Major John D. Meadows, USAF (Ret) Profile Text: Major John Dudley Meadows, USAF (Retired) was born April 5, 1924 in Longview, Texas. When he was 16, he paid one dollar to take his first airplane ride at a local airstrip. He graduated from Longview High School and joined the US Army Air Force in December of 1942. During World War II, he flew C-46 and C-47 cargo planes between India and China across the Burma Hump. After WWII, he stayed in the Reserves and continued flying out of Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, Louisiana. He was returned to active duty (1951) during the Korean War and flew B-29 bombers for SAC at Barksdale AFB. After the Korean War, he again stayed in the Reserves with short intervals of active duty during the Vietnam War flying C-124 Globemaster cargo planes. Major John D. Meadows retired from the Air Force April 5, 1984.