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Bill Johnson

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As his unit advanced through Germany, Bill Johnson encountered a group of Hitler Youth who had been armed by the SS and left to harass the Americans. They promptly surrendered. The war was winding down and the Nazi's secrets were being laid bare, like the concentration camp at Ohrdruf, which he helped liberate. (4:46)

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When Bill Johnson's unit moved into a German town, the first thing they did was pick out the nicest homes for their accommodations. Despite being asked to leave, the civilians gave the Americans no trouble. At the end of the war, he lacked enough points for a discharge, so he settled into occupation duty, which was tempered by his post in the beautiful Austrian Alps. (4:46)

Bill Massey

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Bill describes being shot numerous times throughout a battle during the Korean War. (7:22)

Bill McCowen

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He set out with a friend to enlist in the Navy, but Bill McCowen wound up in the Army Air Corps and trained on remote control gunnery for the B-29. He was sent to Italy in the waning months of World War II where he witnessed a dramatic night bombing of Naples. (7:07)

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After his brief experience in World War II, Bill McCowen moved on to marriage and college. He had the flying bug, though, and was determined to be a pilot. Before long, he was back in the service and flying B-25's. (3:57)

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Korea got real exciting real quick. It was the practice for the commander to fly with new bomber crews on their first mission. Bill McCowen's B-29 crew almost didn't survive that first mission after the Instructor Pilot nearly killed them twice. The rest of the tour was a little less stressful. (9:16)

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Bill McCowen entered the jet age when he moved from the B-29 to the B-47, which he handled so well he became an instructor pilot for the aircraft. Shrugging off the trouble he caused when he let a 2nd Lieutenant fly in the front seat, he was among the first to regularly fly at high altitude, where he was startled by his first sight of a contrail. (4:21)

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Bill McCowen enjoyed flying the B-52 and it was a good thing because the Chrome Dome flights for SAC during the Cold War lasted 24 hrs. He describes the strategy for attacking Moscow, including the plan for surviving after the strike. He also circled Cuba during the Missile Crisis and his description of this lends some credence to the tales of the Bermuda Triangle. (7:09)

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Bill McCowen participated in his third war when SAC was levied for pilots to send to Vietnam, and that's not counting the Cold War. Going from mammoth B-52's to the C-123 assault transport, and from high altitude cruising to treetop level and dirt strips, was no problem for him. He loved flying and was ready for any mission. (4:03)

Bill Minnich

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It was good incentive to survive. Bill Minnich received his GED while in basic, and as soon as he returned from Korea, he could get the diploma. Right away it was tough as he faced challenges from monsoons to mortar fire. (6:05)