Edward Moore Penick Sr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in January 1922. Penick graduated from Little Rock High School in 1939 and attended the University of Arkansas [Annotator’s Note: in Fayetteville, Arkansas] until he entered service. He was in advanced ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] at the time war broke out. His father was a veteran of World War 1 [Annotator's Note: World War 1, global war originating in Europe; 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918] and had an inkling that another war was coming, so he signed Penick up in a Civilian Training Program when he was 16 years old so that he could get a commission in the infantry. Penick also learned to fly through a civilian program and had a commercial flying license. Penick joined the Army Air Corps on 10 December 1941 in Fayetteville. He then went home, and three weeks later he received orders to report to Williams Field [Annotator’s Note: Williams Air Force Base] in Chandler, Arizona. When he arrived, there were no barracks, so he had to sleep in a tent during the winter of 1942. After a month, he was sent to Santa Ana, California where he received uniforms and learned to be a soldier, and eventually began flying school. He completed his primary and basic training in Ontario, California, and was then sent to Roswell, New Mexico for twin-engine training in the summer of 1942. After two months, he graduated as a twin-engine plane pilot even though he did not fly them until the end of his training. He was sent to Colorado Springs, Colorado with 50 other pilots to begin the photographic reconnaissance program by outfitting P-38s [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft] with armament and cameras. He trained on mapping by flying around the Rocky Mountains. Penick was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to the 35th Photo Reconnaissance Group, but was then transferred to the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron and received orders to go overseas. He went to the infirmary and received shots and then collected all his clothing and equipment. The next day, he went to the airport, boarded a plane, and flew to Chicago [Annotator’s Note: Chicago, Illinois] and then West Palm Beach, Florida and waited for the arrival of P-38s. He did some runs in the P-38s before receiving orders to fly to China in a B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. They stopped in Puerto Rico, South America, Africa, and arrived in Karachi, India [Annotator’s Note: modern day Karachi, Pakistan] where his unit stayed for several days. He later flew over The Hump [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China] and into China. [Annotator’s Note: Clock dings at 0:15:23.000.]

Edward Moore Penick, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was sent overseas to Sichuan, China as part of the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron. His mission was to fly and take pictures of any enemy vessels in the straights and report their location. Their missions were so successful that the Japanese decided to bomb their area, and Penick and his unit were forced to evacuate the area and move to Guilin, China. It was more difficult to operate out of the area, but they did the best they could for two years. Penick was sent back to America in the spring of 1945. He reported to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, and then to Childress, Texas where he was assigned as the director of flying, training airmen to become bombardiers. When the war was over, he was separated from service in Texas. He returned home and attended college. He and his wife already had a two-year-old son and were expecting a second. His time in the war was a learning experience, and at age 23, he was a commanding officer of a squadron overseeing 150 men. He believes that his experience made him a man. Penick chose the Army Air Corps after listening to representatives from all branches of the military. He was walking up to his college campus when he heard the news of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Part of his job in China was mapping the inner part of the country. He flew a P-38 [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft] during his missions. His one major criticism of the plane was that it was impossible to bail out if he needed to. [Annotator’s Note: Interviewee gets the hiccups at 0:29:30.000.] He often returned to base with only one engine because the P-38 engines tended to quit working. The P-38 was a very dependable plane and worked well at high altitudes.

Edward Moore Penick, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was sent overseas to Sichuan, China as part of the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron [Annotator’s Note: He served 22 months in China with US Army Air Forces Major General Claire Lee Chennault’s 14th Air Force Group, the Flying Tigers]. Penick had to accept the fact that he flew a P-38 plane [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft] with no guns. He liked the plane overall and thought it was dependable. He appreciated that the plane had two engines which saved his life multiple times. He had a few scary moments and was almost shot down two times while flying over China. When Penick arrived in China, the Air Force was built up with Chennault’s volunteers and Chinese volunteers. Penick’s group lived in a Chinese quarter and was given Chinese food. The Americans were given strict orders not to eat food off the base because Chinese people fertilized their food with human waste. Most of his food consisted of rice, bread, hogs, chicken, vegetables, and fruit. The men who ran the mess hall did a very good job at preparing food and making sure everyone had enough to eat. Penick took trips to Calcutta [Annotator’s Note: Calcutta, or Kolkata, India] and brought back supplies of food and scotch. One airman asked to make a still, and all the commanders were asking for a sample. During the holidays, he was served turkey and other American dishes. The men found ways to entertain themselves by playing and singing music. There was a religious minister for a variety of faiths including Catholicism.

Edward Moore Penick, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was sent overseas to Sichuan, China as part of the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron [Annotator’s Note: He served 22 months in China with US Army Air Forces Major General Claire Lee Chennault’s 14th Air Force Group, the Flying Tigers]. He lived in barracks with eight others and a house boy. The heat came from a charcoal stove until later the Americans created a furnace using gas. He wore long underwear in the winter. The Air Transport Command would supply his regiment with the materials and ammunition they needed to do their job. Gasoline was a principal supply that was necessary to receive. It would arrive in a tanker. Penick felt for the airmen that had to fly the Hump [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China] every day. Penick had a razor back hog painted on his plane. The Chinese were very helpful and friendly. They understood why the Americans were over there. The Japanese had been vicious toward the Chinese population for several years. Penick was on one mission where they spotted Japanese vessels heading into a Chinese port about to raid the town, but the Americans were able to defend the Chinese people. Chennault assembled a civilian watch group that would report to the American base if they spotted any Japanese in the area. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 1:01:52.000.] Penick did not like the Japanese, and that their purpose was to dominate all of Asia including the Philippines. The Japanese took out a bridge and a railroad. Penick received the Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Flying Cross, or DFC, is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] for his mission taking pictures of a strip of river.

Edward Moore Penick, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was sent overseas to Sichuan and Guilin, China as part of the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron [Annotator’s Note: He served 22 months in China with US Army Air Forces Major General Claire Lee Chennault’s 14th Air Force Group, the Flying Tigers]. He was part of a mission to destroy a Japanese airplane by dropping bombs in a gas tank and photographing the event. Penick described Chenault as an intelligent and caring person. Penick liked photo reconnaissance because he felt that he knew more intelligence of the enemy. [Annotator’s Note: A clock dings at 1:12:25.000.] He liked being part of gathering the intel [Annotator’s Note: intelligence] of the enemy and later seeing bombers go out and attack the location because of the information he retrieved. His mission began by receiving a call from intelligence about a possible target area. He then prepared the plane and went on the mission to take pictures. When he returned, the cameras were immediately taken and the film was produced. During his time off, he played horseshoes and tried to learn Chinese. Penick rarely received news about the war in Europe. Receiving mail was spontaneous and undependable.

Edward Moore Penick, a pilot in the Army Air Corps, was sent overseas to Sichuan and Guilin, China as part of the 21st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron [Annotator’s Note: He served 22 months in China with US Army Air Forces Major General Claire Lee Chennault’s 14th Air Force Group, the Flying Tigers]. The terrain was very picturesque where he was located. He was stationed in the foothills of the Himalayas. During the winter, it would get cold and snowy. The weather influenced his missions because the skies had to be clear enough to take pictures. Monsoons in March were the worst and could not do anything until it passed. There were several incidents where he thought he would not make it back. There was one time when he was flying back to base from a mission while it was getting dark, and he was running out of gas. He could not locate Guilin. Finally, he saw a light and was able locate his base to land. Penick returned home in Spring 1945. He remembered when he heard the news about the death of Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, who died 12 April 1945]. He was in Childress, Texas when he heard the news that the war was over [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. Penick wanted to stay in the military, but his wife was ready to go back home. He was recalled to active duty in 1951 for the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953] because they needed pilots that knew how to fly in Asia. [Annotator’s Note: Woman can be seen in background at 1:30:45.000 and interrupts interview to 1:32:38.000.] He was sent to Barksdale Field in Louisiana to train to fly in a B-25 [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber]. He was allowed to apply for release of active duty and was granted because he had three dependents.

Edward Moore Penick was separated from service and returned to the University of Arkansas [Annotator’s Note: in Fayetteville, Arkansas] on the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to receive a degree in banking and finance. He was also given a job teaching at the university. World War 2 changed his life by making a man out of him. He commanded over 100 men at the age of 23 years old. He appreciated his education and believed it helped him. He had great support from his father who was a World War 1 [Annotator's Note: World War 1, global war originating in Europe; 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918] veteran. He had a stomach problem and his doctor prescribed him to play golf. Penick flew 67 missions during World War 2 and was wounded once while landing. He had trouble later in life with his back due to this injury. His war experience was a very formative time in his life. He was glad for his opportunity in China and working with Chennault [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Major General Claire Lee Chennault]. Penick believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because the war moved this country into a dominant position in this world. He fears that America is losing that position today. He is thankful for the G.I. Bill and believes that it helped many veterans improve their lives. He feels blessed in many ways, including having his wife, Evelyn, in his life.