Today, I salute Air Force Veteran Bill Martin. Bill Martin had never touched an engine before joining the Air Force in 1950. Regardless, he was tasked with keeping the C-47s flying for his squadron during the Korean War. Bill said, “When you go into the service, they give you a battery of tests. They determine from that what is your best field of work. They determined that mine would be a mechanic.” After the tests, he spent approximately six months learning to repair C-47s and other aircraft. One of the aircraft he was in charge of was a B-17 being used to transport the first President of the Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee. Martin earned military medals for his excellent performance. He was so good at what he did that after the Air Force, he was recruited by Capital Airlines and later worked for United Airlines until his retirement in 1992. Now at the age of 97, he was just honored by Korea for his wartime service. Thank you for sharing your story, Bill, and THANK YOU for your service.
