Central Illinois World War II Stories - Oral History Interview: Hale Burge of Hoopeston

Hale Burge started his career in the Air Force (then the Army Air Force) when he was drafted into World War II as a teenager in rural Illinois. Like all inductees, he was tested in a lot of areas in order to best match his skills to the job he would be assigned. For him, that meant that he would be working on planes. Burge served in the Aleutian Island chain, frequently taking parts from a number of broken planes in order to create single plane that could be safely put back in the air. He saw terrible crashes and talks about the loss of life. Planes from these northern Pacific islands bombed Japan and other sites. America's presence in the area prevented invasion of Alaska and gave the enemy another area to worry about and to have to spread their forces out more. Burge, a man who lived through the dark Depression years, also talks about involvement in the war as positively affecting this country.

[@thebestyouneverheardof]

This is a great interview, Mr Burge has great recollections and tells them in a crystal clear manner. Thank you for sharing this.

[@Buce-ku9vx]

Master technician. Owns it. Impressive man. Thanks for sharing.

[@burtthebeast4239]

Thank you Sir, God bless you all..

[@sr633]

We got alot of information about an area of WW 2 that is not talked about so much. Thanks.

[@MarcKevinSmith]

I love this man. I’m he has such passion for mechanics (which I know absolutely nothing about!).

[@burtthebeast4239]

Awesome interview

[@michellefeurer4186]

he's my grandpa :)

[@Buce-ku9vx]

he's my great grandson.

[@mu99ins]

@30:52 - My uncle was a pilot who had to set down in Vladivostok, in the USSR because of engine failure. The Soviets had a problem with these pilots and crews because the Japanese had spies in the USSR, and the Soviets and the Japanese had a treaty of neutrality between them, and harboring American pilots would be a violation. So the Soviets relocated the pilots and crews west in the USSR to other camps, and then let the crews escape southward to Tehran by foot. I don't know how many American pilots and crews were handled in this way. My uncle was sworn to secrecy by the Army Air Corps about the entire experience, and he never got notice from the military that he could talk about it, so he
didn't say much about it at all. What I know about it is from a book called, "Home From Siberia" by Otis Hays Jr.

[@Buce-ku9vx]

No he wasn't, never happened. You read the book and watched the movie.

[@mu99ins]

@@Buce-ku9vx - I get the sense that you disbelieve my story. I'm deeply hurt, but the pain will subside in about 4 seconds.

[@martyhatchard7271]

I love this guy. He is so real

[@Baskerville22]

WW2 started in September 1939, not December 1941