My dad's brother, (Uncle Jim) was a nose gunner on a B-24 in WWII. He never spoke about it and I never knew about it until after he died. His older brother, my Uncle Pete, was a tank commandar in North Africa under General Patton. He earned the Silver Star for holding off German tanks until reinforcements arrived. I never knew about it until after he died. I knew they were both in the war, but they never spoke about it and I never asked. I kind of wish I did.
All the fighter pilots who flew escort were fully aware of that fact in my experience. It’s hard to not notice all the bombers sticking in formation and flying straight and level while you’re engaged in an aerial ballet with the Luftwaffe.
Wow! I was a controller in the USAF back in 1969 and served with WWII, Korean, Berlin Airlift and Vietnam Vets. My hat is off to all of you! One gentleman I met had been a glider pilot and landed in France on D Day. All of those people deserve the respect of all of us today.
I worked with an ATC Controller in the 80s who had served in VN. He used to joke that he shot down 3 Migs. While going off crew, some contrails caught his eye. They didn't jive with the flights schedules/routes he knew, so he called it in. Interceptors shot them down.
It's really fascinating that the enemy pilot he shot down, Walter Schuck...they met again in 2005. Remained close friends for a further 10 years until Schuck passed away.
Luftwaffe fighter pilots (fw109) were not members of the Nazi party. Most were Catholic and hated the party. All pilots realized living another day was about a 40% chance and respected other pilots. A lot of golden rule stuff prevailed. No pilot wanted to play God.
All these brave young men and women who had no bitch with anyone thrown into battle against each other because of the greed of delusional war mungers such as "Sex affender and Murderer" of his own neice Ugly little up himself Lunatic Adolf Hitler..
My sons and I met Joe about 15 years ago at the annual Wings Over Camarillo airshow. My son, as a young teenager, had nominated a friend of Joe's, Art Fiedler, to the show DOGFIGHT! and Art had appeared on the show. Once the show aired, my son was a VIP as far as Art was considered. He recruited Joe to come to the show one year, introduced my sons and I to him, and we were surprised that he rememberd our names the next year. And that was about 15 years ago. That's right, at age 100, we expect to see him this year in August at the show. Joe is an amazing man with old-school values. He's extremely kind, patient, and surrounded by family who cherish him. He's a true blessing to the aviation community, and a great mentor to youth.
I have a 5 year old son. My father was military and we grew up in Camarillo. Been going to that Airshow and Port Hueneme air shows since I was 5. Grew up around WWII vets and I want my son to meet one. It would be an honor if you’d allow it. You can’t miss my kid he’ll be in a green pilot jump suit. Thank you for your service Sir!
@@brianmorger2174 Hi Brian, Wings Over Camarillo is the weekend of August 17-18. If you attend, and would like a Chef's Tour, please look for me in an industrial golf cart with a couple of 55 gallon drums strapped to the back. If you know of a way to get you my contact info without publishing it here for all to see, I'll provide it to you so we can hook up.
From the bottom of my heart...thank you for giving these heros a voice before they're gone. RIP Grandpa Sgt. Donald Sprague. Mortarman who landed on Utah beach. Your generation will forever be the greatest. ❤
So he left the aircorp to work in banking and finance. He returns to the military to serve in Korea. Has to fight the Sullivan rule to continue to risk his life for 73 more missions. Then tells us at the end it was his greatest privilege to serve. This man and others like him are my ancestors. I am so proud and so grateful for their contribution and dedication. These videos should be required viewing for high school students. Thank you for sharing this.
I did 27 years in the Army, retired 7 years ago with three combat deployments. COL Peterburs is a true hero who exemplifies the finest traditions of the Army Air Force setting the standard for all of us who have served. Great interview and thank you so much for publishing this episode.
Fantastic interview. My dad - tail gunner in the 491st and the 44th BG. He did not talk much about it but he was so thankful when the P51 was able to go to the target with the bombers! He loved those guys!!
I have had a tremendous amount of respect for the fighter escorts. My own granfather was a navigator on a B17. He was downed on his 26th combat mission. I read that the bomber crews had the highest casualty rate of any US service men. I wonder how much worse it would have been without the P51s and P47s smashing the Luftwaffe. My deepest thanks and respect to you and your comerades.
What an inspiration the greatest generation my dad was born one year before him and went over to fight in January 45 until the end and then was sent to the Pacific.. he passed in 2017..
What a great guy and so clear in his remembrance of past events. Good bless this gentleman and thanks very much for your service to our country. I am proud to have him on our side.
What a treasure this man is and others like him are. This upcoming 80th D-Day anniversary, I will be sharing videos like this. We owe our freedom and our lives to these vets
so lovely to hear their stories !!! and hear first hand what they did so we could have our freedom , won't be long before we can't hear them anymore and that will be one sad day believe me !!! thank you Joe
I read recently that there are only roughly 120,000 US WWII vets left and they are dying at a rate of about 500 per day. I’m glad these RUclips channels are getting these brave men’s stories before this greatest generation is no longer here to teach us and help us learn from our mistakes.
This interview was done about three weeks before his 100th birthday. He looks like he’s about 70, incredibly well spoken and possessed of a remarkable memory. His humility in looking back on his heroic military service is truly noble. A great American. 🇺🇸
Thank you sir. My father was a member of those bomber crews and was shot down twice captured and escaped both times back to friendly lines. He never shared what happened with us we had to wait and read this in his service records after he passed.
Thank you sir for your service. So many stories so many brave men. My Father was part of this "silent generation" and also had a long 35 year career in Naval aviation 1936-1971.
Is a real american hero. Thank you sir. My father was a world war two vet. He was in the ambulance core. His job was to remove wounded and dead off.The b seventeens on returning from bombing runs. Didn't talk. About it much.❤
My Grandfathers on both sides served in WW2, and many of my aunts and uncles were there too. My maternal grandfather was in the SeaBee’s and he built airfields in the Pacific. There’s a picture of him next to the Enola Gay which I never even saw until his funeral, so I never got a chance to ask him about that one. But he might have been there when the Ebola Gay took off and landed. Maybe he even built the airfield itself. Heavy stuff. But I meant to tell you that my other grandfather worked on b-17’s as a mechanic and he saw a lot of the same things that your father saw. My grandfather didn’t talk about it much with his family either. He was in rough shape after the war and I think it definitely affected him for the rest of his life. Just thinking about what those planes would look like, and how the blood would freeze from the low temperatures high up. I’m a virtual pilot myself (I fly German Bf 109’s and Fw 190’s on Digital Combat Simulator) and I know the kind of weaponry that was on the German aircraft. They not only had 20 and 30mm cannons (along with 13mm heavy machine guns), they had mineshells which were cannon shells uniquely constructed with thinner walls to hold more high explosive. So a 20mm cannon shell was closer to a standard 30mm in power. And the 30mm were like a 40mm, or even a little more. They were devastating and could easily take out a bomber with one or two hits. These guys were in danger every day no matter what job they did. They’re all heroes.
The greatest generation what a wonderful, wonderful interview and story about this American hero. My hat Off To all God bless you, and yours, thank you for everything.
I bet my grandad and him ran across each other in Newfoundland. He was a pilot assigned there at the same time. He was a b17 copilot 388th bg 563rd who stayed in and made a career out of it. Wow!
COL: So I dove my plane under another plane while he fired at me so my Team Lead could take him out. Also COL: The bombers were the bravest of the brave. That humility is something only heroes could have.
Thank u so much for ur service ur A true American hero the appreciation and the respect I have for all our veterans is more than any words can say God bless
Hey all, you have to look up the Colonel on Google. This man was a bad As$ and a huge career in the Air Force. Bless you, sir and the service you gave to our nation.
Wow, just wow, in this age where we honor victims and not heros, you can thank a veteran like the colonel, for your freedom that you have today..balls of steel,injured, captured by an enemy, held in a pow camp, then an unfriendly Allie, later korea and then Vietnam..makes for a movie
What a real hero you would have shat you pants many times along with your m8ts young guys now would be crying for their mummy's and dummies thank you for putting your life on the line for all of us real heros.
What would take these videos to the Next level is if you added pictures of the men in their younger days and maybe some video of the action they are talking about. I would love to use these in my history classroom! The kids love the visuals as the guys are talking.
What an amazing story. I am so pleased to hear him tell his story. My guess is that there's a lot more to what he did and what happened to him, that is untold due to his humility.
As a German (who served) I say this was the last legitimate war the Americans fought, I respect this gentleman and his comrades very much. And I have (had) family who lived in the places that he bombed, and I heard their testimonies too) Unfortunately any other conflict these brave men were involved in was directly or indirectly self inflicted by America.
So few of these amazing men, pilots, and especially aces left (though I don't believe Mr Peterburs was an ace with five or more kills). Thank you for your service, and your sacrifice.
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Now The American Service Members Are Happily Allowing Venezuelan Gangs To Openly Take Buildings Hostage..
What can't I comment 😢
This guy literally got shot down, captured, escaped , fought alongside the Russians, and got sent to Korea! HERO
Don't forget, he also went to Vietnam. What a boring life he had😜
And didn't want a desk job in Korea at that which was offered. He wanted to be in the sky which he did. Extraordinary man!
Amazing to hear a WWII fighter pilot calling the bomber crews “the bravest of the brave”! What a story! Great interview!
He knew the attrition rate. It was HUGE. Like flying in formation into a meat grinder.
My dad's brother, (Uncle Jim) was a nose gunner on a B-24 in WWII. He never spoke about it and I never knew about it until after he died. His older brother, my Uncle Pete, was a tank commandar in North Africa under General Patton. He earned the Silver Star for holding off German tanks until reinforcements arrived. I never knew about it until after he died. I knew
they were both in the war, but they never spoke about it and I never asked. I kind of wish I did.
Brave to bomb Dresden? Or any civilian center? Stoppp. More like a psychopath
,9@@daffidavit
All the fighter pilots who flew escort were fully aware of that fact in my experience. It’s hard to not notice all the bombers sticking in formation and flying straight and level while you’re engaged in an aerial ballet with the Luftwaffe.
Wow! I was a controller in the USAF back in 1969 and served with WWII, Korean, Berlin Airlift and Vietnam Vets. My hat is off to all of you! One gentleman I met had been a glider pilot and landed in France on D Day. All of those people deserve the respect of all of us today.
ATC, TACP, or CCT?
@@mikejrSAA ATC
@@mikejrSAA BBC
I worked with an ATC Controller in the 80s who had served in VN. He used to joke that he shot down 3 Migs. While going off crew, some contrails caught his eye. They didn't jive with the flights schedules/routes he knew, so he called it in. Interceptors shot them down.
It's really fascinating that the enemy pilot he shot down, Walter Schuck...they met again in 2005. Remained close friends for a further 10 years until Schuck passed away.
That is incredible. Many Germans weren't nazi's, they were just fighting for their country like we would do if our leaders made horrible decisions.
Enemies no longer.
Luftwaffe fighter pilots (fw109) were not members of the Nazi party. Most were Catholic and hated the party. All pilots realized living another day was about a 40% chance and respected other pilots. A lot of golden rule stuff prevailed. No pilot wanted to play God.
All these brave young men and women who had no bitch with anyone thrown into battle against each other because of the greed of delusional war mungers such as "Sex affender and Murderer" of his own neice
Ugly little
up himself Lunatic
Adolf Hitler..
My sons and I met Joe about 15 years ago at the annual Wings Over Camarillo airshow. My son, as a young teenager, had nominated a friend of Joe's, Art Fiedler, to the show DOGFIGHT! and Art had appeared on the show. Once the show aired, my son was a VIP as far as Art was considered. He recruited Joe to come to the show one year, introduced my sons and I to him, and we were surprised that he rememberd our names the next year. And that was about 15 years ago. That's right, at age 100, we expect to see him this year in August at the show. Joe is an amazing man with old-school values. He's extremely kind, patient, and surrounded by family who cherish him. He's a true blessing to the aviation community, and a great mentor to youth.
Jeff, you know we love you and the boys too. I'll be there this August with him. We'll see you soon. Thanks for always being so kind to him!
I have a 5 year old son. My father was military and we grew up in Camarillo. Been going to that Airshow and Port Hueneme air shows since I was 5. Grew up around WWII vets and I want my son to meet one. It would be an honor if you’d allow it. You can’t miss my kid he’ll be in a green pilot jump suit. Thank you for your service Sir!
Hi Jeff, I'm from Great Falls, Montana and will be in Camarillo for my neices wedding in August. When is the airshow ?
@@brianmorger2174 Hi Brian, Wings Over Camarillo is the weekend of August 17-18. If you attend, and would like a Chef's Tour, please look for me in an industrial golf cart with a couple of 55 gallon drums strapped to the back. If you know of a way to get you my contact info without publishing it here for all to see, I'll provide it to you so we can hook up.
This guy is the man. I could listen to him talk all day.
he is so nonchalant about his heroics
From the bottom of my heart...thank you for giving these heros a voice before they're gone. RIP Grandpa Sgt. Donald Sprague. Mortarman who landed on Utah beach. Your generation will forever be the greatest. ❤
So he left the aircorp to work in banking and finance. He returns to the military to serve in Korea. Has to fight the Sullivan rule to continue to risk his life for 73 more missions. Then tells us at the end it was his greatest privilege to serve. This man and others like him are my ancestors. I am so proud and so grateful for their contribution and dedication. These videos should be required viewing for high school students. Thank you for sharing this.
I did 27 years in the Army, retired 7 years ago with three combat deployments. COL Peterburs is a true hero who exemplifies the finest traditions of the Army Air Force setting the standard for all of us who have served. Great interview and thank you so much for publishing this episode.
God bless you, sir. Thank you for everything. Not just your service, but for your life that you dedicated to our country.❤❤
Colonel, sir, it’s our honor to hear of your service. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic interview. My dad - tail gunner in the 491st and the 44th BG. He did not talk much about it but he was so thankful when the P51 was able to go to the target with the bombers! He loved those guys!!
Wow this man's
story is a movie in itself!
Wow! That generation was the greatest. What an incredible life story. It was a privilege to hear it.
I am91 - Korean War Vet USAF - Thia Man Col Joseph Peterburs Was Amazing Beyond Amazing
This was not meant to be printed - It was an earlier comment
I have had a tremendous amount of respect for the fighter escorts. My own granfather was a navigator on a B17. He was downed on his 26th combat mission. I read that the bomber crews had the highest casualty rate of any US service men. I wonder how much worse it would have been without the P51s and P47s smashing the Luftwaffe. My deepest thanks and respect to you and your comerades.
Just as nonchalant about his combat service as one could be. What a stud!
Bless you Colonel and thanks for all you did to keep us safe and free.
It's incredible this man is almost 98 years old. I hope i look like him when im when im 70! I wish him many more years of fulfillment!
These memories, remembrances are very important to hear. Living History.
he is so casual about the heroic things he has done--he deserves to be called a hero...
I just met Col. Peterburs yesterday at wwii vet memorial in Sacramento. He looks younger than his 99 yo age 👍 😊
What an inspiration the greatest generation my dad was born one year before him and went over to fight in January 45 until the end and then was sent to the Pacific.. he passed in 2017..
What a great guy and so clear in his remembrance of past events. Good bless this gentleman and thanks very much for your service to our country. I am proud to have him on our side.
Great to hear his story. Thanks to all our veterans who served. Semper Fi.
Wow....such a Humble HERO!! What an Incredible man.
What a treasure this man is and others like him are. This upcoming 80th D-Day anniversary, I will be sharing videos like this. We owe our freedom and our lives to these vets
Probably one of the coolest ones I heard
Thank you for your service to our country and it’s a pleasure to hear your stories sir, God Bless you and your family!
Amazing man thank you sir for all you have done for our country
Salt of the earth this generation. They don't make em like this anymore. Which is a shame.
Thank you sir 🫡🙏🏻
SK9 ...........and the matter of factly way of talking ..........business as usual ???
so lovely to hear their stories !!! and hear first hand what they did so we could have our freedom , won't be long before we can't hear them anymore and that will be one sad day believe me !!! thank you Joe
Thank you for your service, Sir & bringing the reality of war to all.
Salute
To The Too Few Left WWII Veteran...
Thank you Sir
For your service
I read recently that there are only roughly 120,000 US WWII vets left and they are dying at a rate of about 500 per day. I’m glad these RUclips channels are getting these brave men’s stories before this greatest generation is no longer here to teach us and help us learn from our mistakes.
Thank you for your service. God bless
Outstanding story. Fantastic career Sir.
Wow- his life story should have been made into a movie! What a wonderful amazing hero. ❤️🙏🇺🇸
This interview was done about three weeks before his 100th birthday. He looks like he’s about 70, incredibly well spoken and possessed of a remarkable memory. His humility in looking back on his heroic military service is truly noble. A great American. 🇺🇸
What a story…thank you sir for your service! 🇺🇸
Seen this before man they dont make men like this anymore total bad ass love these guys so much !
Thank you sir. My father was a member of those bomber crews and was shot down twice captured and escaped both times back to friendly lines. He never shared what happened with us we had to wait and read this in his service records after he passed.
This man is the real deal! Ain’t no man buns here! Thank you for your dedicated service!
Honor, courage and virtue. Superb gentleman.
How are there any of you guys left man. Almost a century old. Im glad you are and I'm glad you told the story
Respect! Recorded on my birthday. Best gift ever!
Thank you so much American Veterans Center for all these videos. Amazing pieces of history. This guy is an American hero
Thank you for making and sharing this video, i cannot get enough of hearing these real life hero’s share their stories.
THANK YOU SIR!!!!!
Book? Movie? From a meager aviator to an ace: Godspeed and God bless, Joe!
Can never get enough of these heroes incredible stories. I'm always amazed by how clear their recollections are of their exploits decades later.
Respect. God bless you and your family .Thanks to you we enjoy the freedom that we have. Best pilot flying the best plane ever!
Another well done interview of an amazing American. Thanks for your service Col. Peterburs! AIM HIGH
This channel blows my mind. Our past generations deserve so much respect.
Thank you sir for your service. So many stories so many brave men. My Father was part of this "silent generation" and also had a long 35 year career in Naval aviation 1936-1971.
Thank you Mr. Peterburs for your stories and service.💖
They don't make em like this anymore.
Pure class.
The greatest generation ever!! From one veteran to another I salute you Sir. The best health to you Sir. My dad fought in the Pacific.
Is a real american hero. Thank you sir. My father was a world war two vet. He was in the ambulance core.
His job was to remove wounded and dead off.The b seventeens on returning from bombing runs. Didn't talk.
About it much.❤
My Grandfathers on both sides served in WW2, and many of my aunts and uncles were there too. My maternal grandfather was in the SeaBee’s and he built airfields in the Pacific. There’s a picture of him next to the Enola Gay which I never even saw until his funeral, so I never got a chance to ask him about that one. But he might have been there when the Ebola Gay took off and landed. Maybe he even built the airfield itself. Heavy stuff. But I meant to tell you that my other grandfather worked on b-17’s as a mechanic and he saw a lot of the same things that your father saw. My grandfather didn’t talk about it much with his family either. He was in rough shape after the war and I think it definitely affected him for the rest of his life. Just thinking about what those planes would look like, and how the blood would freeze from the low temperatures high up. I’m a virtual pilot myself (I fly German Bf 109’s and Fw 190’s on Digital Combat Simulator) and I know the kind of weaponry that was on the German aircraft. They not only had 20 and 30mm cannons (along with 13mm heavy machine guns), they had mineshells which were cannon shells uniquely constructed with thinner walls to hold more high explosive. So a 20mm cannon shell was closer to a standard 30mm in power. And the 30mm were like a 40mm, or even a little more. They were devastating and could easily take out a bomber with one or two hits. These guys were in danger every day no matter what job they did. They’re all heroes.
The greatest generation what a wonderful, wonderful interview and story about this American hero. My hat Off To all God bless you, and yours, thank you for everything.
God bless you and thanks for everything you’ve done for our country and us
Its incredible to hear such an amazing story from the main character himself, a 100 year old vet who has his memory as fresh as when he was young
This guy was 99 when he gave this interview!? He looks amazing.
I bet my grandad and him ran across each other in Newfoundland. He was a pilot assigned there at the same time. He was a b17 copilot 388th bg 563rd who stayed in and made a career out of it. Wow!
Awesome man and story , greatest generation
Thank you Sir for your service ❤️🇺🇸
COL: So I dove my plane under another plane while he fired at me so my Team Lead could take him out.
Also COL: The bombers were the bravest of the brave.
That humility is something only heroes could have.
Thank u so much for ur service ur A true American hero the appreciation and the respect I have for all our veterans is more than any words can say God bless
So mattwr of fact and chucking away. What an amazing mindset. The experiences he endured and overcame
Hey all, you have to look up the Colonel on Google. This man was a bad As$ and a huge career in the Air Force. Bless you, sir and the service you gave to our nation.
Wow, just wow, in this age where we honor victims and not heros, you can thank a veteran like the colonel, for your freedom that you have today..balls of steel,injured, captured by an enemy, held in a pow camp, then an unfriendly Allie, later korea and then Vietnam..makes for a movie
😊
He remembers all the cities that were targets. Amazing guy.
What a real hero you would have shat you pants many times along with your m8ts young guys now would be crying for their mummy's and dummies thank you for putting your life on the line for all of us real heros.
This guy is a prime example of what made this country great. I wish I were confident we still had many of his ilk.
What would take these videos to the Next level is if you added pictures of the men in their younger days and maybe some video of the action they are talking about.
I would love to use these in my history classroom! The kids love the visuals as the guys are talking.
I am now a 64yr old woman who has ALWAYS taught my 4 daughters that these are, " Everyday men who SAVED THE WORLD"!
Thank you so very much for your many years of service, and for telling us your story
What an amazing story. I am so pleased to hear him tell his story. My guess is that there's a lot more to what he did and what happened to him, that is untold due to his humility.
Quite a record of outstanding service!
Amazing interview thank you. What a hero!
Thank you sir for sharing your story and for bless you and your family. Thank you for all you’ve done!
THANK YOU SIR!!!
Fascinating and wonderful storyteller. Such clarity!
Here is a true American Stud of the first order. My full respect and gratitude to you. God Bless and keep you. 🫡🇺🇸
Great stories. Thank you for sharing and for your service.
"They were going to Paris, and I thought 'What's better than that?'." 😊
Damn, what a story.
Thank you Sir
A very humble, brave and interesting gentleman.
Amazing man, so sharp minded
As a German (who served) I say this was the last legitimate war the Americans fought, I respect this gentleman and his comrades very much. And I have (had) family who lived in the places that he bombed, and I heard their testimonies too) Unfortunately any other conflict these brave men were involved in was directly or indirectly self inflicted by America.
Salute
Thank you for your dedication , and service
Wow, what an amazing story sir thank you so much for sharing
So few of these amazing men, pilots, and especially aces left (though I don't believe Mr Peterburs was an ace with five or more kills). Thank you for your service, and your sacrifice.
I had an awesome privilege to meet this BAMF!!
Hero. Over and Out and SALUTE Sir
Wow! What a story! Thank you for sharing.
Wow!
Just an amazing story from an amazing warrior.
Imagine only getting 15 hours of training in a plane you never flew before and going straight to combat… that’s hardcore
I love these guys. The best of all veterans.
Thank you sir
100 years old? He has the mental sharpness of a fighter pilot.. wow.