On December the 6, 1943, twenty-one year old  Sgt. George Barulic was a member of the crew on the "Exterminator."   The "Exterminator" was a B-24H, AAF # 42-7674 stationed at Hammer Field in Fresno, California.   On December 5, 1943, another of their squadron's aircraft failed to return to  base after a long training flight.  The "Exterminator's " mission that day was  search and rescue, but they were only thirty minutes into the mission when disaster struck.

     "I wasn't supposed to be on that airplane that day.  I had the day off and was going into town.  I only had  a light coat on and my civilian shoes when the jeep came to pick me up.  I didn't even have a parachute with me.  Can you imagine that?"  Barulic said in an interview.

     Sgt. Barulic, the Radio Operator onboard "7674", was just settling down at his radio set.  It was customary for him to make a position report every hour, but because they had not yet been in the air an hour, he had nothing to do but "daydream."

     He thought about the war, and wondered where he and the crew would be sent after training.  He marveled at this magnificent flying machine . . . the B-24.  What a huge complex piece of machinery.  He felt lucky to be flying in one.

     He always loved airplanes and flying.  Even at an early age he knew he wanted to fly.  He never dreamed that someday he would be  part of the crew preparing and training for war, or that someday his name would go down in history as one of only two survivors from the famous Huntington Lake B-24H accident.

     "I never dreamed my name would someday appear on that  bronze plaque at the lake!  I feel      fortunate to have been there when the plaque was placed, and very sad that my friends on the plane that day, weren't!"  His voice was almost cracking with emotion.

    To this day, George Barulic is haunted by the memories of that terrible event.  He still wonders why he was spared, and the others weren't.

    Read the entire George Barulic interview in the new book, "Aircraft Wrecks in The Mountains and Deserts of California", (3rd edition), by G. Pat Macha and Don Jordan.

    This book is now available from Don R. Jordan, Info Net Publishing, or any retail book store.