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Navigator, Lieutenant
MacPherson Albert Lester -
(1916-1984) was
born on 13 May 1916 in Marion, Indiana to Harry and Katherine Lester. His
wife Addie writes: "I met 'Mac' on a blind date in Sacramento, California. He was a cadet at
Mather Air Force base. I was a stenographer for the State Department of
Agriculture and a little shy of blind dates. It all worked out O.K. After a
brief courtship, Mac and I were married on January 30, 1943 in a small
church around the corner.
Mac graduated from Mather Field as a Second Lieutenant as part of Class
WC-43-2 as an Aerial Navigator. He was tops in his class and his superior
Officer finally talked Mac into becoming an instructor in navigation at
Mather for the next year. This was fine with me as I could continue on with
my job. Then the whole navigation school from Mather was moved to Houston,
Texas. Houston was terrible weather wise and Mac was teaching celestial
navigation and had yet to fly his first mission.
Mac had been promised the
first "good" assignment that came up. It finally came through and we were on
our way across the country to Boca Raton, Florida, supposedly a permanent
assignment. When we arrived in Florida, Mac checked in and was told he would
probably be there for six (6) weeks or so, not very permanent. Next stop,
Pass Christian and Gulfport, Mississippi. From there Mac was told they would
be flying the planes to the Pacific coast to be modified and fitted for
overseas assignment. He and his crew flew their plane to the coast. I
drove the 2476 miles to San Francisco. I had along one of the crew's wives
who I found out was pregnant and very anxious to get to the coast and see
her husban before he went overseas.
It was
July 1, 1944 when I watched Mac's PBY go over the Golden Gate bridge enroute
to somewhere in the South Pacific. I returned to Sacramento and my job at
Agriculture and as many other wives, wrote hundreds of letters to an APO
Number and hoped for the best.
Mac passed away on 9 November
1984 in Sacramento, California at age 68.
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