Richard D. Cusolito
From: "Richard D. Cusolito" isandrich@rcn.com
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Bikini
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007
I joined the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Roswell New Mexico in March of 1946 and was assigned to the aircraft Electrical shop as an electrician MOS 747. A few weeks later I was transferred to the Air Instrumentation and Test Requirement Unit and was shipped out by rail to Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg CA. We then were transported by truck to Oakland and embarked on an AKA to Eniwetok. The trip took about ten days to Honolulu we stayed overnight and it took ten more days to get to Eniwetak. We lived in a two story Quonset hut. I was fortunate in being assigned to the electrical shop, there were so many electricians (15) only five were assigned to the shop the rest were assigned to other duties.
The AITRU turned out to be a B-17 outfit consisting of mother ships and drones. The Mother Ships were rigged to guide the Drones through the Atomic cloud and collect air samples.
The B-17 's required very little from electricians in the way of service. We shared a Quonset with the post electrician and I found my self helping him out with his duties. We expected we might get to fly to parallel the generators, but there was no chance the Crew Chiefs took care of that job. I never did get to work on an airplane. I only got to fly once as an observer on a search and rescue mission.
I was fascinating to watch the air crews and ground controllers practicing takeoffs and landings and the ground control handing off the drones to the mother ships and the mother ships returning control on the landings.
The first Atomic test was an air drop and we embarked on an APA the day before the first test (Able) and sailed away in case, we were told, the wind should blow toward us at the time of the explosion. We returned a day or two after the test.
The second test (Baker) we remained on Eniwetok and watched the B-17's leave for the test site and return. All aircraft returned safely. The last Drone landed safely but as it approached the end of the runway it did not stop (something failed). There was no barrier and it rolled of the end of the runway down a low embankment across a perimeter road and another embankment and out onto the reef. Fortunately the tide was out and we all rushed out the airplane and managed to push it back to the roadway where it was winched backup on to the field and repaired, and we were told, was flown home with the rest of the Squadron.
By the first of August we embarked on another AKA for the return trip home. We stayed two nights in Hononlulu and we sailed Under through Golden Gate at noon on my 20th birthday August 22, 1946.
We returned to Roswell by train and after a few days I was given per diem and 15 days delay enroute to Fort Dix New Jersey for discharge.
Richard D. Cusolito PFC USAAF and USAF reserve _
Richard D. Cusolito,
PFC USAAF and USAF reserve
Email:isandrich@rcn.com
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