Duane Brofer - “That is where I personally begin with the troop.I had been there for about a week. One day this new fellow came in and reported for duty. It was Ace. It was the first time I had seen him. I hadn’t heard about him. I hadn’t even heard his name or anything else about him. I found out that he had been in Tokyo in the hospital there. Within a couple of days he had reported back from the hospital, ready to go to work. The hospitalcalled the division and the division called me. They told me that he has been AWOL and may have returned to the Troop. They asked me what they should do and I said leave him here where he is and I’d take a look at him. He appeared to be alright. Whatever wounds he had were in the neck. The wounds were appearently healing. Ace had made an evaluation of his wounds
and it was in his good judgement that he was ready to go back to fighting and that was it. He went back to the platoon and back to flying.”