Rocky the flying Eagle Scout: Four-time war veteran shares military experience

Rocky Gannon was an Eagle Scout in New Jersey when he found out about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was 1941, and he was 16 years old.

During that time, Gannon sometimes worked at a New Jersey theater as an assistant projectionist. One night while at the theater, his hero, actor Jimmy Stewart, was shown on a “short subject,” much like modern TV commercials.

Gannon said Stewart had a private pilot’s license and was one of the first Hollywood stars to enlist in the military as a private.

“He did this little short subject this night I’m watching in the theater,” Gannon said. “Here comes my hero Jimmy Stewart. He gets out (of the plane), and he has this leather jacket and white silk scarf around his neck and hat. And he gets off of the wing and walks over to this gate. These two beautiful blonde, blue-eyed gals were with a convertible, red leather seats, waiting for him.”

Gannon said he knew at that point that the military was what he wanted to do.

Right around the time he saw the short subject in the theater, the four-year college requirement was no longer mandatory to join the military. As long as you were 17 to 23 years of age and could pass the physical and mental test, you could join, Gannon said.

“So being 17, I was the world’s smartest guy. I hitchhiked, and a couple times rode the bus, went to Philadelphia, about 45 miles away, and took all these tests,” Gannon said. “And to the amazement of everybody, I passed them with flying colors. They took me and swore me into the reserve.”

Two days before his junior prom, Gannon was notified that he had to report to active duty. He was a junior in high school and was going to war. He already had a date and had to let her know he wouldn’t be able to attend.

Gannon went through six weeks of basic training, completed college courses, drilled, marched and did physical education. He ended up in San Antonio, Texas, where he was selected for pilot training. He learned to fly several types of planes.

“Next thing, I went to Tampa, Fla., now Tampa International,” Gannon said. “But that was a big overseas base. I got a crew of nine. I was the pilot with nine crew members.”

Gannon said he and the crew were all 19. None of them had finished high school.

“I had never driven a car in my life, but yet I was a pilot of this B-17 engine bomber,” Gannon said. “But see, the background, this was coming out of a depression. Not a lot of people owned cars.”

After being trained to go overseas, a crew was assembled, and Gannon was scheduled to leave for Germany on April 20, 1945. His crew got an airplane and was set to go.

“Hitler, they had a good network keeping track of people in the states as they go through. He found out I was coming, and he committed suicide,” Gannon joked. “Two weeks later, the Germans surrendered. So I took credit for that.”

When the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, Gannon was just finishing his training. The war ended, and he said he became an instructor on some airplanes. Gannon said one time he had a wartime rank, and then flight officer, but the Air Force did away with that when the war was over.

Gannon tried to go back to high school, since he was 20 and hadn’t finished 11th grade. They wouldn’t let him back in high school. He talked with colleges since he had some college experience, but they said no as well.

Gannon said he talked to a recruiting sergeant and later became an air traffic controller. He was sent to the Pacific right after the bombs were dropped.

“I was an air traffic controller at Iwo Jima volcano islands,” Gannon said. “Because I was a pilot, they put me in this new big secret thing called radar. I started to control airplanes by radar.”

After that task, he took his GED, started college courses and came back to the states, where he was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. He met his wife while in South Carolina.

Gannon later went to Korea for 15 months and then was assigned to California as an air traffic controller.

“The interesting thing about this air traffic controller, every other assignment I had, I had a flying assignment, then I had an air traffic controller assignment,” Gannon said. “I flew whatever airplane I had at the base. So that’s how I ended up flying 34 different types of airplanes.”

He flew over each NATO nation. Wherever the U.S. had troops, that’s where Gannon would go.

Gannon said he had the chance to fly in World War II, the Belgian Congo in Africa, the Korean War and Vietnam War. He flew 387 combat missions in Vietnam and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Because of an illness, Gannon eventually had to leave the military after 36 years of active duty. He retired in Las Vegas but continued to work, including spending time at the Florence Regional Airport.

“I ran the Florence airport for 6½ years,” Gannon said. “I took it from one airline and six employees to four airlines and 38 employees. And I just got tired of it.”

Retired Col. Barringer F. Wingard Jr. said he met Gannon when he moved to Florence. Wingard said Gannon is a rarity due to serving in four wars.

“I just think he’s a great individual and certainly had a great military career,” Wingard said.

A few years ago, Gannon had the opportunity to go back to his high school in New Jersey and receive his diploma, Wingard said.

“It was recently. He was invited back to New Jersey, and they gave him his diploma,” Wingard said. “They gave him the diploma about 50 to 60 years late.”

Wingard said Gannon is just a good guy who always puts his fellow veterans and country first.

Now 90 years old, Gannon said he has had the most wonderful family and wife. He and his wife have been married 64 years.

“Any medals I have, she ought to get them,” Gannon said.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Rocky the flying Eagle Scout: Four-time war veteran shares military experience."