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Her Commander Called Her Weak—Until She Flew Into Enemy Fire Alone to Save His Captain at Last! — Transcript

by Veteran Legends · 2,490 words · 380 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00The radio call came in at 5:42 in the
0:02evening and every pilot in the hangar
0:04stopped moving. Mayday, Mayday, this is
0:08Falcon 1. I am going down. Repeat, I am
0:11going down.
0:13It was the voice of Captain Daniel
0:15Rhodes, calm as always, even now. Then
0:18came a burst of static, a long hiss, and
0:21nothing else. Lieutenant Nora Blake
0:23dropped her coffee cup. It shattered on
0:25the concrete floor, but nobody turned to
0:27look. Every eye was fixed on the little
0:30speaker on the wall as if it might speak
0:32again. It did not.
0:34Within minutes, the whole squadron was
0:36packed into the briefing room at Eagle
0:38Ridge airbase. Major Frank Dalton stood
0:40beside a large map, his jaw tight.
0:43Rhodes was the best pilot he had ever
0:45trained and everyone knew Dalton thought
0:47of him almost as a son.
0:49"Falcon [snorts] 1 went down in the Grey
0:51Teeth Mountains," Dalton said. His voice
0:54was steady, but his hands were not. "His
0:56emergency beacon is still sending. That
0:59means he is alive." A quiet wave of
1:01relief moved through the room. Then
1:03Dalton raised a hand. "But those
1:05mountains are full of enemy guns and it
1:07will be dark within the hour. Flying in
1:10at night would only give us two lost
1:12aircraft instead of one. We will gather
1:14a full strike team and go in at first
1:16light tomorrow." Nora felt her stomach
1:18turn cold. Tomorrow. She stood at the
1:21back of the room with her flight helmet
1:23under her arm. For nearly a year, the
1:25major had made it clear what he thought
1:27of her. Weak. He said it in front of
1:29everyone. In the mess hall, on the
1:31flight line, in the briefing room, until
1:34the word followed her around the base
1:35like a shadow.
1:37It had started on a freezing night last
1:39winter. Ice had formed across the
1:41runway, so Nora pulled up, circled, and
1:44waited for the ground crew to clear it.
1:46Dalton told the whole squadron she had
1:48been afraid. What he never learned,
1:50because he never asked, was that the
1:51next plane to land slid off the runway
1:54on the same ice and broke its wing.
1:56But now she thought of her father. He
1:59had been a mail pilot in the northern
2:00hills.
2:01On summer weekends, he had taken her up
2:03in his little yellow plane and flown her
2:05through those very mountains, showing
2:07her every valley, river bend, and narrow
2:10pass. "A good pilot is not the one who
2:13never feels fear," he used to tell her.
2:15"A good pilot is the one who feels it
2:17and flies anyway."
2:19She knew the gray teeth better than
2:21anyone in this room, and she knew
2:23something the major did not.
2:25She raised her hand.
2:27"Sir, the enemy guns in that valley pull
2:29back to the ridge at sundown. For about
2:3140 minutes, the low route along the
2:34river is almost clear. After that, they
2:36spread across the whole canyon. Tomorrow
2:39at first light, they will be waiting for
2:41us."
2:41Dalton did not even turn to face her.
2:44"Sit down, Blake." "Sir, Captain Rhodes
2:47does not have until morning. A patrol
2:49always checks the valley before dark.
2:51They will find his crash site."
2:53Now the major turned. His eyes were
2:55cold. "I said sit down. This is not a
2:58mission for a pilot who freezes when
2:59things get hard. We go at first light.
3:02Is that understood?" Lieutenant Ben
3:04Carter, beside the door, gave her a
3:06small sad look. He believed her, but
3:09nobody said a word.
3:11"Understood, sir," Nora said quietly.
3:13She sat down, but she did not stay
3:16there.
3:16The briefing ended 20 minutes later.
3:19While the others drifted toward the mess
3:20hall, Nora walked the other way, out
3:23onto the dark flight line and into the
3:25long hangar at the far end. Sergeant
3:28Ruth Ellis was there, wiping oil from
3:30her hands with a rag. She had kept the
3:32squadron's planes flying for 20 years.
3:35She looked at Nora's face, then at the
3:37helmet in her hand, and did not need to
3:39be told anything. "The wasp at the end,"
3:41Ruth said. "Two seats, full tanks. I
3:44topped her off an hour ago. I had a
3:46feeling."
3:48Nora stared at her. "Ruth, if I take
3:50that plane, the major will have my
3:52wings.
3:53Then he will have to take them from
3:54someone who brought his captain home."
3:56Ruth tossed the rag onto a shelf. "Go
3:58on. I will keep the tower busy as long
4:01as I can."
4:02Nora's eyes burned.
4:04She could not find the words to say
4:05thank you, so she squeezed the older
4:07woman's hand. Then she ran. The Wasp was
4:10a rugged, twin-engine plane built for
4:13rough ground and hard work. It was not
4:15fast, and it was not pretty, but it
4:18could land on a short strip of gravel,
4:20and in the gray teeth, that mattered
4:22most.
4:23She strapped in and started the engines.
4:25They roared awake. Across the base, a
4:28light snapped on in the control tower.
4:30"Wasp four, this is tower." A voice
4:33crackled. "You are not cleared for
4:35takeoff. Repeat, you are not cleared.
4:38Return to the hangar immediately."
4:41Nora reached out and switched off the
4:42radio. The plane rolled forward. The
4:45runway lights blurred into golden
4:47streaks, and then the base fell away
4:49beneath her, and the whole world became
4:51sky. The sun was sinking behind the
4:53mountains when the gray teeth rose ahead
4:55of her. They looked like a row of dark,
4:57broken teeth against a sky of red and
5:00orange, beautiful and terrible.
5:02Nora took a deep breath and brought the
5:04Wasp down low, so low that the pine
5:07trees brushed beneath her belly. Flying
5:09low kept her under most of the enemy
5:11radar. It was the only way in.
5:14"Dad," she whispered, "fly with me."
5:17The first valley passed in a blur of
5:19rock and shadow. The second was
5:21narrower. She tilted the wings and slid
5:23between two cliffs with barely enough
5:25room to spare.
5:27Then a harsh beeping filled the cockpit,
5:29and a red light flashed across her
5:31panel.
5:32"Radar lock."
5:34Somewhere on the ridge, an enemy crew
5:36had found her. A bright streak of light
5:38rose from the trees, climbing fast. Nora
5:41yanked the stick left and dove into a
5:43deep canyon. The streak flashed past her
5:45wing and burst against the rock wall in
5:47a ball of orange fire.
5:49She did not breathe until the canyon
5:51walls closed around her again. Another
5:53light rose, then another. She hugged the
5:56curves of the river and let the
5:57mountains shield her. A third one
5:59clipped her tail. The Wasp shuddered,
6:02and a strip of metal tore away with a
6:03horrible screech. Nora wrestled the
6:06controls and kept the nose pointing
6:07forward. "Come on," she muttered. "Come
6:10on, old girl. Stay with me." The plane
6:12steadied. Then, without warning, a voice
6:15came out of the dashboard. She had
6:17switched off the radio.
6:19Then she understood. It was the old
6:21emergency channel, the one that could
6:23not be turned off from the cockpit.
6:25"Wasp 4, this is Dalton."
6:28Nora froze.
6:29"I know you can hear me, Lieutenant."
6:31His voice was rough, almost
6:33unrecognizable. "I am not calling to
6:35order you back. I am watching the tower
6:37radar and I can see the enemy guns
6:40lighting up. There is a battery on the
6:42north ridge, 2 miles ahead. It is
6:44waiting for you right now. Do you copy?"
6:47Nora swallowed.
6:49"I copy, sir."
6:50"Stay low. Stay in the river bend. Do
6:53not climb above the tree line, whatever
6:55happens."
6:56It was not the voice of an angry
6:58commander. It was the voice of a man who
7:00was afraid for her.
7:02"Thank you, sir," she said.
7:04"Do not thank me," Dalton said. "Just
7:06bring him home."
7:08The line went quiet. Nora flew on. Far
7:11below, in the growing dark, Captain
7:13Daniel Rhodes lay against a rock with
7:15his broken leg stretched out in front of
7:17him. His plane was a smoking wreck a few
7:20yards away. His flare gun lay in his lap
7:23with two flares left.
7:25Trucks were coming up the road, their
7:27headlights sweeping across the trees
7:29like searching eyes. Rhodes closed his
7:31eyes and thought of his wife and the
7:33little girl waiting for him at home.
7:35Then he heard something else, a low,
7:37steady hum rolling through the valley
7:39like thunder.
7:41Not an enemy engine. He knew the sound
7:43of a Wasp. His eyes snapped open. Nora
7:46saw the smoke first, a thin black line
7:49rising from the trees beside the river.
7:51Then she saw the trucks racing along the
7:54narrow road, half a mile from the crash
7:56site.
7:57She had no way to stop them and only one
7:59idea, and it was a terrible one.
8:02She pushed the throttles forward and
8:03climbed.
8:05It was the one thing Dalton had told her
8:06not to do, but the trucks had to look at
8:09her, not at the crash site.
8:11She rose above the tree line and rolled
8:13the Wasp into a wide roaring pass right
8:15over their heads.
8:16The whole hillside woke up. Guns opened
8:19from three directions. Streaks of light
8:21flew past her canopy like angry
8:23fireflies. A warning light flashed red
8:26as the left engine began to cough and
8:28smoke.
8:29Nora did not turn away. She swung the
8:31nose around and made a second pass, even
8:33lower, and this time the trucks skidded
8:36to a stop. The drivers jumped out and
8:38scattered into the trees, shielding
8:40their faces from the thundering plane.
8:42It was enough.
8:44Below her, a bright red flare burst into
8:46the dusk sky and hung there like a tiny
8:49sun. "I see you, Captain." Nora
8:51whispered, her voice shaking. "I see
8:54you." She had perhaps 2 minutes. Beside
8:57the river lay a narrow bar of gravel, no
9:00longer than a school playground.
9:02Any other pilot would have called it
9:03impossible.
9:05Nora lined up the Wasp, lowered the
9:07flaps, and shut down the burning engine.
9:10The wheels struck hard. The right
9:12landing gear folded and the wing
9:14scraped, throwing up a spray of gravel
9:16as the plane spun in a grinding circle
9:19and rocked to a stop.
9:21For 1 second, the world was silent.
9:24Then Nora tore off her harness, threw
9:26back the canopy, and jumped down. Her
9:28legs shook, but she ran.
9:31She found Rhodes crawling toward her
9:32through the brush, dragging his injured
9:34leg. His face gray with pain. He stared
9:37at her as if she were a dream.
9:40"Blake?" He said hoarsely. "They sent
9:42you? Alone?" "Nobody sent me, sir." She
9:46said, sliding her shoulder under his
9:48arm. "Can you stand?" "I can try." "Then
9:51try fast." Together, they staggered back
9:54toward the river.
9:55Behind them, boots thudded through the
9:57trees. Nora lifted Rhodes into the rear
10:00seat and eased his injured leg into
10:02place. She slammed the canopy shut,
10:05jumped into the front, and hit the
10:07starter.
10:08The one good engine coughed, caught, and
10:11roared.
10:12"Hold on," she said.
10:14The gravel bar was far too short. Nora
10:17pushed the throttle all the way forward.
10:19The plane bounced and shuddered over the
10:20rocks. The river rushed up toward the
10:22nose. She pulled back on the stick with
10:25all her strength, and the Wasp lurched
10:27into the air with only inches to spare
10:28above the water.
10:30Bullets followed them up through the
10:31trees. One struck the canopy and left a
10:34long white crack. Rhodes ducked his head
10:37and gripped his seat. "Keep going," he
10:39said. "Keep going, Nora." It was the
10:42first time he had ever used her first
10:44name.
10:45They climbed out of the valley with
10:46smoke trailing behind them like a long
10:48gray flag. The fuel needle was sinking.
10:50Ahead lay the border pass, a narrow gap
10:53between two peaks, and beyond it the sky
10:55was dark and quiet and safe.
10:57"We are not going to make it," Rhodes
10:59said softly, looking at the gauge.
11:02"Yes, we are," Nora said. "My father
11:05always said to fly it until the wheels
11:07stop." The emergency channel crackled
11:09again. "Wasp four, this is Dalton. We
11:12have you on radar. Every light on the
11:14base is on. We are lighting the runway
11:16with trucks."
11:18Nora looked ahead. Far off in the
11:20darkness, she saw a long line of golden
11:22lights shining on the ground. She flew
11:25through the pass with the peaks so close
11:27she could almost touch them. The engine
11:29sputtered once and went silent. She did
11:31not panic. She trimmed the plane to
11:33glide, just as her father had taught
11:35her, and let the long line of lights
11:37pull her home. The wheels hit the runway
11:40hard, and the Wasp skidded in a shower
11:42of sparks before groaning to a stop.
11:44Then there was silence. Then a roar of
11:47voices.
11:48The whole squadron was running toward
11:50her. Ruth Ellis was first, tears
11:52streaming down her face. Ben Carter came
11:55next, shouting and waving his arms.
11:57Medics lifted Rhodes out, pale and
11:59tired, but smiling.
12:01"Take care of my leg," he told them.
12:04"But first, somebody shake her hand."
12:07Nora climbed down from the cockpit on
12:09trembling legs and found Major Dalton
12:11standing in front of her.
12:13He looked at the plane, at the bent
12:15gear, the smoking engine, and the holes
12:18along its sides, and his face changed.
12:20For a long time, he did not speak.
12:23"Five years ago," he said at last, his
12:26voice low, "I lost a young pilot because
12:29I let him fly too fast and too proud.
12:32After that, I started calling careful
12:34pilots weak because I thought it would
12:36make them tougher. I was wrong,
12:38Lieutenant. You were never weak. You
12:41were thoughtful. You read the ice. You
12:43knew the mountains, and you flew into
12:45the fire anyway because someone needed
12:47you." Nora's throat tightened. "Sir, I
12:50would have done it for anyone." "I
12:51know," he said. "That is exactly why I
12:54should have listened."
12:56Then, in front of the whole squadron,
12:58Major Frank Dalton stood up straight and
13:01raised his hand in a crisp, perfect
13:03salute. One by one, every pilot on the
13:06runway did the same.
13:08Nora returned the salute, too tired to
13:10smile and too full of feeling to speak.
13:13Overhead, the stars shone clear above
13:16the mountains. She thought of her father
13:18and his little yellow plane, and she
13:20knew he was watching.
13:21As the medics carried him toward the
13:23hospital building, Rhodes reached out
13:25and caught her hand one last time. "You
13:27flew into the guns when nobody else
13:29would," he said. "I will never forget
13:32it. Neither will my daughter when she is
13:34old enough to hear the story." Nora
13:35smiled at last, and the tears she had
13:38held back all night finally came. From
13:40that night on, nobody at Eagle Ridge
13:42ever called her weak again. And when the
13:44next rescue flight was formed, it was
13:46Nora Blake who led it.

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