John H. “Lucky” Luckadoo joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, eager to defend his country following Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Training took the 19-year-old Tennessee native (above) to Avon Park, Florida, where Luckadoo learned to operate a PT-17 biplane—a far cry from the B-17 bombers he’d later fly over occupied Europe. (John Luckadoo Collection)
John Luckadoo Collection