LTCOL Ernest M. Duckworth USAF Retired (Arlington National Cemetery)

My father was Ernest M. Duckworth and he did relate some of his experiences in the war as a navigator/bombardier in the 376th but there is one story that he never told me or my brother. We only found out about one particular incident from our uncle Richard Duckworth, Dad's eldest brother.

Uncle Richard mentioned once at a family get-together in Rhode Island that dad had washed out of pilot training in Montgomery Alabama. Of course we were flabbergasted to even think that Dad could wash out of anything he attempted.

The situation in Montgomery Alabama in the 1940s was what might be called "Racially Biased"

In formation one morning the drill Sargent got on my Dad's case because he was a "Yankee" from Rhode Island. He kept harassing Dad's Yankeeness and finally called Dad a God-Damned Yankee Nigger-Lover.

Dad was one to not tolerate bigotry and he punched the Sargent out cold.

He was immediately drummed out of pilot training.

Later he applied for navigator school and was immediately accepted having a BS degree in science and having been a high-school math and science teacher.

As it turned out it was the best for Dad and the Army Air Corps because dad was one hell of a navigator/bombardier.