I don't usually spend an hour listening to a YouTube video....but listening to Earl Robinsheaux as a P-38 pilot during WW 2 was an honor. I salute you, sir.

What a great man who had a wonderful life.  My dad was a P-38 pilot in the 49th FG, 8th FS, and I love hearing these stories.  RIP Earl.

Earl Edward Robisheaux Sr., 93, died May 14, 2017, with family by his side in Victoria, Tx.                                                                                                                                                                               Earl was born February 24, 1924 in Orange Field, Tx to Willard Robisheaux and Loretta Delaune. He bravely protected our country during World War II and entered the Air Force at the age of 18. Earl earned his wings and commission from Aloe Field in Victoria, Texas. Flying the P-38 Lightning with the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 13th Air Force, he saw combat in New Guinea, the South Pacific and the Southern Philippines.

Great story. My dad was Navy PBY crew Chief Petty Officer.  He joined summer before Pearl Harbor. He is dearly missed.  His last words were to me "Son what you can do for me is Enjoy your life."  God bless all of you men and families of WW2. My Neighbor is 99 and was a B 25 Gunner radioman in Pacific.  Wonderful person. Great stories.

Fascinating!
My father flew a P-38 photo version (the F-5) off of Morotai, which Earl talks about at around the 20-minute mark. Dad was probably on the island when Earl's group landed, having arrived there in November of '44.
56 combat missions later, the war was over for my dad and he and the other boys started coming home.... in waves. My Dad got back to the States and was discharged on Christmas Day, 1945. He wouldn't turn 21 for another month. He later went back into the Air Force as a pilot and weapons officer, retiring in 1972.
Heroes all, these boys.

Whoever thought to have this remarkable guy at age 84 be recorded telling his story with such clarity, THANK YOU!  My father was a bomber pilot in Europe who went through the same early training as Mr. Robinsheaux.  He was the equivalent of first officer or captain of his B-24 bomber and was the same age as Mr. Robinsheaux.  Unfotunately, at the time of this recording my father was in assisted living with Alzheimer's disease and couldn't tell us much of anything. He would have flashbacks of fright in his dementia as he would feel like he was back in that cockpit being strafed by German fighter pilots. He, like so many other war veterans, never spoke of the war.  He had a long career as an airline pilot.

Earl Robisheaux is his name.  Died May 14, 2017.  We thank you, sir !!!

Amazing how good the memory of these vets is so many years later.

I'm totally impressed with this veteran's memory. He was sharp as a young man and he still is.

Fine, worthy story teller. Humble. No beer stories. Learned wisdom at a young age. Serious about fighting but not hateful. Honest about his recall. Truly part of The Grestest Generation.

This old gentleman tells a wonderful, detailed story. Highly recommended.

The free world owes you a depth of gratitude that can never be repaid.  Rest in peace.

I love these veterans’ interviews. They give a perspective of somebody who lived through the war.

What an amazing adventure for a young man right out of high school. To find himself flying a P38 against Japan. Just remarkable.

There is a company, WestPac at the airport in Colorado Springs, Co. that restores vintage aircraft. I visited their facility a few years back and saw a P-38 that had crashed in the jungle of New Guinea that was being restored. It looked really a mess and obvious the restoration would take a while.  A WWII veteran pilot in Colorado Springs, got wind of the restoration and since he had flown a P-38 during WWII, had his daughter take him out to see the aircraft. He was a wing commander in Australia when  they got in some new P-38s and he assigned one to himself. He flew it on a few missions and then turned it over to another pilot and it was shot down over New Guinea.  The vet and his daughter took down serial numbers from the plane and after some research discovered that this was the same plane her now 100 year old father  had flown.  
On October 17, 2016, 101 year old Frank Royal witnessed the first flight of the beautifully restored P-38 he flew over New Guinea during WWII.  In November of that year, he also watched from a chase plane as his P-38 flew over Colorado Springs accompanied by a restored WWII B-25 bomber. I was lucky enough to see that incident as they flew over my house. Frank passed away one month later, making his last flight to see his wife in heaven as he would say.
I knew Frank and spoke to him several times about this.

WH - Colorado Springs, CO.

The P38 is one of the most beautiful planes ever built.

When the U.S. sprouted heroes like dandelions in spring.

The man had a remarkable memory, he was a warrior, thank God for men like him!

I met a fellow who was a P-38 engine mechanic during the war. When I asked him how he liked the plane he just said "Twice the work."

When i was in my teens I worked at a drive-in theater, the owner had been a P38 pilot in the war and remained in the reserves flying jets. He retired as a Lt. Col. He talked me into joining the Air Force where I became an Air Traffic Controller and then joined the FAA. I owed him a lot for steering me in the right direction.