Homeward Bound
On October 23, 1943, with his arm nearly completely healed, Gerry stepped out of the transport plane in London following his flight from Gibraltar that morning. He immediately made his way back to his colonel’s office.
“Sergeant Papineau returning for duty, sir.”
“Welcome back, son. You boys had a rough one on the way back from Hamburg. We lost a lot of planes that day, and a lot of men, and some we still don’t know about.”
“Anyone else get back from Little Nell, sir?”
“Only two, Captain Huckabee and Corporal Gardner. The captain said a lot of them never made it to the ground alive.”
“Gardner, sir, Phil Gardner? You did say Corporal Gardner, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. His chute landed in Belgium, but closer to Holland. He was lucky, bad leg and all. The Belgian resistance patched up his leg, and after a couple of weeks of rest and recuperation, they were able to smuggle him out by fishing boat to Ouddorp, where we brought him back. Looks like both of you are going home, Sergeant.”
“Is he still here, sir?”
“Not right now. He’s over at MI9 getting debriefed about the underground help he got. But he’s okay, although he’ll never fly again with that leg, pretty shattered. Did you see him jump when the plane went down?”
“Yes, sir, he jumped just before me, but that was the last I saw of him.”
“The Belgian guys said when they found him, his leg was all wrapped in his scarf, and it was on so tight, he couldn’t have done that by himself. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
“No, sir, we were separated pretty fast.”
“That’s not what I asked, son. Did you help Corporal Gardner secure his wounded leg before he jumped out?”
“What does it matter, sir? All that matters is that he is okay, isn’t it?”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Sir, any chance I can stay on here and hook up with another squadron?”
“Sorry, son, all injured returning airmen escaping the enemy are sent home. You should be happy, Sergeant. For you, the war is over.”
A few minutes later, Gerry entered the barracks where the crew of Little Nell had been bedded down. He gazed at the empty bunks and could visualize the images of each crew member as he went from bunk to bunk. “Why did I live and so many of the crew die?” he asked himself.
“Welcome back, Sergeant,” the voice called out from the doorway to the barracks.
“Captain, so good to see you again, sir,” Gerry yelled as he gripped Captain Huckabee’s greeting hand.
“I heard you were shot in the arm before we went down. Are you alright?”
“Just fine, sir. I heard Phil Gardner made it back too. I hope to see him again.”
“I know what you did for Corporal Gardner, Gerry. I saw the whole thing as I was getting set to head for the cargo door from the cockpit. He wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you.”
“He would have done the same for me, sir. I just happened to be the last guy around.”
“Around long enough to knock out two fighters and bandage a fellow crewman?”
“That’s my job, sir.”
“Your job, Gerry, was to protect the plane from enemy fighters, and I can’t think of anyone who could do that better than you. Gardner and you were the only two left on the plane back there, and he never would have made it without you. That’s more than your job, Gerry. Most guys would have saved their own skin first. I saw you putting on Gardner’s chute when yours was lying on the floor. He couldn’t have put on that chute by himself in the condition he was in.”
“I just hope I get a chance to see him again, sir. He was very helpful to me when I joined the squadron. He made me feel I was part of the team. I owe him a lot.”
“You owe him a lot? You are one of a kind, Sergeant. I hope my kids think like you. People get commendations for this sort of thing, you know.”
“Thank you, sir, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m just glad he made it.”
Gerry wasn’t prepared to leave the barracks, and asked the captain if he could stay the night there.
“We have nicer space for you in the recovery barracks, just two doors from here. That’s where I’m staying before we head out for home next week. But you’re welcome to stay here tonight if you want. You can come over to the other place in the morning.”
Gerry plopped his duffel bag to the floor, and lied down on his bunk. Within a few minutes, he could sense himself about to doze off when the barracks’ door opened and the sound of someone walking on crutches aroused him.
“Gerry Papineau, you made it. I didn’t think you’d have time to harness up when the plane started its nose dive,” yelled Phil Gardner with a grin from ear to ear. He hobbled toward Gerry and they hugged each other for the longest time. When they finally separated, Gardner was sobbing uncontrollably as he gazed at Gerry.
“You saved my life, Gerry. No way could I have put on the parachute harness with this leg the way it was. When I hit the ground, I was out cold. I woke up hours later in a bed hidden in the attic of a farmhouse in Kockelberg, Belgium, near the border to Holland. The wife of the farmer said the scarf on my leg was tied so tight, the wound had about completely stopped bleeding. You did that, didn’t you?”
“It was no big deal, Phil. I was hoping I’d get to land somewhere near you, but by the time I got into my own chute and jumped, I don’t know how miles more the plane had gone when it started the spiral. The captain actually jumped out after me. He was just fine. Did you see him?”
“Yes, I was with him last night when we heard that a Sergeant Gerard Papineau was coming in today. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.”
They both headed toward the airmen’s canteen and mess hall for some food and drink and hours of conversation. The rest of the week was spent getting ready to go home. The captain, Gardner, and Gerry would receive honorable discharges once they landed on American soil. Their destination was Langley, Virginia, where they had received their flight training. From there, Captain Huckabee would fly home to Des Moines, Iowa. Phil Gardner was headed to San Antonio, Texas, while Gerry would fly to Providence.
Thoughts of Lily were constantly on his mind, but any efforts by Gerry to convince the Army to send him back to Europe were fruitless. The terminal in Providence was really located in Warwick, Rhode Island, but for some reason, citing the major city in Rhode Island on flight directories caught more attention. As Gerry toted his duffel bag over his shoulder, dressed in his Army uniform, he walked out the main doors and was met, by of all people, Mr. Trudeau, Roland’s father.
“I bumped into your mother yesterday at the restaurant, and she mentioned that you were coming in today. I thought maybe I’d offer you a lift home, unless someone else is picking you up.”
“Actually, Mr. Trudeau, I was going to take a bus to Providence, and then transfer to the Woonsocket line, which goes through Lincoln. I’ll be staying with her for a while, until I decide what to do next.”
“Great. My car is right across the street in the parking lot. How was it over there?” he asked.
“Not so good, sir. I was a tail gunner on a B-17 bomber, and our plane went down after a mission to Hamburg. After I parachuted out of the plane, I landed in a field in Belgium, where a nice local family hid me and took care of my arm wound until the underground helped me to escape through France into Spain. A lot of planes go down each day, sir.”
“Are you okay? Are you still nursing the arm?”
“I’m fine, sir. I’m happy to be home,” he answered. That was a lie. If he could have been with Lily at this moment, he would have jumped at the opportunity. He had to figure out how to get back to Belgium as soon as he could.
“Gerry, once you’re settled with your mom, and you want to get back to work, I could use a good waiter at The Cottage Club. I think Roland was watching out for you from up there,” Mr. Trudeau noted as he pointed his index finger skyward.
“I still miss him, Mr. Trudeau, as I’m sure your whole family does. Thanks for the offer. I’ll give it some thought.”
When Trudeau’s car pulled up in front of Henriette’s apartment house, she saw Gerry get out of the car in his dress uniform. She rushed to the front door and stood there in silence as she opened the door. Gerry spotted her and dropped his duffel bag on the sidewalk in front of the house. He walked briskly toward her and both of them were crying as he hugged his mother for what seemed to be an eternity.
“I told you I’d be back, Mom. For a time, I wasn’t so sure, but God wasn’t ready yet for me to meet up with Dad. You’re going to be stuck with me for a while.”
“I made a lot of friends while you were gone, Gerry, but I prayed for you to be safe every single day you were away. Welcome home, son,” she said as she would not let him go.
“I’ve asked Uncle Henry to join us for dinner tonight. Wasn’t that nice of Roland’s father to offer to pick you up at the airport?”
“He’s a nice man. He offered me a job at his restaurant. I may take him up on it, but not yet. I need some time to myself and with you.”