[Annotator’s Note: There is traffic noise in the background throughout this segment.] Thomas Beary was born Whitman, Massachusetts in January 1925. He attended high school for three years before applying for aviation cadet school. He was accepted into the program. Beary heard over the radio when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. All of his friends immediately signed up for the Navy, but Beary was a few months younger and was not eligible. After Beary was accepted into the program and was sent to Jefferson Barracks [Annotator’s Note: Jefferson Barracks, Missouri] and Sioux Falls, South Dakota for radio school after he was washed out from the aviation program. Beary kept falling asleep during his radio shifts, so he was transferred to radar training, and then to gunnery school in Madison Wisconsin. He was then sent to Arizona and instructed at a gunnery school for a short time. He was then assigned a B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] crew and report to Tucson, Arizona for overseas training for a month. He recalled getting stuck in a ball turret while the plane was landing. His crew was shipped over from Boston [Annotator’s Note: Boston, Massachusetts] to Liverpool [Annotator’s Note: Liverpool, England]. He remembered everyone got sick on the ship. His crew was assigned to the 532nd Bombardment Squadron, 381st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force at the end of 1944. He started training on B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] while in England and completed his first mission in January 1945 after he turned 20 years old. His first mission was a target just below Frankfurt [Annotator’s Note: Frankfurt, Germany]. He remembered it was a scary experience because of all the flak and flak bursts. He said they were successful, except two planes in his squadron crashed while they were trying to land. He talked about how he missed the opportunity to receive his flying jacket because he was on a mission. Beary said that his crew had P-51 [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] escorts during his missions. He also saw some German jet fighters, but there were never enough of them, and they never had enough fuel.

[Annotator’s Note: There is traffic noise in the background throughout this segment.] Thomas Beary served with the 532nd Bombardment Squadron, 381st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force during World War 2. His planes were often shot up with flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] and one time it hit his engine. One of his jobs was to throw out aluminum foil to mess up the enemy’s radio communication. His targets were usually railroad yards and submarine pens. He mostly bombed in Germany, and sometimes France and Yugoslavia. He had some close calls and minor slip ups during some of his missions. He only saw the German Luftwaffe attack his plane once during all his missions. He was assigned as the radio man on his crew and was stationed near the ball turret position. His plane was never shot down, but had a few rough landings because of the foggy weather.

[Annotator’s Note: There is traffic noise in the background throughout this segment.] Thomas Beary served with the 532nd Bombardment Squadron, 381st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Forces during World War 2 based out of Ridgewell, England. He does not recall any attacks on the base, but they did have a defense. Whenever they went on a tough mission, they were given fresh eggs for breakfast before they set out. Beary spoke highly of his pilot and trusted in his skills. Beary completed 34 missions before the Germans surrendered [Annotator’s Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945]. He also had two aborted missions and had to release the bombs in the water. Sometimes he received passes [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to go to London [Annotator’s Note: London, England], Ireland, and Scotland. He left England in June 1945 and was discharged in October 1945 after having enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. Beary felt like he had done something by participating in the war, and he established some good friendships. He believes that Americans are patriotic and support the troops today. He believes that Americans did what they had to do to win World War 2. Beary 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.