“Time of My Life: Memoirs of a government agent from Pearl Harbor to the Golden Triangle”
I found my father and mother mentioned in an autographed book that I randomly picked up at my mom’s apartment last night: Adrian Swain’s “Time of My Life: Memoirs of a government agent from Pearl Harbor to the Golden Triangle” on page 383-4. It stunned me to see such a window into their lives.
Here is a detail culled from the Internet: With matter-of-fact casualness Swain tells of having his B-17 shot down over occupied France. With understatement common to "The Greatest Generation," he details escaping with the help of the French Underground and of a personal greeting from the Pope after working his way back though the Vatican in liberated Rome. Any of these adventures, including the parallel story of escape and evasion by his tail gunner, would make a book on its own well worth the price. But the tale continues from WWII through another tour in the Air Force, the FBI, the CIA, DEA, and the war in Viet Nam. We will all love reliving his rolling reminders of the details of the 50's from Salk to Hula Hoops to the U-2 incident
Swain's story starts with Basic training in 1944 with details ranging from the familiar "Take all you want but eat what you take" to saltpeter. Then on to B-17 training at Hendricks Field in Sebring, Florida. Later, like so many incongruities, he was qualified to fly a B-17 but could not legally drive a car – no drivers license!
Although the book ends on a sad note (the loss of his beloved wife Phyllis) it is, throughout, an upbeat and optimistic life story and well worth the price of admission.
posted by Frederick at Thursday, September 22, 2005
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