early life career august october american television screenwriter producer best remembered creating original star trek television series born texas grew los_angeles california father worked police officer school young police science interested engineering obtained pilot license following graduation signed enlisted attack pearl harbor commissioned august posted joined thirteenth air_force flew boeing flying fortress estimated combat missions rotated united_states promoted captain air crash investigator military career involved plane crashes awarded air medal civilian began fly long haul routes involved crash june eclipse crashed syrian desert pulling injured passengers burning plane led party sought help incident resigned seeking write television instead joined initially traffic division transferred newspaper unit worked chief speech writer landed role technical adviser television version led writing scripts series pseudonym led series collaborations resigned police june order writing position staff early life born august parents rented home texas child caroline née named father referred little gene later describe father intelligent common man time gene birth father working shortly afterward rode rails los_angeles seek better employment joined emergency december following march sent message wife tell come los_angeles son months later passed test given police commission elder held rank years family expanded birth time bought home drew street gene early years saved quick thinking noticed house fire door rushed house children tow father kept rabbits children sold outside house animals subject published work school twice yearly newspaper ace childhood interested reading especially pulp magazines fan stories mars series years old family moved shadow began attending house later describe childhood home father helped boys obtain local jobs gene worked newspaper delivery boy gas station attendant saturdays school young moved middle years great depression father relatively unaffected great depression stable employment police department family distributed food friends family need parents younger sister moved house time finding accommodation time franklin joined member graduated attended onward ranked intelligence test reading test administered college entrance examination elected major police science curriculum president school communicated police liaison second year developed interest engineering obtained pilot license sponsored graduated associate arts degree police science june member family earn college degree graduating traveled march air base signed lack training spaces entrance delayed remainder summer attended peace officer training army cadet military service civil aviation days following attack pearl harbor received telegram orders attend kelly air force base enlisting december following completion boot camp sent texas pilot training civilian instructors completed hours flight time including thirty solo hours march moved texas basic flight training flew graduated august commissioned second lieutenant initial posting delayed month completed training virtue additional training height unlikely suitable combat fighter pilot assigned bombers received orders report join thirteenth air_force squadron flew boeing flying fortress previously 19th route maintenance overhaul flee japanese invasion philippines assigned captain pilot flight squadron took following day additional flight november took squadron fiji expected new instead ordered remain fly reconnaissance missions january squadron ordered conduct bombing missions alternating bases santo missions consisted teams planes fighter support flights faced japanese fighters time august flying realized plane speed applied brakes stop aircraft respond tail brake applied failed plane runway feet impacted trees crushing nose starting fire navigator positioned nose died impact official report responsibility squadron blamed men deaths early september squadron rotated united_states crew transported old dutch freighter pacific arrival reunion wife picture featured los_angeles_times spent remainder military career united_states ongoing record estimated flown combat missions number disputed records members example pilot bomb group flew eighty missions took times longer claimed october assigned texas 18th replacement wing salt_lake_city subsequently moved based oakland california february moved march field promoted captain subsequently flew united_states role plane crash investigator time accident passenger military flight crashed caught fire pulled men safety military career awarded air medal march applied commercial pilot licence subsequently certified fly single multi engine aircraft horsepower discharged july began fly based miami moving new_york_city long haul flights began fly routes new_york calcutta longest pan routes time wife lived new_jersey continued pursue dream writing poem published section new_york_times june time airline took extension courses columbia_university spring june picked eclipse india flight istanbul designation pan flight hours flight number engine developed fault shut plane able fly engines began pilot descended lower altitude allow engines cool second engine caught fire fire measures failed pilot attempted land plane went cabin calm passengers certain time going die engine fell wing exposing fuel lines causing fire spread plane descended rapidly seat calm woman crashed broken ribs began evacuate passengers burning plane crew force broken open leave plane repeatedly entered plane pull passengers burning flames wind turned causing fire plane unable trips took charge aftermath group local proved help formed teams search civilization team led miles desert town emergency landing strip miles away response dispatched planes medical teams crash site returned site assist survivors fourteen people died crash passengers needed hospital treatment unharmed weeks later syrian authorities allowed return united_states near death experience increased desire children pregnant shortly return testified inquiry new_york alongside surviving crew members commended work following crash devotion duty efficiency difficult hazardous experience crash investigation questioned maintenance plane engines issues identified previous flight child born april expressed concerns following crash raising child birth continued fly incident flying airport marked end career pilot particularly cold snowy day controls takeoff causing plane stall resigned decided pursue dream writing particularly new medium television police service burgeoning writing career arriving los_angeles family lived initially gene parents green street obtained employment sales manager sold stereo cameras realized temporary sought permanent employment applied position january following day enrolled department february given badge number initial training completed march spent following sixteen months traffic division subsequently transferred newspaper unit job new role writer write press releases teach traffic safety father worked deputy chief promoted chief august gene friends parker modernization efforts newspaper unit captain charge gene known attended parker speech writer wrote chief professional philosophy house magazine beat september based star trek character parker rational behavior new office worked alongside create write episodes star trek alternative factor founded november founding members spokesman said time opinion professional ethics practical police work completely compatible intend meet promote compatibility following began correspondence creator novels duo record audio letters send comments felt similar opinions law enforcement began seek opinion work including allowing preview time sought earn money family requested permission second job described nature salesman turned found way earn money radio series television series sourced stories gathered stories colleagues force wrote submission splitting payment evenly sold extra income substantial time earned month department second child born august later year captain gave additional position technical adviser new television version district attorney having spent intervening years scripts hands comparing television output advised head studio story department write scripts good ones submitted script october pseudonym went production episode defense plant gambling december request second job free lance writer adviser time approved later said production second season star trek pseudonym fortune revealed message saying change bring fame took sergeant exam early passing attempt time wrote second script district attorney titled paid month probation sergeant friends later race named sold script entitled police academy july sales scripts amounted equivalent nearly percent sergeant yearly salary following december began write script work science fiction eventually called secret defense lead aired years later anthology package screenplay credited collaboration submitted science fiction script january purchased sold scripts rest year court escape patrol boat police brutality reformed criminal human bomb mental patient early sold story ideas led lives found increasingly difficult writer policeman offered writing position series developing called informed parker intending resign order join writing staff surprise chief revealed intentionally connecting television professionals past years hope offer permanent position pursue dream writing june resigned force concentrate writing career brief letter resignation wrote find unable support family present anticipated police salary levels manner consider necessary having spent slightly seven years job fair treatment enjoyable working conditions received decision considerable genuine regret
Early life and career of Gene Roddenberry