 He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1940 and awarded pilot rating upon completion of flight training at Kelly Field, Texas.Pease was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group (19th BG) as a B-17 pilot at Albuquerque Army Air Base, and in October 1941 flew with the group to Clark Field in the Philippines.As part of the Far East Air Force, Pease was present at Clark Field when it was bombed by Japanese aircraft on December 8, 1941, flew missions in defense of the Philippines, and evacuated with the group to Darwin, Northern Territory, on December 20, 1941.