China Ghost

China Ghost is the story of Crew 7, a flight crew attached to VPB-219 VPB-219 was a U.S. Navy bombing squadron in the South Pacific during World Was II. The Navy used long range patrol bombers such as the PB4Y-1, Liberator and the PB4Y-2 Privateer, a Liberator modified for the navy's special missions. These squadrons were based in such places as Guadalcanal, Munda, New Guinea, The Admiralties and The Philippines. The missions were long range patrols into Japanese waters in search of enemy shipping.



More important, China Ghost is about the very young boys that were forced into maturity by the dangers and horrors of war before they served life's apprenticeship. It's about their loves, their fears, honor, patriotism and commune with God. The story is compassionate and emotional, a fiction based on actual events that the author and members of his crew and squadron experienced.



Beau Rachal, a veteran of a previous tour in the South Pacific, returned to San Diego and reunited with his girlfriend, Frances Maginley. Beau was assigned to a new squadron, VPB-219, were the strength of Crew 7. VPB-219 was based at Clark Field on the island of Luzon in The Philippine Islands. Their missions were into French Indo-China and China. The Japanese targets were plentiful and Crew 7 became known as The China Ghost.



It has been said that "wars are started by old men and fought by young men." China Ghost is a tribute to those brave, young warriors that faced the prospect of death each time they climbed into one of those machines.