US Army Air Corp
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George Waters served as a ball turret gunner on a B17 bomber. Waters was shot down on his 25th mission and taken as a prisoner of war for fifteen months being held at Stalag Luft IV. Near the end of the war the prisoners were sent on a forced march. Of his experience George said "Because the front was always moving, as prisoners we were moved from location to location, camp to camp, barn to barn, and sometimes out in the snow. Many of the men didn't make it." George would be liberated on May 8, 1945.
Col. Charles E. McGee, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airman, served his country at a time when he was considered sub-human, without access to many of the freedoms he was fighting for. He would go on to serve through two more wars and rise to the rank of Colonel, totaling 30 years of service. He would set a flying record flying 409 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. (photographed in conjunction with photographer Robert Seale's photo shoot.
Pete Mullinax served as a B17 pilot in the 94th Bomb Group, 332 squadron, in the 8th Air Force. Pete and his crew were shot down on their 9th mission during the historic "Black Thursday" bombing raid on October 14, 1943, over Hitler's ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt. 60 B17's would be lost and over 594 would be MIA. Pete, who was injured by 20mm bullet blasts in his cock-pit would be taken prisoner of war and remain at Stalug Luft I until 1945. Remarkably, Pete would later write his memoir "Foes by Fate...Friends by Choice" chronicling the uniting of the Black Thursday veterans and Germany's Flkaenhelfers who shot down the planes on that fateful day back in 1943.
98 year old Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole enlisted in the service in November of 1940. Dick would serve honorably in the US Army Air Corp and is most noted for serving as co-pilot to Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle during the historical "Doolittle Raid" bombing of Tokyo, Japan, April 18, 1942. The raid consisted of 80 volunteer crewmen and 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers. After completing their mission pilot Jimmy Doolittle and his crew including co-pilot Dick Cole bailed out over China. Their plane would crash over N Chuchow, China. Dick is one of only 4 surviving Raiders still living today.
Renard Kampstra went from a B-24 mechanic to a B-24 top turret gunner and engineer in the 15th Air Force, 450th Bomb Group, 723rd Bomb Squadron. Renard and the rest of his crew had to ditch their plane after being attacked by German fighter aircraft. Renard became a prisoner of war for 11 months held at Stalag Luft IV, eventually escaping during a forced march.
Colonel Bud Anderson enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1942. He would serve in the European theater as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot in the 363rd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group. Bud would fly 116 missions becoming a triple-ace with 16.25 aerial victories. Including his service during WWII Bud would go on to serve for 30 years in the military retiring in 1972. All total, Bud was awarded 2 Legion of Merit's, 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, and 16 Air Medals. Bud chronicles his experiences during WWII in his book "To Fly & Fight - Memoirs of a Triple Ace." He would be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008.
Herbert Lamp joined the Army Air Corp in 1943 and earned his wings in December of 1944, flying P-47's. He would continue to serve stateside as a trainer until 1945.
Henry Haskell who also served in the US Navy during WWII, holds the "Distinguished Flying Cross" medal he was awarded while serving in the Air Force during the Korean War and Vietnam conflict. During the Korean war he would serve as a tail gunner on the B36 bomber. Through his entire Air Force career he completed over 100 combat missions. During the Korean War, Henry met his wife Martha, who was also serving in the Air Force. Henry is also in the US Navy gallery.
Patrick Brown served in the 351st Squadron of the 100th bomb group in the 8th Air Force, and later in the 418th Squadron. The 100th bomb group was known as the "Bloody 100th" as no other combat group sustained the amount of losses that the original flight crews sustained.
RB Kelley flew 35 missions as a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 during WWII in the 457th Bomb Group 748 Bomb Squad. On his final mission the pilot and crew were forced to crash land in France due to extensive damage to their engines, but miraculously the crew walked away without a scratch.
Bob Sadler served in WWII in an experimental unit. The 155th Night Photo Recon Squadron. His unit would fly at night, photograph areas for missions. As soon as the air crew would return, the film was turned in immediately to Bob who would develop the photos for the viewing table key to planning future strategic bombing missions.
At the young age of 22, Jack Share served as a radio operator and waist gunner on a B17 bomber. A shell hit Share's plane right underneath his legs on their 15th mission, causing the pilot to ditch the plane in the ocean, where severely injured Share and the remaining crew that survived spent five hours in the icy cold stormy water before being rescued. After being operated on by a British Major, losing one leg at the knee, with the other leg broken and foot damaged, Jack would spend a year in the hospital recovering and learning to walk again. When asked about his injuries he said "I was lucky I survived"
