Stephen Bonner in China in 1942 at the controls of the P-51 he flew as part of the Flying Tigers.
Courtesy Stephen Bonner
CARLINVILLE — Like a lot of boys growing up in the 1930s, Stephen J. Bonner spent much of his free time reading about World War I fighter pilots and dreaming of becoming an ace.
Bonner’s dream came true in World War II when he was assigned to one of the most famous fighter squadrons in American history: the Flying Tigers.
While Bonner loved flying his P-40 Warhawk, the realities of air-to-air combat proved to be different than his boyhood dreams. When he got his fifth kill to earn the title of ace, the achievement wasn’t as satisfying as he imagined.
“You shoot down one plane and you shoot down another. When I got to the fifth, I didn’t feel like it was anything tremendously great. Even though I had dreams of becoming an ace when I was young, it didn’t seem like such a wonderful thing,” Bonner said.
Bonner, 96, now lives with his daughter, Jane Scott, in her home just outside Carlinville. He moved there about six months ago from his boyhood home in Guymon, Oklahoma, which means he will be spending Tuesday, Veterans Day, with his family.
The family hadn’t finalized their plans, but they might head to Blackburn College for the annual Veterans Day convocation at 11 a.m. in Clegg Chapel.
“It’s a joy to have him with us,” Scott said. “We’re very proud to celebrate Veterans Day with him.”
'I saw the bullets’
After graduating from flight school in 1943, Bonner was assigned to the 76th Fighter Squadron in China that flew ground attack missions, intercepted bombers and dueled with Japanese fighter pilots.
The enemy planes were more agile than the P-40s, but the American planes were rugged and heavily armed with six .50-caliber machine guns.
Like a lot of the pilots in the early years of the war, Bonner had to contend with a shortage of materials. He said that during training, they only loaded a few of the guns in an effort to save ammunition. The first time he fired all six guns on his fighter was in combat.
Bonner still remembers the first time he shot down a Japanese fighter.
“I’ve thought a lot about it. I met a greenhorn for sure,” Bonner said. “The pilot of this plane flew in front of me and I fired. I saw the bullets go into the cockpit. After I fired, I said, you killed that guy. I didn’t think of any glory or anything like that, I just thought that I killed some guy.”
While the pilots were afraid prior to their missions, he said, the fear had a way of subsiding.
“Once you started your engine on the ground to take off, some of your fear left you. I don’t know why. It happened to everybody,” Bonner said. “When you crossed that line into enemy territory or first saw the enemy planes, the fear sort of left. I guess it was just that the tension was relieved. I guess a lot of the fear was being surprised by an enemy airplane on your tail.”
January ceremony
While Bonner suspects he shot down 10 planes, he is only officially credited with five kills. The others could not be verified.
“There was a bomber and a fighter that I was pretty sure I shot down. We were over a big huge lake. They were never verified. There were three others I was pretty sure I shot down. But, if they can’t be verified, you don’t get credit and you shouldn’t get credit.”
After the war, Bonner transitioned into jets and was eventually stationed at Rantoul Air Force Base. His wife, Joy, wasn’t a fan of military life, so Bonner left the service around the early 1950s and took a job at a manufacturing company in Urbana.
About nine years ago, his daughter accompanied Bonner on a trip to China with other pilots. She said the group was treated like royalty.
“The Flying Tigers helped save their country,” Scott said. “... They treated them with dignity and respect… They were given medals and gifts. The press followed us everywhere.”
Bonner and all other U.S. aces will be getting additional recognition early next year. The U.S. House and Senate passed a resolution that was signed by President Barack Obama to recognize American Fighter Aces with a single Congressional Gold Medal. The medal is awarded to people who have affected American history.
A ceremony to present the award to the living aces is expected to take place some time in January. Scott said they are planning to be there.
“It’s about time,” Scott said. “These men are old now, they are all in their 90s. A lot of them are not going to be able to make the trip because of health problems.”
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