WWII vet — presumed dead 72 years ago after crash landing — recounts tale of peril and extraordinary

[Omaha Steve]

I forgot to x post this from GD.




MEGAN SMITH/THE WORLD-HERALD
B.J. Skuda, Lawrence O'Neal and John Boosalis (from left to right) pose for a photo during their pickup by Navy seaplane. The trio crashed landed at sea near Erromango during an antisub patrol in the Pacific during WWII. The group delt with thirst, hunger and Boosalis contracted malaria.

http://www.omaha.com/news/military/wwii-vet-presumed-dead-years-ago-after-crash-landing-recounts/article_692286aa-f7a3-590b-9c98-47e96df78405.html


POSTED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 12:30 AM | UPDATED: 2:59 PM, SUN OCT 4, 2015.
By Steve Liewer / World-Herald staff writer

Blistered, parched and dead tired, Aviation Radioman 2nd Class John Boosalis swam through the salty ocean, shoving the rubber life raft he hoped would take him and two crew mates to safety.

A day earlier, their Navy torpedo bomber had crash-landed in the South Pacific. Now they were rowing toward a distant island, but their progress was slow.

So Boosalis and a crew mate got in the water to push the raft — until they spotted a shadow.

“We saw the dorsal fin of a shark,” he recalled. “We got right back in!”

FULL story and more photos at link. Video: http://studio.omaha.com/?ndn.trackingGroup=91341&ndn.siteSection=omahalanding&ndn.videoId=29760979&freewheel=91341&sitesection=omahalanding&vid=29760979

[MisterP]

1. "Rubber boat: Natives: Mosquitos": that's a whole novel right there in three lines