I Fell Four Miles and Lived: World War II-Missing in Action (Complete and Unabridged) - Paperback

by M. a. Raley (Editor), James Andrew Raley (Author)

Be alert. Be prepared for anything. Be flexible to change. Be ready to move out. But how do you prepare for a mid-air disaster? With 150 rounds of live ammo around your neck? At 20,000 feet above the ground? James Raley was born in Kentucky in 1916, the eighth of nine children. He grew up a farm boy, rode horses as effortlessly as walking, wrestled with his brothers, shot rifles, and learned the three "R's" in a one room Catholic school. When he left the 1st Armored Division for the Army Air Forces to become a B-17 tail gunner, he never imagined how profoundly his life -- and the lives of so many others -- would change, as he departed on the morning of his 13th mission. And surviving the mid-air explosion was just the beginning. . .

Author Biography

James Andrew Raley was born in 1916 in Henderson, Kentucky, the eighth of nine children, six of whom survived. He grew up a farm boy, rode horses as effortlessly as walking, wrestled with his brothers, shot rifles, and learned the three "R's" in a one room Catholic school. Raley left the farm life behind in 1935 to join the Army and serve in Operation Torch, the amphibious invasion of North Africa. In 1943, determined to fulfill his childhood dream of flying, Raley transferred to the Army Air Forces as a tail gunner in the 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy), never imagining how profoundly his life -- and the lives of many others -- would change, as he departed on the morning of his 13th mission.