During the World War II pilot training of John “Wild Bill” Crump at Harding Field, Nebraska he found a 2-week old coyote pup which he named “Jeep”. Soon the pair became inseparable (in case you are wondering, Coyotes can occasionally be domesticated). When the time came to be shipped to Europe, he smuggled Jeep aboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth and they both went to England. The coyote became a formal member of the 356th Fighter Group, had his own “dog” tags, and accompanied Bill on at least five combat missions. After Jeep’s death in October, 1944, to honor the memory of his faithful friend, Bill decorated his P-51 Mustang with a portrait of Jeep. Bill ended up flying 77 missions in the struggle to liberate Europe, and had a long career in military and civilian aviation thereafter. Learn more about Bill’s many achievements at http://wildbillcrump.com.
