Part One
Some of y'all might recall “The Story Behind the Story,” which was published in the San Saba News & Star on April 10, 2025. The article discussed some of what went into the creation of my book, Flying with Felix. Felix Scott was a lifelong resident of Bend and San Saba, until he perished while serving as a pilot in the Army Air Forces during World War II. Chauncy Tom White was one of Felix's favorite cousins, and he, too, grew up in Bend. Like Felix, Chauncy felt that it was his duty as an American to go and fight the Japanese for what they’d done at Pearl Harbor.
While writing my book, I felt a deep personal connection to Felix. Since then, I’ve developed a similar connection to my cousin Chauncy, and I now believe that he wants me to share his story as well. With Chauncy telling his story in this first-person narrative, you’ll get a feel for what it was like for him to descend upon the Mariana Islands far out in the Pacific.
Chauncy’s story will be shared in segments over the next seven weeks. I hope you will enjoy each section with the final installment appearing in print right as we celebrate this year’s Memorial Day holiday. Enjoy!
As my best pal and cousin, Felix Ernest Scott, and I were lying around the Bend Cemetery one day, we got to talking about his recent claim to fame. Felix was thrilled and honored that his story had been shared and that his memory would live on forever. My story is probably not quite as exciting as his, but I, too, died doing what I believed was right. My grandfather, W.J. Millican, was a bigwig round these parts, and he liked to call me Chuncy, although to everyone else, I was Chauncy Tom White. I was born on 25 May 1924 at Bend. My father was John Lynn White, and my mother’s name was Vada Irene Millican White. My mother was a sister of Viola Millican Scott, Felix’s mother, and thus, Felix and I were first cousins. As I was growing up in a large family with four brothers and three sisters, times were hard. My parents moved away from Bend when I was a young boy, and I went to live permanently with my maternal grandparents, W.J. and Polly Ann Millican. Calling them Ma and Pa seemed entirely appropriate for me, since they were essentially my new parents. They lived at and operated the River Bend Farm, which was located near the natural bend in the Colorado River at Cherokee Creek there in Bend. I was lucky to be raised by such fine folks and prominent citizens here in San Saba County.
Felix had been away for many months, progressing through his pilot training in California, when I finally had the opportunity to travel to El Paso, where I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on 12 May 1943. I was immediately assigned to active duty, and just like that, I was put on a train bound for training near San Diego, California. I quickly found myself labeled a private, and I was told that my military ID number was 830798. In some respects, it seemed as if I had lost some of my individual identity as a person. However, I knew that I was much more than a number, and I was now part of a brotherhood. I was eager to get on with my training, and I was proud to wear my Marine uniform.