Alfred L. Cormier

With an Angel by My Side Alfred L. Cormier

Al Cormier was raised in the small community of Bangor, Maine, where his father managed a successful roofing and sheet metal company. In 1942, while in his first term at the University of Maine, he enlisted in the Army Aviation Cadet Program. He was called to active duty in the spring of 1943 and went through the South East Training Command, graduating as a multi-engine pilot with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in March of 1944. In his own words, Al entertains and delights us with stories of his childhood, his first ride in an airplane, with Amelia Earhart, his wartime adventures, and flying VIPs throughout the country. He survived 88 combat missions, a bailout over the mountains of China, and he was one of the pilots that flew General Groves and his special cargo to New Mexico for the test of the first atomic bomb. Al has included copies of original documents, and letters written to his family, which convey the tender thoughts and feelings of a young man from a bygone era. You will find yourself transported in time through the pages of his memoirs.