Oral History Interview with Eugene R. Cronin, February 1, 1972 Page: 25
This book is part of the collection entitled: UNT Oral Histories and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Oral History Program.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Cronin
25
the hell out of here," and I got up, went from the front
of the aircraft, along the catwalk. Jack was getting
up. He had his automatic pilot set. We were in a--I
don't know--maybe a forty-degree angle, going down
pretty fast. He had red-lined this number three engine.
It was just screaming as we tried to hold a fairly
steady course. And I went to the back of the ship to
get out, and I guess I was the last one out--I don't
know--but the one thing that is very vivid to me is that
. . . no one was afraid to leave the airplane. You knew
you were going to die if you didn't, but everybody got
behind each other and shoved the man in front of him,
and I was behind Ray, and I gave Ray the shove, and at
that instant it dawned on me--this is very vivid--I
wished to God I could have jumped in front of Ray and
he could have pushed me. It was harder for me to know
nobody was there to push me, and I knew I had to jump.
But that's real vivid. Anyway, I got out of there,
and I remember I always said if I jumped and if I was
ever lucky enough to have a home of my own and have a
nice den, I wanted to save the ripcord and frame it. I
remember thinking when I pulled the chute of what an
insignificant stupid thought that is when life is hanging,
and I remember throwing it. I guess another big thing
that I remember as I went out of the airplane was that
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View three pages within this book that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Marcello, Ronald E. & Cronin, Eugene R. Oral History Interview with Eugene R. Cronin, February 1, 1972, book, February 1, 1972; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1529237/m1/27/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Oral History Program.