UFelix Smith wabhabha i-"Hump" phezu kwe-Himalayas ngexesha leMfazwe yesibini yeHlabathi, edibene nenkokeli ye-Flying Tigers edumileyo emva kwemfazwe yaseTshayina kwaye iminyaka emininzi inqwelo moya yayiza kuba yi-CIA-run Air America eChina, eTaiwan, Korea, IVietnam kunye neLaos-ukudutyulwa rhoqo rhoqo kwinkqubo.
Watshata nomzukulwana wenkosi yokugqibela yaseOkinawa kwaye kamva waba ngumlawuli wemisebenzi yeSouth Pacific Island Airways eHawaii.
Yayingengomnqa ke loo nto, xa uthuthu lukaSmith lusasazekile lusuka kunogada baseNxwemeni e-Oahu kwiveki ephelileyo, ukuba owayesakuba ngummeli weCIA, umqhubi wenqwelomoya wase-Air America, intsomi ebhabhayo yeMfazwe Yehlabathi II kunye nabanye abantu abanemibala ababekhwele.
"No. 1, wayengumntu omangalisayo--omangalisayo ukuba ajikeleze. Kwaye i-aviator enkulu, "watsho umhlobo omdala kunye nomqhubi we-pilot uGlen Van Ingen, owayemazi uSmith ukususela ekupheleni kwe-1960 kwaye naye wahamba ngenqwelomoya kwi-Air America.
"Ukuba uvela kwidolophu encinci yaseWisconsin kwaye ufuna ukubona umhlaba, ngekhe wenze umsebenzi ongcono ngalo," utshilo uVan Ingen, oneminyaka engama-86, ethetha ngoSmith.
USmith wafa ngo-Oktobha 3, 2018, eMilwaukee eneminyaka eyi-100. Umhlobo uClark Hatch, ohlala e-Honolulu, uthe umnqweno wakhe wokugqibela wawukuba umlotha wakhe uhlakazeke ePacific malunga neHawaii.
Umhlolokazi wakhe, uJunko Smith, wathi umyeni wakhe wayenelona “xesha lilungileyo” ehlala eHawaii iminyaka engama-21, eqala ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yoo-1970.
"Wayeyithanda iHawaii," watsho emva kwenkonzo yesikhumbuzo ekhwele umsiki weGadi loNxweme uOliver Berry."(Wayesoloko esithi) ikhaya lakhe yiHawaii. Sasinobomi obuhle kakhulu eHawaii."
ULt. Cmdr.UKenneth Franklin, owayengumphathi womsiki ngelo xesha, wathi, "UFelix Smith wakhonza ilizwe, kwaye uMlindi woNxweme uyazingca ngokuhlonipha ubomi babo bakhonze isizwe."
USmith ubalise ngobomi bakhe obubhabhayo--izinto ezibangela umdla wamazwe ngamazwe kunye nokuzonwabisa-- kwincwadi yakhe, "China Pilot: Flying for Chennault Ngexesha leMfazwe yoMlomo."Wahamba ngenqwelomoya kuqala kwi-Civil Air Transport, eyaba yinxalenye ye-CIA's Air America.
I-arhente yezobuntlola yagqiba ekubeni idinga ukukwazi ukuthutha umoya e-Asia, kwaye ngo-1950 yathenga ngasese iimpahla zoThutho loMoya.
Umphathi wenqwelomoya ye-"CAT" ubhengeze ukuba abaqhubi beenqwelo moya abasayi kukhankanya iCIA ngegama kwaye endaweni yoko kufuneka babhekisele kwiiarhente "njengabathengi."
Ngexesha leMfazwe yaseKorea, uSmith wayecwangciselwe ukuba abhabhe aye eSaipan.Ukufika kwakhe eAndersen Air Force Base eGuam, umphathi woMkhosi woMoya watsiba iJeep yakhe wema wabuza, "Yintoni esihogweni uyenzayo apha?"USmith uthe kwincwadi yakhe.
“Ngaphambi kokuba ndivelise impendulo ehloniphekileyo, umthwali wezixhobo wahamba nabantu abamalunga ne-15 benxibe iihempe ze<em>aloha okanye iikhaki ezingenanto, iminqwazi yeegallon ezili-10, iminqwazi yelanga okanye iminqwazi, iibhutsi zenkomo, iimbadada zerabha okanye izihlangu zentenetya,” wabhala.
Kwinqwelomoya ebuyayo, uSmith wabhabha abakhweli abavale amehlo abasithoba- bonke abantu baseTshayina abaqeqeshelwe iintlola-kunye "nabathengi" abathathu.Isandi sesiquphe somoya ovuthuza kwindlwana samxelela ukuba ucango olukhulu luvuliwe lwavalwa.
"Andizange ndithethe nto kodwa ndiqaphele, emva kokuhla, ukuba abakhweli abasibhozo kuphela behla. Ndicinga ukuba abathengi bethu bafumene i-arhente ephindwe kabini," wabhala uSmith.
Ekupheleni kweMfazwe Yehlabathi II, uSmith wayengumqhubi wenqwelomoya kunye neChina National Aviation Corp. esebenza phantsi kwe-egis yoMkhosi wase-US.
UGen. Claire Chennault, owayesemva kweFlying Tigers, iqela labaqhubi bamavolontiya baseMelika abalwa namaJapan eTshayina, baqalisa uThutho loMoya woLuntu ukuhlangabezana neemfuno zaseTshayina emva kwemfazwe.
USmith waqeshwa, kwaye ngo-1946 wabhabha waya eHawaii ukuya kuthatha inqwelomoya eshiyekileyo ukuze aqalise inqwelomoya.
“Xa sifika kwi-Wheeler Field, sajonga emangcwabeni apho iinqwelomoya zazifile,” utshilo kwincwadi yakhe."Ii-Curtis C-46 zethu ezili-15 zazikhangeleka njengeendlovu ezibolayo."
I-CAT isebenze ngokubambisana neChinese Nationalist Party ekhokelwa nguChiang Kai-Shek.Ngesinye isihlandlo kwimishini eliqela, uSmith walinga amathontsi omoya eengots zobhedu kwiqokobhe kunye nerayisi ukuya eTaiyuan eTshayina njengoko uMkhosi oBomvu wawuvala ngaphakathi.
"Kwathatha iipasiti ezininzi ukufumana yonke irayisi. Iibhola zegalufa ezibomvu - iitrayisi zemipu yomatshini - ezigobileyo ngaphantsi kwethu, "wabhala.
I-CAT ithuthe iBhanki yeSilver bullion yase-China yayisa eHong Kong phambi kokuba uChiang enze iTaiwan isihlalo seKuomintang Party.
UJack DeTour, umhlali we-Honolulu kunye nomqhubi weMfazwe Yehlabathi II B-25, wakhumbula ukudibana noSmith xa owayesakuba ebhabha waya ePhilippines ukuqeqesha abaqhubi beCAT kwi-C-119 "Flying Boxcar" ukuze bancede amaFrentshi eVietnam.
“Ndimlinganise uFeliksi njengomnye wabaqhubi beenqwelomoya ababalaseleyo endakha ndabajonga,” ukhumbula oko uDeTour, owayekuMcuphi weGadi loNxweme kwinkonzo yesikhumbuzo.
USmith uqhube inqwelomoya yeC-47 engena ephuma eVientiane eLaos esiya kwiilali zaseHmong apho izixhobo zaziquka imipu kunye nemipu ye-flintlock.Kwinqwelomoya enye wakhwelisa iziqhushumbisi zemikhosi yobukumkani, kwaye kwenye, irayisi kwiArhente yoPhuhliso lwaMazwe ngaMazwe yaseMelika.
Kwincwadi yakhe ka-1995, uSmith wabhala ukuba "emva kwiNtshona esebenzayo, iminyaka kude ne-'Alice in Wonderland's 'topsy-turvy domain, ndibambe iinkumbulo ngokukhawuleza ngemisila yabo, ndizibuza ukuba ngaba ezi zinto zingaqhelekanga zenzeka ngokwenene. ubuso obugugileyo."
This article is written by William Cole from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
Ixesha lokuposa: Dec-02-2019