He originally enlisted into the Army Air Corps in January 1941 and worked in the Mess Squadron. After Pearl Harbour he passed the exams for Aviation Cadet and after training which included 'two years of college crammed into eight weeks' he was awarded his pilot's wings and commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. In January 1945 he joined the 452nd BG at Deopham Green where he flew on 18 combat missions before VE Day. He then made two 'Chowhound' missions over Holland and another to bring back US POWs. After the war he attended Drake University, taught business school and was for twenty years with the Iowa Dept of State Instruction.