1 00:00:00,140 --> 00:00:02,430 the American people in their righteous 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,760 might will win through toe . 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:12,110 America is the greatest 4 00:00:12,110 --> 00:00:15,730 nation on Earth because of the values 5 00:00:16,110 --> 00:00:19,150 that we would like to sustain . 6 00:00:19,540 --> 00:00:22,960 I joined the military . My actual 7 00:00:23,540 --> 00:00:27,440 answer was , of course , getting into 8 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:29,551 the Air Force was that I was avoiding 9 00:00:29,551 --> 00:00:33,000 the draft . I heard about the aviation 10 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,520 opportunity , passed the exams and all 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:38,687 I can say is , after my first flight , 12 00:00:38,687 --> 00:00:41,450 I was hooked . I served in the 13 00:00:41,450 --> 00:00:44,480 Mediterranean Theater in World War Two . 14 00:00:44,490 --> 00:00:47,620 In the three old second Squadron of the 15 00:00:47,620 --> 00:00:50,600 three 32nd Fighter Group , there were 16 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,656 two missions , one they had stripped 17 00:00:52,656 --> 00:00:56,460 down Bay 17 on then C 40 18 00:00:56,460 --> 00:00:59,110 sevens . And he was just wonderful to 19 00:00:59,110 --> 00:01:01,430 realize that the hundreds of Americans 20 00:01:01,430 --> 00:01:03,450 were able to get back home . 21 00:01:05,410 --> 00:01:08,020 I love flying in for some reason . I 22 00:01:08,020 --> 00:01:11,600 still say , Why me ? How me ? I'm a 23 00:01:11,610 --> 00:01:15,090 lucky guy because I was 24 00:01:15,100 --> 00:01:18,600 actively flew 27 of my 30 years of 25 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,270 service . You know one thing . I don't 26 00:01:22,270 --> 00:01:24,603 like anything about segregation and say , 27 00:01:24,603 --> 00:01:27,560 Oh , well , let's modify that a bit . 28 00:01:27,830 --> 00:01:30,460 The fact that it brought those of us 29 00:01:30,460 --> 00:01:32,960 who went through the Tuskegee Training 30 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:36,480 program and Song from 1941 to 31 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,030 1949 out of that many 32 00:01:40,030 --> 00:01:42,410 lifelong friendships . Thio even to 33 00:01:42,410 --> 00:01:45,320 this day . And so , even though it was 34 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:47,870 in a segregated phase that was way 35 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,870 still supporting each other and getting 36 00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:53,260 to know each other . As I say , 37 00:01:53,260 --> 00:01:55,371 lifelong friendships , we came out of 38 00:01:55,371 --> 00:01:58,160 that experience . Don't let 39 00:01:59,220 --> 00:02:01,164 circumstances of folks telling you 40 00:02:01,164 --> 00:02:04,280 can't do something being excuse for not 41 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,490 achieving . We could have gone off by 42 00:02:06,490 --> 00:02:08,434 their head and said they called me 43 00:02:08,434 --> 00:02:10,490 names . They don't like me and don't 44 00:02:10,490 --> 00:02:12,601 want May and not served the country . 45 00:02:12,601 --> 00:02:14,879 But look at what that would have meant . 46 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,320 What freedom means to me is the 47 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,542 fact that although there were those who 48 00:02:21,542 --> 00:02:23,764 said I couldn't do something because of 49 00:02:23,764 --> 00:02:27,300 my happenstance of birth , freedom gave 50 00:02:27,310 --> 00:02:30,650 provided the opportunity to serve .