soon transferred to the prestigious Homicide Desk later that year. In December of 1935, he received a case that would haunt him for the rest of his life. On the Morning of Monday, December 16th, 1935, America was reading headlines of the Detroit Lions' resounding victory over the New York Giants in the National Football League's championship game and of its continued long slog through the depression. However, Hollywood's many film studios were still making movies in spite of the economy, and various stars had risen in their employ. However, actress Thelma Todd career came to a tragic halt when she was found dead in her 12-cylinder Lincoln in the garage of former actress Jewel Carmen. The 29-year actress was declared as having committed suicide via Carbon Monoxide poising by the other detectives of the LAPD, despite being believed by her family and friends to have no motives for taking her own life and blood being found in the car along with having injuries to her face along with having multiple connections to possible organized crime elements in the city. Despite the case having been declared closed by the other detectives of the heavily corrupt Los Angeles Police Department, Carson continued to dig, thus making himself many enemies within the Department and uncovering a possible link to mob boss "Lucky" Luciano. In spite of his discoveries on the case was soon sent away from the Homicide desk in a politically-motivated transfer in 1936, being sent to the infamous Vice Desk, known primarily for its racism against Los Angeles's Latino and African American communities, excessive use of force, and being heavily paid off by the mob bosses of the time, such as "Bugsy" Siegel. It proved to be a perfect set-up for the older generation of corrupt LAPD officers, particularly the enemies he had made at the Homicide Desk, to pin something on him. Falsely accused of corruption during the Administration of Mayor Fletcher Bowron, Carson was among 45 officers forced out of the Department in Late 1937. Once again left in life with no alternatives, Carson decided to follow in his father's footsteps and in his boyhood dreams of being a pilot and attempted to join the Navy's Aviation Cadet Training Program as a Marine Corps Aviation Cadet in December 1937. He completed the program at NAS Pensacola soon afterwards in 1938 and was soon commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Marines within the year and assigned to VMF-2 at Naval Air Station San Diego, flying the Grumman F2F. He participated in two major Fleet Problems while with VMF-2, and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant following the end of Fleet Problem XX in February of 1939. With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, Carson transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve and itching to get into the fight, he traveled to Vancouver to join the RCAF secretly under a false identity. He was temporarily assigned to No.1 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, before receiving mysterious transfer orders to the mysterious No.319 Squadron in the English countryside, with seemingly everyone else having never heard of RAF Tempsford or of its mysterious tenant unit. Someone, somewhere was apparently keeping an eye on him and knew of his past, and clearly had plans for Carson which he didn't understand, but was determined to find out.

This is a great app, and it's cool to see a character coming from a new background, and it's accepted - but man, that is a block o'text!
(Also, minor correction - Excalibur's still at Manston at this point. The SOE and Tempsford is still a year or so away.)

Altito's app is also accepted.

[Morrdh]

Hoping to round out Patrick's backstory a bit more, trying to find out about Royal Marine officer training in the 1930s is proving to be a tad difficult. Closest I've gotten is possibly one of the Royal Naval Colleges, either Dartmouth or Greenwich.

Found I have found this gem; http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peoples ... 9879.shtml

[Grenartia]

Name: Zeke Thomas
Age: 28
Rank: Flying Officer
Physical Description/Picture:http://theredlist.com/media/database/films/tv-series/fantasy-and-sci-fi/1980/quantum-leap/012-quantum-leap-theredlist.jpg
Country of Origin: United States
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY): 6 years of summer barnstorming, 4 years as a sergeant pilot in the US Army Air Corps.
Ground Combat Experience: Does a good old fashioned bar fight count?
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Skilled horseback rider (not really a combat skill, but could be useful ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), marksman, divebombing, dogfighting, improvised weapons, conversational in Spanish, cooks fantastic scrambled eggs, great with kids.
Weapons of Choice: Colt M1911, Winchester Model 12.
RP Experience: What is this Arpee of which you speak?
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Born in raised in the rural town of White House, TN, in July of 1911, Zeke was a curious lad. The innumerable hills of the Highland Rim north and east of Nashville, and the inevitable creeks those hills spawned always gave him something to explore. His family grew tobacco for a living, but his neighbors raised and trained horses, and he had a natural habit for befriending them. He would often work on their farm during the summer as a child. Thus, he grew quite adept at riding and training them. Growing up in the Highland Rim, he also learned how to shoot from an early age, and became a decent shot with shotguns, rifles, and his grandfather's Colt Peacemaker. When the US entered WWI in 1917, Zeke's father, Jebediah, volunteered for the Army Air Service and was accepted.

After the war, Jeb bought a JN-4 like he was trained on, and taught 15-year old Zeke to fly it. Zeke was instantly enamored. After a few years of barnstorming, and getting his degree in engineering from Tennessee Polytech, at age 21, Zeke enlisted in the US Army Air Corps Cadet Training Program. He was a natural, and upon graduating advanced training, was promoted to Flight Technical Sergeant. Through his tour of duty, he befriended a former Marine Aviator (who had transferred in to Air Corps) with experience in Nicaragua, "Slippin" Jimmy McMillan, and an old Great War vet, Nate Green. During downtime, they both gave him lessons in dive bombing and dogfighting, respectively. After his 4 years was up, the Army Air Corps, not yet cognizant of the conflict brewing in Europe, discharged Zeke in 1936. In the wake of the discharge, Zeke went back to barnstorming, even incorporating divebombing runs in his performances, until war broke out in 1939. Nate happened to have some friends in the RAF who informed him of the need for experienced pilots, and passed the info onto Zeke. "Slippin" Jimmy 'knew some guys who knew some guys' who helped Zeke forge papers to qualify him to enlist in the RCAF, and to Britain from there. By Thanksgiving 1939, Zeke was stationed at RAF Hornchurch with 54 Squadron, and his flight skills had already made themselves apparent to 319 Squadron.

EDIT: discovered typo, meant to put 54 Squadron instead of 59 Squadron.

[Grenartia]

Hoping to round out Patrick's backstory a bit more, trying to find out about Royal Marine officer training in the 1930s is proving to be a tad difficult. Closest I've gotten is possibly one of the Royal Naval Colleges, either Dartmouth or Greenwich.

Found I have found this gem; http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peoples ... 9879.shtml

I think we've found the British Forrest Gump.