About two years ago my son was suddenly shipped to Korea as a Marine flyer without the usual leave in which to say good-by. It took some spiritual reasoning to get back my confidence and assurance and to overcome the shock and resistance I felt. I knew that good work had been done for him and that if flying was his rightful work it could not be injurious to him. I felt God had helped him hitherto and therefore would take him all the way, and I firmly believed Mrs. Eddy's statement in which, referring to God, she says (Unity of Good, pp. 3,4), "He has mercy upon us, and guides every event of our careers." I also knew that my son had been well taught in Christian Science, having attended Sunday School since infancy, and that not one iota of Truth could be lost, but was ever at hand to bless, heal, and guide. Some of the fruitage of daily work for this dear one follows.
While landing on a very dark and unknown Korean airfield, my son's plane collided with the plane ahead. The planes were carrying two thousand pounds of bomb rockets and gasoline. One plane was completely demolished and the other badly damaged, but the two pilots were unscratched. Later my son volunteered for the forward air control, or air liaison, with the Marine ground forces. Here he found himself in the spearhead regiment, and the first day he received a shrapnel wound. He was back in the front lines by the time I received his letter.
He was for ten days in heavily mined waters before a landing on enemy shores. Also he was with the Marine regiments that went farthest north toward the Yalu River and were cut off from the remainder of the division when the entire division was entrapped by the enemy for about ten days. His regiment was cut off from the division for five days of continuous fighting by day and night, having only the little food that could be dropped to them from the air. After they had fought their way back to the main body of Marines they endured another three days of constant fighting and marching without food. His squad of ten men was brought out safely, although one company mustered only twenty-nine men.
