May 20, 2016 • CEDAR STREETTimes • Page 29

Preserving World War II History, One Hero at a Time
Keepers of our Culture
Guest Columnist
William F. Meyer


In honor of the upcoming Memorial
Day holiday, "Keepers of Our Culture"
presents an excerpt from local resident
William F. Meyer's book Remembrances.
In this volume, published in 2016 by Park
Place Publications, Bill Meyer presents the
stories of ten men and two women who
served during World War II, as well as
their life histories before and after the war.
The following excerpt focuses on
Glen Ryland, a native of Stockton who
developed a fascination with aviation
when, as a young boy, he followed Lindbergh's historic flight on the radio. He was
working as a mechanic as McClellan Army
Air Base near Sacramento on December
7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl
Harbor. He joined the Army Air Corps and
became a pilot.
Diving Straight Down 'Like a Bullet'
The Army Air Force was impressed
by Glen's flying skills and assigned him
to test a new aircraft, the P-63, nicknamed
"The King Cobra." It was a unique aircraft
with a rear mounted engine turning a
three–bladed propeller via a shaft running
under the cockpit floor.
Unfortunately, although heavily
armed, the P-63 had structural flaws. In
one test flight, Glen put the P-63 into a
steep dive and the right wing broke off.
That caused the plane to snap to the right,
breaking off the left wing. Then the tail
section also broke off. Glen suddenly
found his aircraft diving straight down—
"like a bullet."
Glen's head was struck hard and he
could not see. However, he was able to
get out the door of the airplane as the right
wing dinged the door ajar, escaping from
the doomed craft at about 1,000 feet above
the ground. Glen opened his parachute,
some of his vision returned, and he knew
he would hit the ground quickly. When
the parachute opened, the shoulder straps
shattered his clavicle. He hit the ground
safely but in great pain.
Everyone Thought He Was Dead
A farmer who was in the area happened to see Glen land safely and his
airplane crash in flames. The farmer put
Glen in the back of his truck and drove him
to the hospital. This caused Glen immense
pain as the vehicle bounced up and down
over the furrowed field. Glen survived.
However, for a time the Army Air Corps
and his buddies thought he was dead. He
was then sent to an Army hospital where
the doctor re-broke Glen's clavicle so it
would heal properly.
Above – Glen Ryland, then and now.
Above, right– "Remembrances," by local resident William F. Meyer, is a collection of stories of the "ordinary heroes" of
World War II, published in 2016 by Park Place Publications.
Glen was later transferred to a fighter
squadron to clear the skies in the northwest
of Japanese airplanes as well as destroying some of their submarines. Glen later
received an assignment to practice skip
bombing in his P-38 before making a
top-secret strike on a target in the Pacific.
The war with Japan ended on August 5,
1945, stopping that last attack.
Continuing to Serve
Country and Community
During the Cold War, Glen managed
the U.S. contracts supporting the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with
the building of American types of fighter
planes. Later, he became President, CEO
and Chairman of Frontier Airlines, as well
as President of RYCO, a firm that provided
aviation equipment and services to various
airlines, General Manager of Aviation
Consultants and as Director of the Air
Transportation Association of America. He
has served the community as a Trustee of
the UC Berkeley Association and member
of the Executive Board of Boy Scouts of
America.
Bill Meyer's book is an excellent
example of preserving stories of ordinary
people performing extraordinary deeds to
provide inspiration and guidance to future
generations. His project becomes all the
more poignant—and urgent—as we reflect
on this Memorial Day weekend as to how
few of these World War II heroes are left
with us. Patricia Hamilton and Joyce
Krieg urge readers to preserve their own
stories and their family histories by writing
them down and sharing them with others.
To find out more about the writing, editing,
book design, publication, and marketing
services offered by Park Place Publications, and for a free consultation, contact
Patricia at 831/649-6640, publishingbiz@sbc.global.net.

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(9/27/21)