Army & Navy - HEROES: Ben Kuroki, American

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"We went in at 50 feet—into terrible antiaircraft fire," he remembers. "Our planes would crash and we could see our buddies burning in their planes. Our group commander's plane was hit and he gunned it up so his men could get out. I saw three chutes leave, but I don't think two of the men landed alive. Then the commander dove his plane right into the biggest building in town. No man who went to Ploesti will ever forget it."

Only two of the nine Liberators in Ben's "Eager Beaver" squadron came back. The sight of empty bunks and mess lines haunted him; he could not sleep for three nights. Yet when his prescribed 25 missions had been fulfilled, he turned down a chance to fly home, volunteered instead for an extra five.

Four of them were over Germany, and on the last one his luck almost ran out. He was flying as top-turret gunner over Münster when a flak burst hit the turret dome, shattered his goggles, tore off his oxygen mask. Copilot and radioman pulled him down and revived him with an emergency mask. After that, Ben got his orders for home.

When he is ready for combat again, Ben Kuroki hopes to go to the Pacific theater. His roommate at Santa Monica now is Tail Gunner Edward Bates, who lost a brother in the Pacific. Says Ben: "I promised him the first Zero I get will be for his brother."