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Capt. Richard "Dick" Nelms, a 103-year-old World War II B-17 pilot, addresses attendees during the B-17 Alliance Foundation's Armed Forces Day Celebration at Salem McNary Airfield in Salem, Oregon, May 16, 2026. Nelms, wearing his 8th Air Force veteran's cap and flight jacket, completed 35 combat missions over occupied Europe with the 447th Bombardment Group (Heavy) between May and September 1944.
260516-Z-ZJ128-2004.JPG Photo By: Maj. W. Chris Clyne

SALEM, Ore. - Capt. Richard "Dick" Nelms, a 103-year-old World War II B-17 pilot, addresses attendees during the B-17 Alliance Foundation's Armed Forces Day Celebration at Salem McNary Airfield in Salem, Oregon, May 16, 2026. Nelms, wearing his 8th Air Force veteran's cap and flight jacket, completed 35 combat missions over occupied Europe with the 447th Bombardment Group (Heavy) between May and September 1944. He stood at the podium for nearly 30 minutes, delivering a firsthand account of aerial combat over Nazi-occupied Europe to an audience that fell silent to hear every word. Photo by Maj. W. Chris Clyne.


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