After Pearl Harbor, Gus was assigned to the USS Lexington. In May 1942, he was on the flight deck when the ship was attacked by Japanese planes. Six hours later, he was ordered to abandon ship.
During the course of the war, he was involved in three plane crashes.
Later in 1942, he was on the rescue plane that found World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker who had been on a tour and secret mission to deliver a secret message to General Douglas MacArthur.
After being shot down, his raft was spotted 24 days later and Petterson noted that "their tongues were so swollen they couldn't close their mouths."
The Greatest Generation. --DaCoot
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