1,364 DAYS

1,364 Days, a World War II Veteran’s Story contains the memoirs of Technical Sergeant (T/Sgt.) Francis Roger Dion, an aerial engineer who flew cargo missions on C-87 Liberator Express military transports while serving with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), European Wing of the Air Transport Command (EWATC).

 

Following his basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, in 1942, Roger became an airplane mechanic after completing accelerated instruction at the Army Air Corps Technical School located at the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, California.   His maintenance training continued at Lockheed Aircraft Corp. in Burbank, California, focusing on the P-38 Lightning pursuit/fighter.   He was deployed to Prestwick, Scotland, and then to Newquay, England, where he repaired and maintained various U.S. four-engine aircraft.

 

In December, 1943, Roger was trained as an aerial engineer and began flying frequent cargo missions to Casablanca, Morocco; Naples, Italy; and throughout southern England.  Some of the materials he carried supported the battles/campaigns of Normandy, northern France, and the air offensive in Europe.  

 

This book describes events that occurred from Roger’s January 3, 1942, enlistment to his September 27, 1945, discharge and includes numerous period photographs.