![]() ![]() In 1943, the “Yankee Doodle” overshot the runway and crashed before takeoff, killing two members of the flight crew. While stationed in the Pacific, he also practiced his writing, submitting pieces to newspapers and magazines. Roddenberry piloted a B-17 “Flying Fortress” named the “Yankee Doodle” and took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal. He flew with the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group of the 13th Air Force in Oahu, Hawaii. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1942.ĭuring World War II, Roddenberry flew a total of 89 combat missions. ![]() He earned his pilot’s license in 1940 and joined USAAC in December 1941, less than two weeks after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Army Air Corps (USAAC) to recruit pilots in anticipation of America’s entry into World War II. He joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program, an initiative by the U.S. Roddenberry had planned to become a police officer like his father, but he was also interested in flying. In his youth, Roddenberry enjoyed reading the popular science fiction of his day. His family moved to California in 1923, where his father became an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). ![]() ![]() Army Air Corps Veteran Gene Roddenberry flew over 80 combat missions during World War II and later went on to create the hit science fiction series “Star Trek.”Įugene Wesley Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas, in August 1921. ![]()
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