He registered for the WW II draft on 30 June 1942, and he was listed as employed by Michigan Bell Telephone Co. He was 6' tall; weighed 180 pounds; had black hair, brown eyes and a 'light' complexion.

On 21 October 1942 he enlisted in the service from Saginaw, Michigan, as a private in the Air Corps. He had four years of high school education, was single, without dependents and his civilian occupation was listed as: "Skilled linemen and servicemen, telegraph, telephone, and power". We have him listed as participating in one 437th flight as a Co-pilot: Operation VARSITY in March 1945. Jim was a member of the 437th TCG Association and was listed on their rosters from 1980 through 2002; he attended several re-unions over the years.