[Tom D]

I know Pete Hardiman of Hillsboro, Oregon, very well. I live not far from him, and before he confessed that he was a "phony," I used to see him at monthly "Oregon Old Bold Pilots" luncheons, and at the quarterly meetings of the Oregon Chapter of the "8th Air Force Historical Society." He has told many yarns about his wartime flying experiences, until he got challeneged on a few by some veteran WW II USAAF fighter pilots. It was this that led to his confession and apologies. Until this article, most of us have not seen or heard of him for about two to three years. As a part of his confession about his wartime missions being made up, was his confession that he never flew a P-51 Mustang in combat. I can hardly wait to show this article to those WWII USSAF fighter pilots! Also, how about that fellow saying he was blown out of the 262 cockpit because he pulled the ejector seat handle instead! Nice trick, considering 262's did not have an ejector seat.

Tom D.