The TBM Avenger was a very successful torpedo bomber made by General Motors in World War II. I've heard a lot of grand stories from my dad about his training in this plane. They were daredevils who would have gotten into a lot of trouble if it hadn't been war time. A friend of his dive bombed a farmer off of his tractor out near the Salton Sea. Yeah, daredevils and a little bit stupid at times. They also buzzed a ferris wheel in San Diego. People at the park reported seeing two planes go down in the Pacific. My dad and his buddy in the other plane were sent on a mission to find the downed pilots. Of course, they were looking for themselves, but never told HQ that. Yeah, it takes a certain breed to be a Naval Aviator.
You can read about the TBM Avenger here.
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I remember when I found out that actor Paul Newman had hoped to be a Naval Aviator, but it didn't happen because he was color-blind. He did however end up as a gunner and radioman in TBM's. I remember looking at my dad and saying, "Oh my how different our lives might have been if Paul Newman had been your radioman/gunner." Alas, he was not in my dad's squadron.
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An American Dream is the latest book in my series of vernacular photography books. The American dream of owning a home through vintage vernacular photographs. The focus is on the people who lived within the homes as well as the varied architecture from the late 1800s to the 1960s.
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