My husband had his Preflight December 12,1942 and fell in love with flying with his first flight in a Stearman.
He became an instructor in B-13s, B-15s and P-39s.
In 1945, he was shipped to Hawaii and just missed being sent to Iwo Jima. He has said that his entire life he had an angel on his shoulder. He became Senior Defense Controller and fell in love with P-51s. He was recalled in 1951 during the Korean War.