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CORTLAND -- Wally King, a World War II veteran and prisoner of war, wants the entire world to know that war is not the answer.
The 99-year-old fighter pilot has been speaking on this topic since the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994. He flew 74 successful missions before being shot down on his 75th.
Even though King is turning 100 this year, he still finds it of the utmost importance to continue to speak to young adults on the topic of war.
"It is said that my generation is the greatest generation of all," King said recently. However, he believes "the best generation of all will be the generation that will fight for peace, not war.
"The war is not something to brag about. The war is a horrific circumstance that should only be used as a last resort," King said.
He is a native of Cortland and graduated from Cortland High School. He has been scheduling speaking engagements, especially to speak to the younger generations, and on many occasions, young people ages 12 to 17 come to his seminars dressed in their Junior ROTC Army fatigues.
PBS produced a documentary of King's wartime experience. He brings the segment with him to show at every speaking engagement. It's called "Behind Enemy Lines: A Pilot and Prisoner of War's Story of Survival." He agreed to take part in this video because it is aimed at explaining the trials and tribulations of war to high school students across the country.
Because of the uptick of the war, King knew he would be drafted so he enlisted in the Army Reserve shortly after graduation at age 18 in 1942. He always was interested in flying, so he put in for pilot training. He was eager to learn to fly and fighter pilots were in great demand. He passed all physical and mental examinations and was sworn in and then called to active duty in 1943. He began his training at a Primary Flight School in a PT19 Aircraft.
"Normally, a pilot in training does a first solo after about 25 hours. However, during wartime, you better be ready to solo in 10 hours or you're out," King said.
He successfully passed his first solo and was certified to fly in only five hours. That was only the beginning.
He then was sent to Centenary College in Shreveport, La., as a Mustang replacement pilot. King said he didn't even know what a Mustang was, but he accepted the challenge and climbed aboard a P40 Mustang War Hawk.
He was then sent to Oklahoma for 10 weeks to learn how to fly in a PT-19 aircraft. He practiced how to land safely, recover from stalls and dueling, along with 30 hours a week in the classroom. Then he spent 10 more weeks in Coffeyville, Kansas, where he learned how to fly a heavier trainer B-13. At that time, he learned to use landmarks for navigation and use instruments to fly at night.
Following his graduation in 1944, he received his wings and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. He was then sent to Eagle Pass, Texas for 10 more weeks, where he trained on a P-40 Warhawk. Since the war was escalating in Europe, King was sent to England to train on a P-51 Mustang fighter plane and then transferred to a P-47 Thunderbolt Group in LeMans, France.
"The thunderbolts were sturdier and could support a 500-pound bomb on each wing along with four high-velocity rockets," he said.
In September of 1944, King flew his first of 75 combat missions with the 9th Air Force 406th Fighter Group.
At that time, Hitler and his Nazi regime were battle tested and on a mission to take on all European nations and more.
"Their military was powerful, including their weaponry from air, land or sea. Their aircraft bombers were much more advanced than ours, faster and better built. A German aircraft buzzed by so fast, I thought I was standing still. Their massive tanks were so well built that it took three of our tanks to knock out one of theirs. Hitler was seemingly unstoppable," King said.
During this time in France, King flew close air support for ground Allied Forces during the Battle of the Bulge. He and the Thunderbolts would strafe flak positions so that transport aircraft could drop supplies to U.S. forces.
His squadron was then transferred to Belgium in 1945 to support the Allied push across Germany. This was the first time in many missions that King said he felt anxious about returning home alive.
"You just tried not to think about getting hit. You just went to 10,000 feet, and rolled over at full power, straight down, release your bombs at 1,000 feet at determined enemy sites, and then get the hell out of there," he recalled.
However, in April of 1945, King was hit by German artillery and forced to bail out over enemy territory. He suffered a broken leg and burns on his arms, wrists, legs and face. He parachuted down and was captured by enemy forces. Ironically, he was taken to a hospital that the Allied Forces bombed out.
He was imprisoned for about a week in a cell there.
"Despite the war, a German doctor and German captain in charge were very humanitarian. After medical treatment, the captain used a German ambulance to return me, along with other wounded Americans, back safely to allied lines," King said.
While King recuperated in a French hospital for two months, the war ended. He returned to America and celebrated his return with his family.
King went on to acquire a certified accounting degree (CPA) from Youngstown College. Then in 1950, he became a partner for the Rowland-Hills Accounting Firm in Youngstown (it later became Hill-Barth & King) until his retirement in 1984. He became a business consultant for many local businesses after retiring.
King has since received a Medal of Honor from the French government.
However, he said, "the people on the ground deserve all the honor. They experienced the horrors of death, whether it was us or the enemy. These visuals are snapshots in your mind that are never forgotten."
Part of his seminar is spent debunking misconceptions about World War II.
"Everyone thought that once the D-Day invasion in Europe was successful, the war was over. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The war escalated at that point in time. Also, in my fighter squadron, there were approximately 30 pilots and 30 aircraft. There were three squadrons per group. In my group of 90 pilots alone, 29 of them were killed in the European theater. So out of respect for them and their sacrifice, I speak on this terrible subject of war."
Wallace 'Wally' Noah King
AGE: 99
RESIDENCE: Cortland
SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. Army Air Corps (now known as Air Force)
MILITARY HONORS: Medal of Honor from French government
OCCUPATION: Retired as CPA from Rowland-Hills accounting firm in Youngstown.
FAMILY: Two adopted children, Don and Kathy, and eight grandchildren. Two wives are deceased.