He was from Hamlin WVa. A small town. I’ve driven through it many times. He joined the Military out of high school. He couldn’t qualify as a pilot because you needed a college degree at the time. He became an aircraft mechanic. As the war continued there was a shortage of pilots. Because he knew how the aircrafts worked and had the eyesight of an Eagle, he was given the opportunity to become a pilot. I believe he was the first P51 pilot to shoot down a German fighter jet near the end of the war. An amazing life.