Interceptor and Target
After earning his carrier qualification (with a grade of Superior no less) Barker reported to NAS Banana River near Cocoa Beach on the Florida Atlantic coast for a typical late-war fighter pilot-in-training tasking: Barker and several pilots routinely flew from Banana River out over the Atlantic and ran intercepts against Consolidated PBY Catalina and Martin PBM Mariner flying boats, acting as simulated enemy aircraft for the gunners aboard the patrol aircraft to track with their guns. This assignment also honed Barker’s skills as a fighter pilot, but it delayed his progress toward participation in the Pacific Theater of the war.
Flying the Bent Wing Bird
Barker’s next duty station was NAS Grosse Ile near Detroit in Michigan. At NASGI Barker flew the renowned Chance Vought F4U Corsair. Barker was advanced to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) and would next have been assigned to an active fighter squadron for duty in the Pacific against Japan, but before that took place the war came to an end. As Barker once said, “I was a Naval Aviator, a Fighter Pilot. I completed all facets of my training, including my qualifying landings on a carrier. I was all ready to go, and when the enemy heard that I was headed for the Pacific, they surrendered. That was the end of World War II.”
The Rest of the Story
During his duty with the Naval Reserve, LTJG Robert Barker earned the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. In January of 1945 Barker married his long-time wife Dorothy Jo Gideon. After the conclusion of the war, Barker hung up his wings for good- apparently he never obtained even so much as a private pilot rating. He finished his degree in Economics from Drury College (now Drury University), and while there he began working at KTTS-FM radio in Springfield, Missouri. From there, Barker worked at several radio stations across Missouri, Florida, and California.
Becoming an Icon
Barker’s big break in television came when Ralph Edwards, at the time the host of Truth or Consequences, began looking for his own replacement. The rest, as they say, is history. Bob Barker’s broadcasting honors include a total of 37 Daytime Emmy awards, Time Magazine’s Greatest Game Show Host of All-Time, and several Lifetime Achievement awards.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Some source material for this piece was provided by the NAS DeLand Naval Air Station Museum and by Bob Barker’s autobiography Priceless Memories (Center Street, 2009)
