Today, we were afforded an incredible opportunity to interview Mr. Ray Owen, 94, of Northville, our first World War II fighter pilot. Trevor Larson and I spent nearly three hours at his home, absolutely riveted as he told us in great detail about his experiences as a U.S. Naval Reserve officer stationed aboard the USS Wasp in 1944-45. 
His memory is remarkable. He told us about his training, about the daily combat air patrol flights over the fleet and strike missions to targets in the Phillipines, Okinawa, coastal China and mainland Japan with the “Freelancers” of VF-81.
Among the highlights he shared was a story about a close call he had over the Phillipines. He lost a 3-foot section of a wing to anti-aircraft fire and landed his F6F Hellcat on the Wasp using his ailerons, which were somehow spared damage. Yeah.
We’ll share his story and many more when we unveil the Veterans History Project at the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum on April 23. Look for more details soon.
War Stories 