a call from Base Ops.
There's a B-17 taking off for Boone City.
She's making a lot of stops,
but you'll get there tomorrow afternoon.
- That's swell.
- OK, sign here.
Boy, it sure is great to be going home.
- Here you go, sailor.
- Sign on the dotted...
- I'll do it for you.
- Think I can't spell my own name?
No, I... I just thought that...
I know, sarge. Thanks.
You'd better hurry up out there,
cos she's taking off soon.
Right, thanks.
Come on, sailor.
Where's your stuff?
Excuse us, Corporal.
- Boone City your home, sailor?
- Yes, Captain.
Forget the rank, chum. I'm out.
- Whereabouts do you live in Boone?
- On West 17th Street.
- Know where Jackson High is?
- Sure.
It's a couple of blocks past it.
- Hiya, sarge.
- How are ya?
- My name's Fred Derry.
- Al Stephenson.
- And this is Homer... What is it, Homer?
- Parrish.
- Glad to know you.
- You from Boone too?
- Yeah, sure am.
- How long since you've been home?
A couple of centuries!
Let's sit in the radio compartment
for takeoff.
Then we'll get in the nose and
get a nice view of the good old USA.
Look at that. Look at those
automobiles down there.
You can see them so plain,
you can see the people.
Yeah, looks like we're flying by road map.
- Is this your first ride in one of these?
- This is my first plane ride.
I saw plenty of flying, all right.
I was on a CV. That's a flattop.
But I never knew things
looked so pretty from up here.
Sure is beautiful.
I never thought so.
This used to be my office.
- Bombardier, weren't you?
- Yeah. That's where the bombsight was.
I spent a lot of time on my knees up there.
- Praying?
- Yeah, that too.
- Cigarette, Homer?
- Thanks.
It's all right, I can get it.
Here, I've got a match, Captain.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
- Anybody superstitious?
- No, go ahead.
Well, I am.
Boy, you ought to see me
open a bottle of beer.
- You got nothing to worry about.
- Thanks.
- I guess you saw a lot of action.
- No, I didn't see much of the war.
- I mean, the way you fellas did.
- You trying to kid the army?
No, I was stationed in
the repair shop, below decks.
Oh, I was in plenty of battles.
But I never saw a Jap
or heard a shell coming at me.
When we were sunk, all I know is
there was a lot of fire and explosions.
I was ordered topsides and overboard,
and I was burned.
When I came to I was on a cruiser,
and my hands were off.
- After that I had it easy.
- Easy?!
That's what I said.
They took care of me fine.
They trained me to use these things.
I can dial telephones, I can drive a car.
I can even put nickels in a jukebox.
I'm all right. But...
- But what, sailor?
- Well...
Well, you see, I've got a girl.
- She knows what happened to you?
- Sure. They all know.
But they don't know
what these things look like.
- What's your girl's name, Homer?
- Wilma.
She and I went to high school together.
- I'll bet Wilma's a swell girl.
- She is.
And it'll be all right, sailor.
You wait and see.
Yeah. Wait and see.
Wilma's only a kid. She's never seen
anything like these hooks.
Say, wait till I get home
and tell the folks about this trip.
I'm the first one in my family
that ever rode in an aeroplane.
- Hey, Al.
- Yeah?
Remember what it felt like
when you went overseas?
As well as I remember my own name.
I feel the same way now.
Only more so.
I know what you mean.
Just nervous out of the service, I guess.
The thing that scares me most is that
everybody's gonna try to rehabilitate me.
All I want's a good job, a mild future, and
a house big enough for me and my wife.
Give me that much
and I'm rehabilitated like that.
I'd say that's not too much to ask.
- Are you married, Al?
- Yep.
How long?
20 years.
20 years?!
Holy smoke!
We didn't even have 20 days
before I went over.
I married a girl I met
when I was in training in Texas.
You and your wife will have
a chance to get acquainted.
Yeah.
I wonder how Homer will make out
with that