I was born April 16, 1919 at the family farm outside of Spring Grove, Minnesota, one of eleven children born to Alfred C. Storlie & Lena Lean Storlie. I attended Grades 1-8 at a rural schoolhouse which still stands today. After the 8th Grade I went to work at the Spring Grove Lumber Yard.

     I was drafted in early 1942 and inducted at Caledonia, Minnesota. From there I went to Ft. Snelling at Minneapolis and on to Shepard Field at Witchita Falls, Texas for a very brief basic training. On March 19, 1942, I boarded the USAT Mariposa at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay and landed in Melbourne, Australia on April 8, 1942. From Melbourne I proceeded to Charters Towers - Queensland where I joined the 13th Bombardment Squadron 3rd Bombardment Group and was eventually assigned to a ground crew working on the squadron aircraft.

 Induction at Caledonia, Minnesota

 Norman H. Storlie

     During the trip from Texas to San Francisco, a stop was made in Virginia City, Nevada where a group of us visited a saloon called The Bucket of Blood, which is still there to this day.

USAT Mariposa at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay

 Norman Storlie at Charters Towers  1942

 Don Fischer & Norman Storlie


                Norman Storlie - Don Fischer - Don Nagy

                Douglas Sciento - Leo McMann

 Larry Dodd & Norman Storlie

 Norman Storlie - Don Fisher - Troy Goodman

 Norman Storlie

 Leonard Mayes

BABY BLITZ II is an A-20H pictured in the Philippines where Norman became a Crew Chief. The photos are in bad shape but 3 names can be identified. (Pilot - Lt. Kent) - (Crew Chief - S/Sgt. Norman Storlie) - (Air Gunner - CPL Leonard Mayes) - (Armament is CPL Mas-----) I can't make out the other letters in the last name.

 Captured Japanese Flag

 Beach at Hollandia or Leyte

 Encampment in Philippines

 Encampment in Philippines