A Dream Fulfilled - Michael C. Piper
It’s a familiar story. As a youngster, from the time he witnessed a biplane barnstormer, my father was fascinated with flight. Inspired by Lindberg’s 1927 trans-Atlantic trip, Dad would look up and daydream about flying whenever he heard a plane overhead. But the thought of becoming an aviator seemed like a fantasy. How could a farm kid become a pilot? He set aside his high-flying dreams and focused on working the family farm.
After graduating from high school, Dad supplemented his farm work with a job at General Motors Aero Products in Vandalia, Ohio. As a “Service Engineer,” he installed and serviced “Aeroprop” rotors for Bell P-39 fighters. Working at GM was a fine fit; my father was good with his hands. At GM, he could build his mechanical skills and gain valuable aviation experience. As a bonus, his salary afforded him a quick flathead V8 Mercury coupe for his 20-mile commute. He was sitting pretty.
Pearl Harbor changed that. Once the war began, Dad enlisted on 29 June 1942, intent on achieving his dream of becoming a Marine aviator. Thus began an odyssey that took a callow Ohio farm kid to the far-flung reaches of the Pacific.
After basic training, Dad completed Aviation Ordinance and Instrument instruction at Quantico and Atlanta before flight school in Pensacola, where he graduated on 7 September 1943. Then, USMC Second Lieutenant Robert Ray Piper underwent pre-operational instruction with marine, combat and air squadrons in Fort Lauderdale and Miramar. Rather than piloting the Corsairs he coveted, my father flew Grumman TBM Avengers, affectionately known as “Turkeys.”
To become proficient at flying the biggest single-engine aircraft in the US WW II arsenal, he spent the next year at Marine Combat Air Stations on the west coast. After Miramar, Dad joined a TBTU (Torpedo Bombing Training Unit) at Goleta (“The Swamp”), near Santa Barbara. Then, in March 1944, it was on to El Toro, where he served ten months with several Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons, including VMSBs 454 and 943.
On 27 January 1945, my father began his journey to join the Pacific War. After accepting a commission as a First Lieutenant in the USMC on 30 March 1945, the newly-minted squadron officer joined one the Marines’ oldest, most decorated units, the “Red Devils.” Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 232 was one of the first Marine Corps dive bomber squadrons to fly against the Japanese. It was also one of the few USMC squadrons to earn multiple presidential citations during WW II.
Soon after Dad joined the Red Devils, three weeks following the massive invasion of Okinawa, he and his mates landed near Kadena, on the large island of Okinawa. Kadena became the base for “Operation Downfall,” the planned invasion of Japan, 350 miles distant. For the rest of the Battle of Okinawa, the Devils flew close air support flights from Kadena’s battered 1,500-meter coral-surfaced runway. Starting in July, they flew strikes against the Nippon mainland until the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945.
Young Lt. Piper, first seen as a “nugget” by his embattled mates, soon proved himself as a “good wing man,” in the words of his commanding officer. Within a month, Dad earned the first of his six Air Medals. Two Gold Stars came thereafter, followed by a Distinguished Flying Cross with a Gold Star in lieu of a second DFC. From April through August 1945, my father flew 40 air strikes, anti- submarine patrols and parachute supply drops aboard an Avenger.
So, Dad achieved his dream of becoming a Marine aviator. But it came at a cost. The fierce Battle of Okinawa, labeled “the typhoon of steel,” was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. It was also one the bloodiest, with several hundred thousand Allied, Japanese and Okinawan deaths. Throughout World War II, VMTB-232 lost 49 Marines and 17 aircraft.
My father experienced some of those losses firsthand. Through our conversations, I came to realize that his intense wartime service was among his most formative and consequential life experiences. After he left active duty in August 1946, Dad served in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1953, retiring with a rank of Captain. For the rest of his life, he treasured a close camaraderie with his Red Devil pals, and always looked forward to their reunions.
Although it’s been 30 years since Dad died, my memories are strong of our conversations about his passion for flight. As I’ve learned more about the Pacific war, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices my father and his compatriots made. And I have inherited his interest in flight.
That explains my fascination with WW II warbirds, especially TBMs. In the recent past, I have seen Avengers at the National Air Force Museum, the Oshkosh air experience, the Pima Air Museum and at the 2024 Warriors over Wasatch event. It was there that I chatted with Rocky Mountain Wing volunteers, viewed their TBM, and met long-time Commemorative Air Force pilot Bill Shepard.
Now I look forward to taking the next step: booking a flight aboard RMW’s 309, and glimpsing for a moment what it must have been like for a young Ohio farm kid to achieve his dream of becoming a Marine Corps aviator.
After graduating from high school, Dad supplemented his farm work with a job at General Motors Aero Products in Vandalia, Ohio. As a “Service Engineer,” he installed and serviced “Aeroprop” rotors for Bell P-39 fighters. Working at GM was a fine fit; my father was good with his hands. At GM, he could build his mechanical skills and gain valuable aviation experience. As a bonus, his salary afforded him a quick flathead V8 Mercury coupe for his 20-mile commute. He was sitting pretty.
Pearl Harbor changed that. Once the war began, Dad enlisted on 29 June 1942, intent on achieving his dream of becoming a Marine aviator. Thus began an odyssey that took a callow Ohio farm kid to the far-flung reaches of the Pacific.
After basic training, Dad completed Aviation Ordinance and Instrument instruction at Quantico and Atlanta before flight school in Pensacola, where he graduated on 7 September 1943. Then, USMC Second Lieutenant Robert Ray Piper underwent pre-operational instruction with marine, combat and air squadrons in Fort Lauderdale and Miramar. Rather than piloting the Corsairs he coveted, my father flew Grumman TBM Avengers, affectionately known as “Turkeys.”
To become proficient at flying the biggest single-engine aircraft in the US WW II arsenal, he spent the next year at Marine Combat Air Stations on the west coast. After Miramar, Dad joined a TBTU (Torpedo Bombing Training Unit) at Goleta (“The Swamp”), near Santa Barbara. Then, in March 1944, it was on to El Toro, where he served ten months with several Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons, including VMSBs 454 and 943.
On 27 January 1945, my father began his journey to join the Pacific War. After accepting a commission as a First Lieutenant in the USMC on 30 March 1945, the newly-minted squadron officer joined one the Marines’ oldest, most decorated units, the “Red Devils.” Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 232 was one of the first Marine Corps dive bomber squadrons to fly against the Japanese. It was also one of the few USMC squadrons to earn multiple presidential citations during WW II.
Soon after Dad joined the Red Devils, three weeks following the massive invasion of Okinawa, he and his mates landed near Kadena, on the large island of Okinawa. Kadena became the base for “Operation Downfall,” the planned invasion of Japan, 350 miles distant. For the rest of the Battle of Okinawa, the Devils flew close air support flights from Kadena’s battered 1,500-meter coral-surfaced runway. Starting in July, they flew strikes against the Nippon mainland until the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945.
Young Lt. Piper, first seen as a “nugget” by his embattled mates, soon proved himself as a “good wing man,” in the words of his commanding officer. Within a month, Dad earned the first of his six Air Medals. Two Gold Stars came thereafter, followed by a Distinguished Flying Cross with a Gold Star in lieu of a second DFC. From April through August 1945, my father flew 40 air strikes, anti- submarine patrols and parachute supply drops aboard an Avenger.
So, Dad achieved his dream of becoming a Marine aviator. But it came at a cost. The fierce Battle of Okinawa, labeled “the typhoon of steel,” was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. It was also one the bloodiest, with several hundred thousand Allied, Japanese and Okinawan deaths. Throughout World War II, VMTB-232 lost 49 Marines and 17 aircraft.
My father experienced some of those losses firsthand. Through our conversations, I came to realize that his intense wartime service was among his most formative and consequential life experiences. After he left active duty in August 1946, Dad served in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1953, retiring with a rank of Captain. For the rest of his life, he treasured a close camaraderie with his Red Devil pals, and always looked forward to their reunions.
Although it’s been 30 years since Dad died, my memories are strong of our conversations about his passion for flight. As I’ve learned more about the Pacific war, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices my father and his compatriots made. And I have inherited his interest in flight.
That explains my fascination with WW II warbirds, especially TBMs. In the recent past, I have seen Avengers at the National Air Force Museum, the Oshkosh air experience, the Pima Air Museum and at the 2024 Warriors over Wasatch event. It was there that I chatted with Rocky Mountain Wing volunteers, viewed their TBM, and met long-time Commemorative Air Force pilot Bill Shepard.
Now I look forward to taking the next step: booking a flight aboard RMW’s 309, and glimpsing for a moment what it must have been like for a young Ohio farm kid to achieve his dream of becoming a Marine Corps aviator.
Do you have a loved one who served in the U.S. military? You can obtain their military service records by contacting the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis at 314-801-0800 (www.archives.gov). Michael C. Piper lives in Arizona.
Date of separation 9/17/1946 Quantico, Virginia
Medals
American campaign medal
Asiatic Pacific campaign medal
Navy occupation service medal
Distinguished flying cross with one gold star, in
lieu of second DFC award
Air medal with five gold stars
Air strikes, anti-submarine patrols, parachute
supply drops
Wing man
He flew 40 missions between March and July 1945
Presented for heroism and extraordinary and meritorious achievements in aerial flights during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands area during the period 12 March to 25 July 1945.
Achieved first lieutenant rank in the Marine Corps Reserve on February 28, 1945.
Promoted to captain on 10 September 1953.
Those 3-bladed rotors had a hollow hub to accommodate the deadly (but temperamental) 37-millimeter Browning cannon made by another GM division, Oldsmobile. Despite their poor performance above 12,000 feet, P-39s proved deadly in the hands of Russian pilots on low-flying missions against German tanks and ground forces.
The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.
[49][50] The most complete tally of deaths during the battle is at the Cornerstone of Peace monument at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, which identifies the names of each individual who died at Okinawa in World War II. As of 2023, the monument lists 242,046 names, including 149,634 Okinawans, 77,823 Imperial Japanese soldiers, 14,010 Americans,[33] and smaller numbers of people from South Korea (381), the United Kingdom (82), North Korea (82) and Taiwan (34).[33]
During its participation in operations throughout World War II, VMTB-232 lost forty-nine Marines and seventeen aircraft.
Date of separation 9/17/1946 Quantico, Virginia
Medals
American campaign medal
Asiatic Pacific campaign medal
Navy occupation service medal
Distinguished flying cross with one gold star, in
lieu of second DFC award
Air medal with five gold stars
Air strikes, anti-submarine patrols, parachute
supply drops
Wing man
He flew 40 missions between March and July 1945
Presented for heroism and extraordinary and meritorious achievements in aerial flights during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands area during the period 12 March to 25 July 1945.
Achieved first lieutenant rank in the Marine Corps Reserve on February 28, 1945.
Promoted to captain on 10 September 1953.
Those 3-bladed rotors had a hollow hub to accommodate the deadly (but temperamental) 37-millimeter Browning cannon made by another GM division, Oldsmobile. Despite their poor performance above 12,000 feet, P-39s proved deadly in the hands of Russian pilots on low-flying missions against German tanks and ground forces.
The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.
[49][50] The most complete tally of deaths during the battle is at the Cornerstone of Peace monument at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, which identifies the names of each individual who died at Okinawa in World War II. As of 2023, the monument lists 242,046 names, including 149,634 Okinawans, 77,823 Imperial Japanese soldiers, 14,010 Americans,[33] and smaller numbers of people from South Korea (381), the United Kingdom (82), North Korea (82) and Taiwan (34).[33]
During its participation in operations throughout World War II, VMTB-232 lost forty-nine Marines and seventeen aircraft.