James G Speight

Fork-tail Devil James G Speight

This is an American story as told to me during many conversations that I had over a four-year period with Robert Carl Milliken (Bob). The book is important because it tells of men and women who stood up to be counted when their country called - people whose deeds are fading into history and soon may be forgotten. The book incorporates the early history of Wyoming by starting with the first arrival of Bob's family in the Wyoming Territory before Statehood was conferred and follows the events which led Bob to his actions as a World War II Fighter Ace (he flew 68 combat missions). For the reader, I have also placed Bob's life in the perspective of the parallel actions that occurred in the Western United States and then during World War II in the European and Pacific Theaters. The book will serve as a reminder those readers who are not familiar with the events of World War II will appreciate and understand something outside their own experience, and that those who are the families of World War II veterans will remember with pride the men and women who answered the call of their country. And last but definitely not least, there is also Zella's story - the young woman who Bob married on August 25 1946 and who bore four children, three daughters and one son. Zella's family history is also interesting - the family can be traced back to 1617 in England and she is a descendent of one of the two regicide judges who authorized the execution of King Charles I of England after he was deposed by the forces of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War (1642-1649). Furthermore, this book is not only a tribute to Bob and Zella but also to Zella's brother Bobby (Master Sergeant Robert Lewis Bell) who saw action on many missions as the belly gunner in a B-24 bomber and who researched the history of the Bell family in considerable detail.