“My CO ignored my requests for a medical leave. I asked a number of times because I had to prove to my parents that I was really alive and well. So, I stopped asking my CO and wrote a registered, certified letter to the big boss, President Kennedy. The President gave orders and money for a 31-day medical leave.”
By Raul Acevedo, Brea, CA
Let me start from the beginning, which for me in this writing is after the accident and the on the rescue ship Cellerina.
1962
It was on September 25 that the skies cleared and wind stopped. We were a few miles from the Irish coast and about 30 miles from the Cork Airport. I heard recently that it was a bright sunny day, but at the time I was in no condition to notice or appreciate it.
I was transferred by helicopter from the Celerina, over a costal point known as Galley Head, to the new Cork Airport, and then by ambulance to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Cork City. I was not in any condition for taking it all in and remembering.
I had injures in my legs, right ankle, right hip, my back and neck. After a full day and an overnight at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Cork, I was transferred to an Air Force Hospital in England. My mind is foggy about the details. It was in a small ambulance plane. I remember there was only 3 or 4 of us survivors and some high-ranking officers ready to cross the Channel (Irish Sea). Continue reading
Flying Tiger 923 