A World Battle II veteran who flew 35 fight missions over Germany — and was almost shot down on his final one — turns 100 this month.
Although he served in three wars, Woolley mentioned the army provided him “a great life, an excellent life.”
“While you’re within the army, you all the time really feel such as you’re doing a great job on your nation and the world,” Jed B. Woolley, U.S. Air Drive lieutenant colonel (ret.), 99, advised Fox Information Digital.
MINNESOTA WWII VETERAN CELEBRATES TURNING 100 YEARS OLD, WISHES TODAY’S YOUNG PEOPLE HAD ‘MORE BACKBONE’
“I do not care who you might be, you all the time really feel that means. It is simply the army spirit,” he mentioned.
“I used to be happy to serve my nation.”
World Battle II veteran Jed B. Woolley is formally hitting triple digits on Nov. 18, 2023, after residing “an excellent life.” (Jed B. Woolley)
Woolley served his nation for 26 years and lives in Parachute, Colorado, the place he retired together with his spouse, Betty, of 69 years.
They didn’t have any kids. Betty died in 2019.
Woolley was born in Ogden, Utah, on Nov. 18, 1923.
TIKTOK STAR AND WWII VETERAN ‘PAPA JAKE’ TURNS 100, WANTS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO KNOW HIS STORIES
When the USA entered WWII, Woolley mentioned he anticipated to be drafted.
Woolley was despatched to Camp Kearns in Utah in Might 1943 to start primary coaching and joined the Aviation Cadet program. (Jed B. Woolley)
He left Weber Faculty, the place he was learning — and volunteered for the draft in an effort to be a part of the Aviation Cadet program.
He reported to Camp Kearns in Utah in Might 1943 for primary coaching.
WORLD WAR II VETERAN CELEBRATES 102ND BIRTHDAY: ‘BLESSED’ AND ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT
After primary coaching, Woolley went to Ellington Subject in Houston and to San Marcos, Texas, to finish navigator coaching within the Military Air Drive; he earned his second lieutenant rank.
In April 1944, he and his crew accomplished B-24 crew coaching at Westover AFB in Massachusetts, logging greater than 100 hours.
Two of Woolley’s distinctive recollections from his 12 months of service embrace the start and the top of WWII. (Jed B. Woolley)
Woolley mentioned he has two distinct war-time recollections — one from the start and one from the top of WWII.
The primary was Aug. 16, 1944, proper after the invasion of southern France.
“We took a B-24 four-engine bomber over to Italy,” Woolley mentioned.
“We have been to hitch the 456th bomb group of the Fifteenth Air Drive. It was a giant airplane, a heavy airplane. We flew missions in it out of Italy. The entire Fifteenth Air Drive was largely B-24 fours. That they had a few teams of B-17s, however the remainder have been B-24s.”
100-YEAR-OLD WWII VETERAN RUNS IN PENN RELAYS
They landed at a base in Italy and have been moved right into a squadron the place Woolley, on the age of 20, was the navigator of a crew of 10.
“While you’re within the army, you all the time really feel such as you’re doing a great job on your nation and the world.”
“We began flying missions nearly instantly after we obtained there,” Woolley mentioned.
“After just a few missions, they determined that they need to set a goal for the missions as a result of individuals have been getting sad each in England and in Italy. They by no means knew after they have been going to be by means of flying, and so they’d most likely get killed,” he added.
The opposite incident Woolley mentioned stands out in his thoughts is Sept. 27, 1945 — whereas on his last mission.
100-YEAR-OLD WWII VETERAN THROWS FIRST PITCH AT LONG ISLAND DUCKS BALLPARK
“I went over to Ops that evening and signed as much as fly a mission to Yugoslavia within the morning, as a result of that was a straightforward goal,” he recalled.
“And so I went to mattress and slept splendidly and obtained up and had breakfast and went by means of all of the rigamarole you do to get able to fly a bombing mission.”
Woolley recollects one mission through which he needed to fly by means of thick smoke over Germany — and as his staff hit the enemy, they hit him again. (Jed B. Woolley)
Woolley went to the briefing and came upon they’d modified the goal.
It was not going to Yugoslavia, however as a substitute, it was to one of many hardest targets in Germany.
“The railroad yards at Augsburg,” Woolley mentioned, sharing the goal. “And I nearly fainted, however I could not. I used to be nonetheless tied to the identical crew, the lead crew for the squadron.”
He went on, “We flew the mission and as we obtained right down to the bomb run, you would see the black smoke on the finish of it, the place the anti-aircraft artillery was exploding.”
TEXAS ARMY VET SURPRISED WITH TOWN PARADE FOR HIS 95TH BIRTHDAY: ‘I’M NOT A HERO, I JUST SERVED MY COUNTRY’
Woolley mentioned they needed to fly by means of the thick smoke in an effort to hit the goal.
“We went down there and simply as we hit the goal, they hit us,” Woolley mentioned.
After World Battle II, Woolley went again to Weber Faculty on the GI Invoice and continued to serve within the Air Drive Reserve whereas learning aeronautical engineering. (Jed B. Woolley)
“Our quantity three engine was shot out. We had fairly a leak from the large gasoline tank at quantity three. And we did not have any hydraulic system from then on. So, that was moderately thrilling.”
However Woolley and his crew have been decided to outlive.
WWII VET, 101, ‘FINALLY’ WALKS AT GRADUATION 80 YEARS AFTER HAVING TO MISS CEREMONY AMID GLOBAL WAR
“I used to be scared, after all,” Woolley mentioned. “However I mentioned, ‘I nonetheless wish to go dwelling.’ After we obtained out of the artillery and began making a flip to come back again to Italy, one of many crew members says, ‘Let’s go to Switzerland.’ And I mentioned, ‘Hell no. We’re not going to Switzerland. We’re going again to Italy.’”
“Marrying Betty was the best factor that ever occurred to me. I typically mentioned we soldiered collectively for 20 years earlier than we retired.”
Woolley’s crew later came upon that three airplanes within the group have been shot down — whereas six have been shot up and went to Switzerland, which was near Augsburg.
“The pilot flew a beautiful job again to Italy over the Alps and down close to our base,” Woolley mentioned, including that after they returned to the bottom, fuel was low in an engine.
“We did not know once we have been going to expire of fuel within the others. So, we have been flying shut to a different airfield in our group.”
NEW YORK VETERAN, 105, SHARES HER SECRET TO A FULFILLING LIFE: FAITH, FAMILY AND ‘NO REGRETS’
They made the touchdown there with no brakes, since they’d no hydraulic fluid, Woolley mentioned.
“However he made it cease, all proper,” Woolley mentioned of the pilot, “after which he tried to taxi with the 2 engines, however he ran it right into a small ditch. I obtained out of the airplane, obtained my gear — and that was the top of my World Battle II expertise.”
Afterward, Woolley returned dwelling to Ogden, Utah, in March 1945.
CALIFORNIA MAN CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH ‘DOG PARADE’ FEATURING 200 PUPS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
He went again to Weber Faculty on the GI Invoice and continued to serve within the Air Drive Reserve whereas learning aeronautical engineering.
“I stayed on the reserves after I obtained out after World Battle II as a result of I figured there could be different wars,” Woolley mentioned.
“And I used to be proper. I served by means of the Korean Battle and a part of the Vietnam Battle earlier than I retired.”
Woolley met his spouse Betty and obtained married in 1949. Throughout their years collectively, the couple lived in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Canada, Washington, D.C., and California. (Jed B. Woolley)
He met his spouse, Betty, and obtained married as he returned to energetic service in 1949.
The 2 had many adventures collectively and embraced the army way of life, Woolley mentioned.
“Marrying Betty was the best factor that ever occurred to me,” Woolley mentioned. “I typically mentioned we soldiered collectively for 20 years earlier than we retired.”
The couple lived in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Canada, Washington, D.C., and California.
VETERANS DAY BY THE NUMBERS: 8 FACTS ABOUT THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY
Throughout these years, he first continued as a B-29 navigator at Barksdale Air Drive Base in Parish, Louisiana.
His crew deployed to England through the Chilly Battle because the Korean Battle broke out.
Forward of Veterans Day 2023 and his a centesimal birthday, Jed B. Woolley, U.S. Air Drive lieutenant colonel (ret.), 99, shared his tales of life and battle experiences with Fox Information Digital. (Win McNamee/Getty Pictures)
After his deployment, he was accepted for a program by means of the Air Drive Institute of Know-how to earn his grasp’s in aeronautical engineering in 1954 and later reported to Holloman AFB, New Mexico, the place he was the chief of the Balloon Department.
He was an change officer with the Royal Canadian Air Drive in Ottawa, working within the intelligence discipline. He was chosen to go to France on a Division of Protection staff to take a look at gear being developed by the French that could possibly be integrated into NATO.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Woolley was reassigned to Andrews AFB, Maryland, in early 1962; he labored intently with the Air Employees on the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Company, Protection Intelligence Company and Nationwide Safety Company.
Through the Cuban Missile Disaster and the Kennedy assassination, he analyzed categorised data associated to the incidents.
Woolley described his most memorable moments as his time within the army and his marriage to his spouse, Betty. The vet will flip 100 years outdated on Nov. 18. (iStock)
In 1964, he was accepted into the Training with Business program by means of AFIT. He joined Lockheed for a one-year project to find out about how they developed their methods for the Division of Protection.
In 1965, he returned to the nationwide capital area to work on the Protection Intelligence Company till 1968. At that time, he went to Los Angeles AFB to work within the Air Drive House & Missile Techniques Workplace.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
After Woolley retired in 1970, he and his spouse later moved to a patio dwelling in Colorado, the place he nonetheless lives on his personal. He mentioned he has the great fortune to be surrounded by caring neighbors and pals.
Woolley mentioned his physician lately advised him his coronary heart and lungs are “good.”
After serving his nation for 26 years and finishing 35 fight missions, WWII vet Jed. B Woolley is popping 100 years outdated. (Jed B. Woolley)
He attributes his good well being and lengthy life to a couple issues — consuming effectively, by no means having any main sicknesses and treating others effectively.
“I believe being only a gentleman, being truthful with all people,” he mentioned, “and serving to individuals when you possibly can” are what have saved him going, he mentioned.
Woolley’s pals are planning a small gathering on Nov. 18 to rejoice his a centesimal birthday.
For extra Life-style articles, go to www.foxnews.com/way of life.
#Colorado #World #Battle #veteran #rejoice #a centesimal #birthday #month #Happy #serve #nation