Priority One

By: Mike Harris

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Charles Woods was 23 and just the right age to believe he was invincible. You had to believe you were invincible to fly the Hump, day after day, snaking through treacherous tops of the snow-covered mountains, with a four-engine plane loaded with 28,000 pounds of aviation gasoline. The B-24 Liberator he flew daily carried fuel from Kurmitola, India to Clair Chennault's 'Flying Tigers' in Lulaing, China. But on December 24th, 1944, his B-24 crashed on take-off and burst into flames. Although it was against regulations, Charley never buckled his seat belt on take-off, choosing to wait until getting off the ground, just in case something happened while his plane was still on the ground. Today, it saved his life! Charley threw open a side window, squeezed through the opening and fell to the ground, terribly burned. The rest of his crew were unable to get out and were lost. Charley's only hope for survival was a pass that read "Priority One". How Charley was able to get back to the States, survive over 50 plastic surgery operations, become a very successful businessman, run for the Governor of Alabama, then honored by the U.S. Senate is what "Priority One" is all about. It's a truly amazing story about one man's courage, grit and determination to survive against all odds.