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Nebraska, California National Guard Units Honor WWII Veteran

May 12, 2023

News Features

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The door of a Nebraska KC-135R Stratotanker opens and a tall, slender man
World War II veteran James K. Kunkle lays in the back of a KC-135 boom pod and watches the boom operator refuel an F15-C Eagle from the 114th Fighter Wing, Fresno, California, April 25, 2023. Kunkle served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II and flew P-38 and P-57 aircraft, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross for engaging 20 German aircraft and downing two of them.

World War II veteran James K. Kunkle lays in the back of a KC-135 boom pod and watches the boom operator refuel an F15-C Eagle from the 114th Fighter Wing, Fresno, California, April 25, 2023. Kunkle served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II and flew P-38 and P-57 aircraft, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross for engaging 20 German aircraft and downing two of them.