Profile: Born on June 26, 1921, in Oakland, California, “Mac” would distinguish himself as a B-24 bomber pilot for the U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII, flying 8 missions over Europe in 1943 and being shot down on his eighth mission on Oct. 1, 1943, over a Messerschmitt factory in Austria.
Mac applied for the aviation cadet program 3 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Mac was accepted and graduated on Jan. 4, 1943. He was commissioned a second lieutenant. He next trained in B-24s as first pilot in Tucson, AZ, and then Pocatello, ID, where he also met Betty Jean Bale, to whom he has been married since June 4, 1943.
In July 1943, he received his orders to the 8th Air Force, 14th Combat Wing, 44th Bomb Group, which was in Benghazi, Libya, at the time. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1943. But, his bomber pilot career was cut short on Oct. 1, 1943, on the bombing mission over Austria. On that mission, ME 109 fighters attacked the wing. Mac saw the flash of the 20mm cannon a split second before the shell struck the windscreen and exploded. Mac took the full force of that explosion to his head. Despite his injuries, as well as the plane losing an engine and continuing to be attacked by the enemy fighters, they dropped their bombs on the target and headed for home. Warren Oakley piloted the plane 2 hours back into friendly British territory in Italy, where they made a “successful” crash landing near Foggia. After surgeries and recuperations, and a few intermediate stops, Mac ended up at Hammer Field in Fresno, CA, where he became an instructor in ground control interception and approach. After being promoted to captain in 1946, he ultimately retired from the service on Sept. 13, 1946, with his well-deserved Purple Heart and other decorations as a result of his combat injuries and service.
After the war, Mac joined the newly formed Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District, and was quickly promoted to Right of Way Agent. Mac parlayed that job into a career with what was then the California State Division of Highways in San Francisco, CA in 1951. His career with “CalTrans” included stints as Asst. Chief of the Right of Way Department and Chief of the Division of Aeronautics, retiring in 1984 after 33 years. He also continued his long love affair with flying, piloting small planes for business and pleasure trips until 1998.
Mac and Betty raised 4 children (Cheryl, John, Patty and Elizabeth), and continue to enjoy them as well as their grandchildren, great grandchildren, and the rest of their family.