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The Last Fighter Pilot of WWII

gmascelli

Active member
Supporting Member
Ocean City, MD
Aircraft Year
1976
Aircraft Type
112/A
Reg Number
N453TC
Serial Number
453
I’m not sure if this has been posted, but a friend shared it with me.

Take five minutes to watch this magnificent talk –Listen carefully to what Captain Jerry Yellin, the pilot of the last mission of WWII, says and how he says it on his visit to Iwo Jima.

You’ll enjoy every second of it.

How many of the few surviving WWII veterans kept themselves and their uniform in such good condition for over 70 years and can still proudly wear it?

Notice his superb and articulate delivery, no teleprompter, no script — just a 91-year-old fighter pilot representing the greatest generation at home and abroad, who won WWII.

He has some surprises and a great take on the philosophy of life.

Enjoy !

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/39557...eran-interview
 
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Great video Gary, thanks for posting it. He is amazingly articulate at 91!
 
Gary, thank you for sharing that. They truly were the greatest generation. On Monday I was speaking with a buddy whose 19 year old is going into second year of university and he was sharing all of the drama and issues and dependencies the (adult) child has on them and I lamented that in the early 1940's people that age were captaining bombers over Bremen (and Japan) and what have we done to our kids !!!!
 
That generation was truly amazing. I fear that if Pearl Harbor happened in today’s world, we would all need to learn to speak Japanese or German.
 
Very compelling...my Uncle Jim Clark and crew was lost in "Leapin Liz" over the English channel in WWII.
He was a B-17 Captain at 24 years of age.
What we ask these men and women to do
Thanks Gary for sharing this!
 
My Father flew with Jerry Yellin, P-51's off Saipan then Iwo Jima, with the 78th Fighter Group. My Dad passed in 1976, but I had the honor of becoming friends with Jerry and his wife, Dorrie. I visited with them many times, even stayed at their home in Florida, and took Jerry up in the Commander. He described my father as an incredible "stick & rudder" pilot who was often asked by mechanics to test fly the Mustangs after repairs of structural damage, to make sure they flew right. Jerry last presented at Oshkosh 4 years back and my oldest son, Conor, was with me. We had a great conversation for a couple of hours after that event which, unfortunately, was the last time I saw him. He passed in late 2018 and was interred at Arlington National Cemetary in January 2019. They arranged a P51 flyby at the service.

Here is his complete list of books. I have read all of them. They are remarkable.
Of War and Weddings
The Blackened Canteen
The Letter
The Resilient Warrior, Healing the Hidden Wounds of War


Who will be the last WWII Fighter Pilot alive? They are all 100 years old by now, plus or minus a couple. Very few left. But five years after my father died, my mother married another P51 pilot, "Dusty" Donner, (so named for his crop-dusting exploits as a young pilot,) who flew in the China-Burma theatre. He is an incredible man and also flew 278 missions in F100's in Viet Nam in the earlier days of that conflict. He will be 100 in December, is in incredibly good shape. I just spend a couple of days with him at his home in Lockport, NY, east of Niagara Falls. If you are ever at KIAG, the NY Air Guard Operations Center there is named after him. He ran that for years and retired a full Colonel. He still lives in his own home, alone, with no caretakers. 100% lucid. Just Amazing. By his current state of health, he may, indeed, be the last fighter pilot. We are planning a big party for his 100th birthday in December.
 
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