James Slaeker, who turned 100 on March 25, has fought in three wars and also flew supplies into West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift crisis.
James Slaeker was a young man working in a Pennsylvania steel mill when he came across a sign that said, "Become a pilot today!"
"I remember walking down the street and seeing a sign that said, ‘Become a pilot today! Two years of college!’ and I thought, well I don’t have any college," Slaeker recalled. "A man came out of the building and asked if I wanted to try to pass the test he was giving to see if I could become a pilot. I passed the test and I was off."Slaeker has since fought in three wars, including WWII and the Korean War.
Slaeker flew several different aircraft, among them the KC-97 Stratofreighter, B-29 Superfortress, C-54 Skymaster and the B-17 Flying Fortress.
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