At the mercy of a bomber

Gene Person remembers the sting of his hands and the way he shook from head to toe after he pulled himself back into the B-24 Liberator 58 years ago.

Person, an Air Force staff sergeant at the time, didn't know if he made the bravest choice in his 21 years, or the most foolish. But he knew he was glad to be alive instead of sailing over enemy airspace without a parachute.

Today, 61 years later, he is an 85-year-old retiree living at Magnolia Park in Donna. Just months ago he finished penning his autobiography of his time spent in the Air Force during WWII. He edited it with a group of friends at the park on his laptop.

The most vivid experience in the soon-to-be-released Gene Person Story was the time he almost went sailing out of a B-24 Liberator along with a bomb destined for Kemmel Battlefield in German-occupied France.

Person had fallen in love with the B-24 from his first flight during training. The bulky planes dropped thousands of bombs in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Pacific during the four years of American involvement in the war.

He was assigned as an engineer on the plane, dealing with the fire-prone plane and often unstable mechanics.

After a six-and-a-half hour flight from Great Britain to France on April 7, 1944, the crew of the bomber was midway through a flawless mission as they opened the bay doors to release a bomb.

But the bomb didn't fall. It was swinging from the plane from a shackle.

"It was still armed," Person said. "If anything would have hit the nose, it would have gone off."

A cocksure Person climbed down and started kicking the bomb to try to dislodge it. He did, but when the bomb fell, so did he.
Facing a 10,000-foot fall, Person says he grabbed for the sharp, rough edge of the bomb rack and caught himself. He says he pulled himself up and back into the plane.

"I was shaking for about 10 minutes," he said. "I couldn't believe what happened."

After unloading the rest of the artillery, the crew returned to London.

For the past 25 years, Person and his wife, Anne, have vacationed in the Rio Grande Valley during the winter months. This year was their last trip, as they become "too old" to continue making the long journey south. Next year, they plan to stay home in Indiana.
Person decided to pen the book, which is due to be released this month by Publish America - which specializes in veterans' stories - at the behest of his five children.

"I'm glad I've got everything down," he said. "But boy, it made my head hurt."

Kyle Arnold covers business, the economy and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4410.