Here we have four images of my father who at the time of these photographs was Cadet Ernest Anders Erickson in the midst of his flight training at Kelly Field in Texas. He had joined the Air Corps in March of 1942 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and left Bismarck, North Dakota in April seeking his pilot wings.

These photos were taken in late 1942 and early 1943 and present a young man on the end road of his teenager years and preparing himself to be a pilot. Ernest was 19 and 20 years old at this time. He had only been as far as Washington state from his home in Bismarck before that day in 1942 when he stepped down onto the train station in San Antonio, Texas to see if he had what it took to pilot a fighter plane or bomber.

Comparing the second photograph below taken in August of 1944 when Ernest was being presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross at Horham Airfield in England by his commanding officer Colonel Karl Truesdell is stunning. Here he is standing like a 1940s film star, eyes fixed and with already a lifetime of intense experiences behind him. Ernest had just completed 30 of his eventual 35 missions over German occupied Europe. One can easily see the significant difference in his appearance, how much he had aged and matured in that short period of time. That to me is extraordinary.

Ernest graduated from Blackland Airfield in October of 1943 and received his wings and became a B-17 pilot. He then made a beeline for a visit to his family in Dakota. The reunion at home with his family can be seen easily in the photograph below.

Ernest left the states in January of 1944 and was permanently stationed at Horham Airfield in England with the 95th Bomb Group (Heavy) through October of 1944.

Ernest wrote an average of 4 - 5 letters home a week to his family while he was stationed in England. Many were profound like this June 6th, 1944 letter and some were simple letters written just to make sure his mother knew he was okay.