SYNOPSIS
JOURNEY TO ROYAL tells the extraordinary true story of WWII pilot Royal A. Stratton and the 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron who, over the seas of an embattled South Pacific, flew 862 rescue missions to save the lives of 576 men adrift in its treacherous waters.
Seven decades later, filmmaker Christopher Johnson travels back in time to unravel the mystery surrounding Stratton’s final mission. What awaits is the defining moment for a family seeking to reconcile with the fate of a loved one who never returned from war.
THE MISSION
During the Second World War,
the 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron was stationed on the Mariana Islands of the South Pacific. Its crews policed flight paths searching for B-29 bombers in jeopardy and downed airmen in need of rescue in the open ocean of this war-torn theatre.
THE RESCUES
4th EMERGENCY RESCUE SQUADRON
Statistics:
862 Rescue Missions
6000 Hours Flying Time
89 Direct Rescues
487 Assisted Rescues
576 Total Lives Saved