Henrico WWII veteran survived 50 bombing missions and keeps the bullet that nearly killed him
Table of Contents
Dan Dorchak's yellowed diary pages tell a story that reads like fiction, but every word documents his real experiences as a 20-year-old bombardier flying dangerous missions against Japanese forces 80 years ago. The 101-year-old Henrico resident still keeps his well-worn logbook close, a tangible connection to his most harrowing chapter during World War II.
"I enlisted in the Army Air Corps because I wanted to fly," Dorchak said. "This is my logbook. I logged every mission I was on. January 11, 1945. It was recon for the US Navy."
Dorchak flew 50 missions on a B-24 bomber as part of the Flying Tigers, based in China and targeting Japanese Army and Navy positions.
Beyond enemy fire, Dorchak and his fellow airmen faced another deadly adversary known as "the hump."
"The hump was the Himalayan mountains," Dorchak said. "We are flying in a valley. So if you hit a cloud in the valley you may not come out."
The towering mountain range proved fatal for many pilots in Dorchak's 308th Bomb Group.
Click here to continue reading on WTVR.com, a Henrico Citizen partner organization.
