Great Uncle Ernie stared down at the photos I had given him. With a dreamy look in his rummy eyes, he said, “I remember that day.” 

In November 1934, Uncle Ernie was starting his second decade in the Marine Corps. He enlisted in 1924 at the age of 21. The military was an escape for him. Coming from a large, hard-working, but poor farming family didn’t leave a man with big dreams much hope. He knew his years of hard work and rigorous discipline on the farm would serve him well in the Military. Still, he couldn’t have imagined walking into the enlistment office would be a transformative experience. 

Uncle Ernie’s journey saw him deployed to places worldwide, including China, the Caribbean, and the South Seas. This experience opened his eyes to the different cultures and ways of life of others. His natural and learned aptitude for repairing machinery did not go unnoticed and worked in his favor as he rose in rank.

During this time, he became increasingly interested in the Marines’ focus on aviation.

His career in machinery repair naturally transitioned to his work in aircraft maintenance, and that is how he found himself on the tarmac that historic day.

“I remember there were clear sunny skies, though the temperature wasn’t all that high. It was the Oakland Airport. We were all gathered around. There were military officials, much higher in rank than I was, cameramen, with their movie and regular cameras, news reporters, and civilians all waiting.” 

Uncle Ernie recalled the sense of excitement—the anticipation that anyone would feel when a celebrity pilot was scheduled to land at any moment. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, piloting the Lady Southern Cross, his Lockheed Altair airplane, and his co-pilot, Patrick Gordon Taylor, attempted to set a new speed record for a flight from Australia to the United States. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was a famous aviator known for his daring exploits. 

“I was standing behind all the big-wigs with my Kodak in my hands, just waiting. We could all hear the faint engine drone and saw a glint of silver in the sky.”

The flight took 15 days, much longer than scheduled. Bad weather and mechanical issues plagued the mission, but all the delays didn’t dim the magnitude and history-making of the achievement.

“The crowd was cheering as the pilots stepped onto the wing and waved. That’s when I started taking pictures. You can see them climbing out and all the people rushing forward. I was really lucky to get these snapshots.” Uncle Ernie exclaimed. 

“It was quite a day. Quite a day.” 

As Uncle Ernie drifted off to sleep in his recliner, his dog Beau at his feet, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how our choices can impact a person’s life. Uncle Ernie chose to walk into the enlistment office and sign his name. He might have done it to escape poverty and hard-scrabble living on a rural farm, but it led to much more. His farming experiences led him to repair trucks and then planes. This experience led to his after-service career in aviation mechanics, which sustained him through the Great Depression, the Second World War, and beyond.

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