I am 99 years old and a former WWII B-17 Bomber pilot shot down twice (11 month pow) AMA!

"If someone else asks if I would do it again, say I wouldn't because i'm 99 years old and that's too old to be flying a plane"

Are you proud of the future you fought for now that you're here?

"Oh, yes. If the other side had won...good grief"

We're getting ready for dinner now but he said he'll answer more questions later!

Grandpa really enjoyed the questions and responses, but unfortunately he's pretty tired now. I'll try to do another AMA with him soon!

EDIT: Grandpa is back up and wants to thank everyone for the responses! He's also telling more stories about the war. I'll post them as they come.

Damn it. Came here just too late. If it's not too much to ask could you remind me/us if you do another?

Sure, I can also try to answer what I can if you have a question about his story/life

I'm curious about life as a POW personally. How was he treated, was his life under constant threat, etc.

I just posted a link in the description which has more about his story: http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/world-war-ii-pow-remembers-being-cold-hungry-and-dirty/article_68380c6b-2b87-583e-9aa0-a13bc8c308e2.html

What were you thinking about when you were shot down the second time?

"Well I was scared because I parachuted out and the airplane circled around me twice. "

"And you know, that airplane hit the ground near Rouen, France. And about 6 or 8 years ago I got a letter from a guy in Rouen, France who was writing a book about WWII. Apparently my plane landed right near his house."

He was probably gonna ask you to take it back.

And then send you a bill.

He thought this was hilarious!

On being shot down twice:

“It's very rare. I do know one other guy that was shot down twice. He brought a load of POWs to the Germans the first time, escaped, and then brought another load.”

The first time you were shot down? Did you land in friendly territory?

"The first time we landed in the English Channel. It was my first mission in charge. We hit flak on the way back from France and couldn't make it back to the base. I had two missions as co-pilot before."

"A British rescue team got us from the Channel right when we landed"

Grandson, here. I'll also just add that he's actually been in four plane crashes. Once the landing gear malfunctioned on his way to the European Theater, twice he was shot down, and once he was in a civilian plane crash in South America.

by the 4th crash, he must have been the most relaxed plane crash survivor ever like "Not this shit again..."

On the civilian plane crash in Brazil:

"After the crash, one guy got up to force his way out of the crowded plane and was going to hurt people and I stood up and shouted at him 'Hey you sit down!'. I don't know if he understood me but he sat down”

Did you think you would survive the POW camp?

"Yes. I thought my country would not let me down."

What did you get fed when you were a prisoner of war ? I have been very curious what practices those in a P.O.W situation are subject to. Bread and water ? thank you for the response.

"Kohlrabi. Its a great big turnip, and they fed it to their animals and POWs. We ate it because it was better than nothing, but not much better"

"The German guards weren't fed much better than we were"

Mr. Jackson, you probably more than most will appreciate this bit of pilot-to-tower folklore...

The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, callsign Speedbird 206. Speedbird 206: " Frankfurt , Speedbird 206! clear of active runway."

Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven." The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.

Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?" Speedbird

206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now." Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?" 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark, -- And I didn't land."

He loved this!

Did you learn anything interesting about your self or in general during WWII?

"I would say I learned I could do some things that I thought were impossible. Like taking off in total darkness and gritting your teeth and flying into the flak"

Did you keep a diary? If so, please take it to the nearest university to have their library make a copy - it could be a valuable historical resource. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us.

Grandson here. Yes, he has an autobiography that he has written for the family. I will definitely try to do that!

Got any good stories about the Memphis Belle? Did you fly with her? Did you know any of the crew? Asking because my great uncle was the tail gunner. Nickname of Bucky. Thanks either way for your sacrifices.

"I did not know anyone in it. I do remember when the Memphis Belle completed its 25 missions. It went on a war bond tour promoting the sale of war bonds"

What was the POW experience for you? Did you have any huge regrets then, besides getting shot down in the first place?

"Three words: cold, hungry, and dirty."

"Christmas Eve (as a POW) was something I would never forget. Christmas Eve was a very cold night. There was snow on the ground but none was falling that night. The Germans normally locked us in the cells after 5 o'clock, but on christmas eve they let us stay out until 9 o'clock. Then after we were locked up, a four man quartet of American musicians went to the center of the compound. There was a trumpet, an alto, a trombone, and a baritone. In the quiet of that night they played "Silent Night"...and I don't think there was a dry eye in the POW camp...including the German guards. It is a memory I shall always treasure"

"I remember this guy I met when I was a POW was an American, but his mother was a German and his grandfather was the mayor of Stutgartt. When he got shot down he asked the jail guard if he would contact his grandfather. The guard later said that the grandfather said 'let him rot'"

“Here's a funny story. After the fighting stopped and things quieted down, one of General Patton's Sergeants gave one of the POWs a battery operated radio. The guy took it into his cell block and turned it on. The first song he heard was 'Don't Fence Me In'”

"I had two uniforms. I would wear one for a month then wear another for a month"

"I still think the Germans treated us fairly. We didn't get enough to eat but they didn't either"

“There was a funny story that made rounds at the POW camp that I don't actually believe. At the POW camp, the Americans would give the Russians some of their foodstuffs. The Americans would get a red cross parcel but the Russian POWs weren't getting anything. The Americans would pass stuff over the tall fence to the Russians. Apparently, when an American asked a Russian how he liked the stuff, the Russian said everything was alright except for that 'Palmolive' cheese.”

Returning Home:

“I remember when before we returned to the United States, we saw a newspaper that said all the POWs were returned to the U.S. Well we were not back yet. Another POW then got on the phone with his commander and insisted on speaking with General Eisenhower. He finally got on the phone with Eisenhower and said 'I just saw in the newspaper that the last of the liberated POWs reached the US, well I thought that might be your understanding General. But there are 200 of us in a little town called Tidworth.' Eisenhower said 'thank you very much' and hung up and the next day we were on a ship home.”

If you could travel back in time and serve again, would you?

"You know you asked me if I would do it again and the reason I say I would is because our cause was so right at the time"

"Certainly. Everybody was in the service then."

Did you ever fly again after the war?

"Well B-17s were being phased out but I flew them a little bit after the war. I flew a B-29 and a B-50. I was timid about flying after the war... although I always knew that these things could kill you (planes). I always felt more secure if I was the guy with the controls."

If you could change one key point in your life what would it be or why?

"I wish I would not have been shot down at all (laughs). I would have turned down my 9th mission in WWII" (he had the option to turn it down)

What bomber group were you in? My grandfather was in 94 th BG Heavy and got shot down New Year's Day 1943. POW at Barth on Baltic. Never got promoted during POW time so he stayed 2nd Lt. All you airmen were very brave, given the high early losses. Thank you.

"385th BG. I was a 2nd Lt. also. I made 1st Lt. after my first crew mission"

What is your opinion with the U.S. and ISIS?

"Well I think ISIS should be destroyed. Somebody should do it I don't know if it has to be us (laughs)"

Do you miss flying? How hard was it to get your license back in the day?

"No I don't think I do. I would love to fly on a nice clear day, but I wouldn't know any of its instruments anymore"

Hello Sir, thank you for doing this AMA! World War 2 is viewed by many as the last real war (from a U.S point of view) with a cause worth fighting for, what is your view on this? Do you think any of the U.S wars fought since have been for the right reasons ? i.e Vietnam, Iraq etc. Thank you very much for your bravery sir, respect from Ireland :)

"Well I hope its the last big war. It was very terribly important for the British. Other wars are not always for the right reasons. War is a terrible way to settle a dispute"

Why did you have to stop teaching in the Lompoc District?

"Well I was 64 when I retired. I was too old and I thought it was time to retire. I think I was an effective teacher right up to the end but I wasn't trying to set any records for an old age teacher."

Grandma - "And I think you were interested in going on that around the world trip with our friends." (They took a trip through Europe and Asia on a train )

Did you pick up any German when you were over there? Do you still remember any today?

"Do I remember any German words? Well I remember the guy who stopped me (after he was shot down) yelled 'HALT' three times."

"The man was surprised that I wasn't armed. We had the option of being armed but if you were armed you more vulnerable. Honestly, a lot of times they shot at you whether or not you were armed"

Scariest thing that's happens to you while on the battle field?

“Toward the end of the war the Germans dug this long trench and our senior officer was alarmed by this because he thought it was a mass grave. It was big enough that all of us could be accommodated there. He ordered us to take a bed slat from our beds and he said we'll fight their machine guns with our clubs. We wouldn't stand by and watch 1100 prisoners get executed. The Germans said it wasn't a mass grave but we were convinced that it was.”

What happened with the trench?

"We never figured out why it was there. They claimed it was for self-defense"

What is your opinion of Donald Trump?

"I don't think of Donald Trump very often"

"Wasn't he the guy who said that POWs should not be caught? Well Mr.Trump has never faced the situation we faced. I guess he expects that I would get into a fist fight with the guy that had the gun"

Hello Mr. Jackson,

During your stay in Great-Britain, did you have some exchange with foreign soldiers and pilots, per say, british, polish, french or belgian ? Did you feel a good rapport bewteen you and them, or some rivalry ?

Thank you sir, and have a nice day !

"I didn't interact much with any foreign soldiers during the war. The foreign soldiers were all held in separate POW camps."

Were you able to fly other bomber's before the B-17, and if so, was the B-17 your favorite?

"In the war I flew only the B-17. I flew other planes in training and afterword. The B-17 was my favorite"

What would you say to someone looking to join? Someone you cared about.

"Good luck. I hope you never have to go to war"

Thank you for your service.

With your life experiences what would you change about the country right now if you had the power?

"No. I guess I wish we could get the gun situation fixed."

I know this AMA is over, but I'm really curious as to which direction he'd like the gun situation fixed in... As in, gun control, or more ease of purchase/possession?

I'll just clarify this because we actually had this discussion at dinner. He has no confidence that either side of the gun argument can make the violence completely stop, but he is in favor of background checks/waiting period, and other moderate reforms.

What was the most difficult thing about flying the B17, and what was the simplest thing (that didn't seem so simple at first glance)?

Also, what is your secret(s) to a long and happy marriage?

Regarding marriage:

Loren - "I think you have to find the right person. What do you think Alice?"

Alice (his wife) - "Our secret is that I forgive his many faults. But honestly, I think we treat each other as human beings, were not competitive. I think the secret is respect for each other if you want to be formal about it."

Did Von Schwerin ever explain why he would follow the Nazis or was he just a decent man that got caught up in history?

"Von Schwerin was a very, very nice guy and he was involved in the assassination plot on Hitler. He once said the United States Air Force is not all bad, because the papers that would implicate (him) in the assassination attempt on Hitler were in a safe in Hamburg. The Air Force bombed Hamburg and destroyed that safe and everything that was in it"

What was the name of your plane? Is it the one in the photo with the chin turret?

"We didn't have our name painted on the plane like the others. But we called it Crash Wagon after we crashed in Ireland on our way to the war. The next plane Crash Wagon II was shot down in the English Channel and Crash Wagon III ended up in France"

What was your reaction to "The Great Escape" and "Hogan's Heroes"? We're you able to enjoy them at all, or hated them, or choose not to watch them? Just something I always wondered how a real POW would have reacted to their portrayal of that time and circumstance.

"The Great Escape was good. I sure did love Saving Private Ryan. It was a great show. I don't go out of my way to see a war movie"

How did you get out of the POW camp?

"Well the Russians were on one side of Germany and General Patton was on the other, but General Patton got to us first. On a Saturday the Germans told us to close our windows and doors and lie on the floor because there was going to be a lot of trouble. They were shooting right into the camp before General Patton freed the camp. The German guns finally quieted down and a POW who had been hiding a U.S. flag ran outside and took down the German flag and put up a U.S. one. It was very touching"

What branch of the military were you in?

"I was in the Air Force, it was originally part of the army and then became its own thing"

I don't want to sound rude, but do you have any more proof? Like your username on the picture or something? And a uniform, etc? If this really IS true, then thank you for your service! /u/IAmAMods

Grandson here, will get the username in the photo

Were you aware off all the chaos and destruction cause by your WWII B-17 bombing? Or you were just there to do your job and serve your nation and mentally blocked all of those things.. (like most veteran back then)

(related) - “Well I remember during the war, while I was being taken to jail, I was taken to a railroad station in Frankfurt. There was an anti-American crowd gathering at the train terminal where we were stopped. The crowd was getting closer and closer, and I came face to face with a guy wearing an A-2 jacket. I thought that was odd because the A-2 jacket is an american garment. He got closer and closer in this very crowded area and we looked at each other and he winked. And I thought this guy must be an American. Face to face with an enemy guys and he winks (laughs). Most the Germans were pretty mad at us”