Is James Leininger reincarnation of Second World War fighter pilot?
At a very young age, James Leininger started to remember his life as a navy fighter pilot. Airplanes were the only toys he would play with, and after a time his plane obsession turned into a nightmare.
Flicking through a book the two-year-old pointed at a picture of Iwo Jima in the Pacific and said that was where his plane was shot down.
Mr Leininger found out that just one pilot died during the battle of Iwo Jima, James M Huston Jnr, 21. He was shot down on March 3, 1945, while on his 50th mission, his last before he was due to go home.
A few weeks later his son James said he was Huston!
James lost a lot of sleep and kept talking about flying planes, about the weapons, and the scary accident he had had – also he was able to check a plane over as a pilot would during a pre-flight check when he was just three years old.
The child was also able to tell his father that he used to take off from a boat called the Natoma and knew the name of a co-pilot, Jack Larson. The Natoma was indeed a Pacific ship and Larson was still alive.
Also – what is especially strange, is James had started to sign his drawings “James 3.”
James’ family finally contacted Huston’s sister, and she sent James a bust and a model airplane that had been returned to her by the navy after her brother’s death.
On meeting James, Hustons sister quizzed him on events only her dead brother would have known – the young James was able recount almost all of them !
Despite not knowing the reason for these coincidences, Ms. Barron is convinced that James Leininger is somehow linked to her lost brother. She now calls the 6-year-old boy “James 3.” In turn, he refers to Ms. Barron, who is 86 years old, as his sister.
As Bruce would uncover more information about Huston, without telling James about any of it, the Leiningers would notice more about their son’s actions. James had three G.I. Joe dolls and named them Leon, Walter and Billie – names of three pilots who coincidently served with Huston.
According to U.S. Pacific Fleet records, Lt. Leon Stevens Conner, Ensign Walter John Devlin and Ensign Billie Rufus Peeler were among the 21 fatalities from the Natoma Bay. They were also members of the VC-81 air squadron with Huston. When asked why he named the dolls the way he did, Bruce says James answered, “Because they greeted me when I went to heaven.'”
After James said that, Bruce could only leave the room in stunned silence.
James also explained to his father how Corsairs would frequently have flat tires and would always tend to turn to the left. After checking with military historians at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas, the statement was verified.
Andrea recalls the first time she cooked meatloaf for James, who had never had the meal in his life. After Andrea told him they were having meatloaf for dinner, James said he hadn’t had meatloaf since he was on the Natoma Bay. So, Bruce and Andrea contacted several veterans from the carrier, and they learned that meatloaf was a regular meal for the crew.