Paul Gilbert
| PAUL GILBERT HIS MILITARY CAREER | ||
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1st Lt. AAF. Survived 35 missions over Germany and occupied territories as a B17 Pilot. Shot down over Eindhoven and ditched in the North Sea. After 11 hours on life rafts they were spotted by the British air sea rescue planes and the entire crew was picked up unharmed . Received the DFC, six Air Medals ,the Purple Heart and Presidential Citation |
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| I enlisted in the army shortly
after Pearl Harbor in April 1942 like many of my friends who were all
gung ho in those days and too young to know better.
Although I had never been off the ground I thought I would like to fly and wound up in the Aviation Cadet program. Living in Los Angeles, I took most of my training in the West-. Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. I was introduced to the B 17 in Roswell, New Mexico. Little did I realize that I had made a huge mistake, because I could have sat out the war in the finance department in Nashville instead of coming in as a replacement crew for one that had been lost the day before. We survived 35 missions after being shot down and forced to ditch in the North Sea on our 13th mission for which I received my DFC. Drifting for 11 hours in our life rafts not knowing we would be rescued was a harrowing experience and I'll never forget the feeling of relief and joy of finally being spotted by two British Air Sea Rescue planes that were equipped with radar and enabled them to get a heading on our rafts. After ten days of R&R we had to face twenty two more missions to complete our tour of duty. My crew went home but I stayed on for a while to instruct new crews on blind landings and finally returned to New York on December 31st 1944. |
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| Paul Gilbert his career after the service | ||
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| After the war ended, I enrolled at UCLA under the G I bill and received my degree in Business Administration all paid by Uncle Sam. I became a CPA and started a tax and accounting practice in Century City with clients mainly in the entertainment business. Some of my clients were Betty Grable, Red Skelton, Harry James, Michael Caine and others. | ||
| I was married twice and have one son and I am now a widower | ||
| Paul Gilbert the Sportsman | ||
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| I was on the UCLA tennis team and I play golf | ||
| Paul Gilbert his hobbies and other activities | ||
| I was a volunteer at the Senior Center in Palm Desert for five years preparing income tax returns and I am a docent at the Palm Springs Air Museum where I act as a tour guide for visitors who wish to go through our B 17 and hear our war stories. And I am pleased to say that I am an enthusiastic member of the Desert Fliers Command and look forward to our meetings where we have a chance to meet and greet our war | ||
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