Tales of the Himalayas
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
My name is Miki Louis and I am a registered nurse in the med/surg ICU at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church. A couple years ago I had the privilege of taking care of Lt. Col. George Wenrich, USAF Ret after by-pass surgery. During that time he and I bonded, and he and his wonderful wife are affectionately known to me as Aunt Joyce and Uncle George. I recently had dinner with them, and Uncle George told me he had run into a college classmate. That would be you. As I had inquired earlier about his WWII days as an Army Air Corps pilot, he lent me an autographed copy of your memoir, Born to Fly the Hump. He told me that except for one very unpleasant flight, the experiences you related were very close to his own. I have just finished your chapter. Let me quickly confess that I know very little about the China-Burma-India theater of war or World War Two itself. Now at the ripe old age of 34, I recall my high school history classes going only as far as the Great Depression. But I do know that were it not for people like you and Uncle George, I’d probably be writing this letter in German. Because of people like you two, and without ever having to be personally involved in a war, I get to enjoy freedom, which I hold very dear. I cannot say thank you enough. I feel a responsibility to you and to those who follow me to preserve that freedom for which you and millions of others sacrificed so much. I’d like to return Uncle George’s copy of your book directly and have my own copy. My check is enclosed. Please know that your service to our country is greatly appreciated. Regards, Miki Louis, R.N. I believe Miki was speaking for a great many young Americans who are going out of their way to say thanks to veterans. Until two years ago, no one ever said thanks to me. Although WWII veterans are not looking for thanks, certainly not for praise, it is extremely gratifying that Americans are realizing that freedom is not free. George and I appreciate Miki’s kind words.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This is a book of letters written to Carl Frey Constein, author of the WWII memoir Born to Fly the Hump. Most of the letters are from pilots and crew who also served in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. They tell of crashes and bailouts over the Himalayas and Burma, of mammoth thunderstorms and engine failures, of bombing runs out of China, of airdrops behind enemy lines. Other CBI veterans who served on the ground tell of rugged conditions in the high mountains of China and the dense jungles of Burma, or in the monsoons and heat of India. Wives and widows have written poignant, sincere letters of appreciation. The CBI was the theater of history’s first military airlift, General Chennault’s Flying Tigers, General Vinegar Joe Stilwell, Merrill’s Marauders and Wingate’s Chindits, the Burma Road. The letters illuminate the diversity and hardships of the CBI, where 350,000 Americans fought their war – and which history has all but overlooked.
About the Author
Carl Frey Constein was born in the eastern Pennsylvania town of Fleetwood. After working his way through college, he became a W.W. II aviation cadet and received his wings as pilot. He was sent to India to fly supplies and materiel to China over the Himalayan Hump. For his ninety-six round-trip flights he was awarded two Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He recalled his year in the China-India-Burma theater in the memoir Born to Fly the Hump, published by 1st Books Library. After the war Constein earned a doctorate at Temple University in English and Educational Administration. He has been a teacher, curriculum director, education writer, and superintendent of schools. Constein lives outside Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He lectures frequently about the Hump and the CBI to historical societies, aviation groups, library groups, and civic clubs. He is at work on a partly whimsical novel about an author whose books are published by a new breed of publishers.