This is Cadet Ernest Anders Erickson's 1942 and 1943 flight cap and goggles and carrying bag he used while in the midst of his flight training at Curtis, Kelly and Blackland Fields 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.

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 of a fighter plane or bomber.

A beautiful photograph of Ernest also below taken after a solo flight. He is standing alongside a P-19 on White Field adjacent to Curtis Field in Brady, Texas in April of 1943.

Below the photo of Ernest is a line of P-19s at Kelly Field in Texas. The P-19 was the first plane my father ever flew solo. The blue and yellow is a stunning visual stand-out against the blue sky above.

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 before he was sent overseas for combat flying.

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.

Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson flew thirty five missions over German occupied Europe with the 334th Squadron and came home without a scratch yet had many life changing experiences and memories that he dealt with over the rest of his life.

Growing up with him as his son I was fortunate to hear many of his Air Corps tales and the rest were left for me to discover in his archives. Ernest's letters and mission notes told another fascinating level of his story that is both compelling and awe inspiring. Many of these can be found on various pages of this website. I invite you to peruse the site and read some of these letters.