William H. Muehleib Wheeler Field |
Information provided by William H. Muehleib. |
William Muehleib was born on February 23, 1922 in Allentown, PA and enlisted in the AAC for foreign service, Territory of Hawaii on June 28m, 1940 after graduation from high school in 1939. He was sworn into the service and sent to Ft. Slocum, NY to await transport to Hawaii. He arrived in Hawaii on the Leonardwood on November 2 and assigned to the 6th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field. "I was on temporary assignment to the Hawaiian Air Force Aviation Mechanic School and was in the 10th week of a twelve week course. Approximately 240 students were stationed at either Wheeler or Hickam Fields. We were billeted in a wing of very large consolidated barracks, which were probably two or three years old. About 20 November, the entire student population was told that, effective Monday, we would be relieved from our classes and would form a ground defense battalion, with perimeter positions around Hickam Field and other critical areas. We were scheduled to standard guard duty; two hours on and four hours off. We moved into six man pyramidal tents. The tents were located outside the old non-commissioned housing area. None of the ground defense people were authorized to leave the immediate area. On 6 December, we were told that on Monday, 8 December, we would be relieved by the 21st Inf. 3rd Bat. I came off duty at 0600 on Sunday the 7th, and was transported by truck to the mess hall for breakfast. I had finished eating and was back in my tent for some rest by 0700. I was fast asleep, when I was awakened by what sounded like explosions on Hickam Field. I looked out of the tent and noticed a low-flying aircraft, marked with red balls on the wings, dropping bombs on the hangar's at Hickam. In a matter of minutes we were dressed, with our equipment, waiting for trucks to pick-up and drop us off at our duty stations. While waiting for the truck we could watch the Japanese aircraft flying over the field and see the bombs release from the wings and arc for their targets. The nose was intense from the bombs. We could see the explosions and the resulting fires, as well as damage to the flight line, the hanger area and consolidated barracks. We were firing personal weapons from our tent area. When there was a break in the action, we loaded into the trucks and sped toward the road to the bomb dump, which crossed the runways and was therefore in plain view of any attacking aircraft. Just as we cleared the runway area, a Japanese dive bomber equipped with 20 mm cannon and 7.7 machine guns firing forward and rear gunner with a machine gun spotted on our vehicles. As they got into position to strafe our trucks, the driver pulled to the side and we all cleared out and laid in a straight line, one man behind the other, with our tin hats jammed up against the butt of the chap in front of us and our legs spread out for the chap behind. The Japanese had no shortage of more important targets than our 2 ½ ton trucks. Our trucks proceeded to drop us off at our gun positions. By this time we were able to reflect on all that was happening. It was as if we were totally disconnected we were watching all of this happening around us. The sky was black from the burning ships at Pearl Harbor, and from the hanger and barracks area at Hickam to a lesser degree. A second attack got underway, but we were do distant from the flying aircraft, which were concentrating at the harbor, that we never fired a round. Later in the day, someone in command decided that, with the large Japanese population on the island, the water was surely poisoned. Of course, we had already drunk half the water, so we wondered how soon we had to live. Every stomach movement was a convincing reminder that the poison was taking action. Every little facial movement from your partner was proof that he was a victim. The warning served its purpose. No one drank the water until it was declared safe. The spirits of the troops could not have been higher for weeks following the attack. It was never too much trouble to do anything requested by anyone. The greatest joy was in running across a friend that you had no way of knowing until that moment whether he had survived the attack. The downer, of course, was when you confirmed that another friend didn't make it. Thereafter, flights of the squadron were rotated throughout the Pacific on night fighter missions. He returned from Canton Island in May 1943 and rotated back to the states in June 1943. Discharged from the service as a line chief, tech sergeant September 1945 from Fresno, CA. William returned to Pennsylvania and worked as a salesman until recalled for the Korean Conflict and assigned to a B-29 organization. Later transitioned into the first jet bomber squadrons with B-47s. Was separated in December of 1952 to return to sales position with SCM Corporation at various locations until resigning from the posisiton of director of Federal Government Sales in Washington, DC to start his own computer support business selling to the federal government in July of 1971. He sold the business in April of 1995. He has spent the time since, traveling, skiing and playing golf, as well as visiting with his four children and seven grandchildren. |
