Eddie Huddleston

by Colleen Hobbs
(Austin, TX)

Eddie Huddleston was the tailgunner on my father's plane, the Wild Wolf. My father was Capt. Charles Hobbs of Hennessey, Oklahoma. I've been able to look at Huddleston's meticulously arranged scrapbook; the most striking story, for me, is that his crew mates removed him from the hospital, where he was being treated for a shrapnel wound, in order for him to participate in the Polesti, Romania, low-level bombing raid. The scrapbook also contains the picture of a 14-year-old boy who lied about his age to join the Army. When his age was discovered, the boy was given the choice: do you want to go home, or stay here? The boy stayed, and was killed on his next mission.

I'll be pleased to include photographs from Huddleston's scrapbook when they become available.