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In Honor Of My Fathers Brother


The Rooster
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I want to remember my Uncle this day whom I never met.

He was killed 76 years ago today around 7:30 AM along with his instructor on his final check flight in a navy PBJ (B-25).

His name was 2nd Lt Phillip G Ruhe 19 years old and his Instructor was 1st Lt Samuel Failor 21 Years old.

At the time one of the items on the test was react to one engine out.

Also at that time it was relatively unknown or not instructed that the PBJ can only fly safely on one engine

at 145 MPH. Below that speed and its gets uncontrollable.

My uncle and his instructor were not the only ones killed this way before they changed the test requirement and raised the altitude and speed. Basically if you were in a B-25 on take off... that lost an engine... you were dead.

The navy found that the throttle controls on the destroyed PBJ set to one engine off and the rudders set to compensate for one engine off. They ruled it not their fault and not the fault of anyone in the Naval Service. Seems like that was a cover their butt statement. Others had died the same way.

Uncle phil was a star athelete in high school. He was a very good quaterback on the football team. He had an indian motorcycle. He like shooting and drafting. He had a fiance Janice.

I was able to get his Marine Corps records through golden arrow. Eventually I'l get his Navy Records.

The MArine Corps told my Grandfather that his Son did not leave a beneficiary for the $10.000 life insurance. He had to fight the Corps legally to get the money which uncle Sam finallt doled out at $500.00 per year to my Grandfather.

When I got the Golden arrow files.... One of the first pages was a handwritten statement on the bottom of a beneficiary form

leaving his Money to his Dad. Theres pages in there of my grandfather writing the Corps and letter back saying he did not leave a beneficiary. The day he was buried.. Some planes from Glenview Naval Air station flew over the funural in a missing man formation.

George Bush wasnt the only kid flying aircraft.

He was sworn in to the Navy at Soldiers field in Chicago in 1942 with hundreds of others that day.

He died a Marine Pilot Dec 6 1943.

You cant give any more than your limbs or your entire life to this country. They gave up everything.

And they were really really young.

 

RIP Lt Ruhe And Lt Failor.

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I'm sure your uncle is smiling down on you for your wonderful tribute. Particularly tragic as it was preventable. These stories always pull on your heart strings. As hard as it was on the servicemen and women, I don't know how their parents made it through day to day. Luckily my dad came back from the Pacific.

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And this last picture is really great to me... The US Navy caught a side of Uncle Phillips personality that Service Folks rarely show.

I wish I could have met him.

post-181333-0-63721600-1575682251_thumb.jpg

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Prob right before he joined or right after high school. Could be his senior pic. Im not sure.

 

Thank you for remembering with me.

post-181333-0-81758900-1575682602_thumb.jpg

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Here is a shot of one of Uncles Phils nephews at the same age uncle phil was when he died.

He was born 20 years after Phils Death

 

Family members say theres a resemblence... Im not sure I see it... Maybe in the eyes???

RIP Uncle Phillip.

post-181333-0-25098000-1575683434_thumb.jpg

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Hello again everyone.

The plane crashed into a wooded area about one and one half miles due south of Arapahoe North Carolina.

If anyone on here is from that area and into metal detecting. If you happen to look in that area and find any parts of the plane... please leave a comment on this post.

The witnesses have passed. But Im betting everyone around there drove out to see where it crashed. And probably someone still living in the town knows where it crashed.Im guessing someone around Arapahoe knows where it crashed. I dont think it has been built over because about a mile and a half south of Arapahoe on

google earth is still wooded.

I hope to someday get down that way myself and look around.

 

One more note about Lt Failor.

He was back a couple days before the crash from being gone for a week escorting a good friends casket home for the funeral. His friend had died the same way...... a week and a half earlier.

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Hers a clue to where the crash site might be.

 

From an eye witnesses statment

 

Mr Hayward Boone of Arapahoe NC.

At about 8 oclock on December 6, I was out feeding my mules and as usual, I watched the planes flying over head.

The plane was about 600 feet up. It was rolling through the air as a plane does when the boys play in the air. At the time I said to myself.... That plane is in trouble. It kept twisting, first to the left then to the right, and then it started diving to the ground. And went out of my line of vision behind the trees. Then I heard the explosion. The motors.... were running smoothly and there was no fire around the plane until it hit the ground. I and my family went to the place where the plane crashed.

Cerified true statement made by Hayward Boone... Civilian Arapahoe NC.

Mr Boone is dead. One of his sons is too. But if anyone who reads this knows where the Boones live or lived.. The crash site has got to be close to their home.

 

Thank you.

Rooster!

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rooster77:
Here is a photo of your Uncle (second row) from fold3. It is from what they term "cruise books". The book is titled "The SLIPSTREAM". If you do not have this photo or access to fold3, contact me by PM.
post-8013-0-13702700-1575690423_thumb.jpg
Larry

 

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Larry,

Thats amazing. 4th fromt the left. There are no family pictures of him in his Marine Corps uniform. No body in my family has seen this!!!

Thank you so very much!!!! He looks kinda tough! I have a copy of his orders awarding him his wings on September 11th 1943!! This must be the picture from that day! Wow!!! Un Real!!!!!

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Thank you Larry. I and my family really appreciate this picture you found.

The thing about it is, the last time Phillip came home on leave, he was still in the Navy.

And not his Mom Dad or Brother ever saw him in person or in pictures wearing his Marine Corps uniform.

I had asked my Dad a couple moths back if there were any pictures of him in his Corps uniform?

He said no. I had never seen any in the pics he gave me. He said nobody ever saw him in it.

Until I ordered the golden arrow search... No body had ever told the family exactly how Phillip had died. The never got the crash report.

All they were told was that it took off and crashed right away. They flew awhile before the crash.

Thank you again as this picture is entirely unknown by our family. Remarkable!!!

 

Thank you again Larry. I dont have it and I sent you a PM

 

Remember Pearl Harbor!!!!!

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  • 11 months later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 6 months later...

That's a nice tribute to an uncle you never met. 

RIP Lt Ruhe And Lt Failor

The CAA and the FAA still did not wise up to the dangers in engine inoperative simulations, until the late 50's they were still doing engine cuts in the runway environment. They lost a lot of civilian instructors and students too, until they moved up the training floor and improved the safety of the procedures. I am a multi engine pilot and heard about the stories from the old guys at the field.

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  • 11 months later...

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