He graduated from high school in San Pedro, Calif., in 1936; Ohio Wesleyan University with a bachelor of arts degree in 1940; and the Air Force Manpower Management Course at The George Washington University in 1953. Following employment with the Management Analysis Office of Douglas Aircraft Company, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in March 1941 and received his commission
as second lieutenant and pilot wings in October 1941. His first assignment was as an instructor at the Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Stockton Field, Calif. In March 1943 he entered bombardment training and later was assigned as operations officer of the 851st Bombardment Squadron at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho. He went to the European Theater of Operations with the squadron which was assigned to the Eighth Air Force and served as squadron commander and deputy group commander. He led his B-17 Flying Fortress group on 24 combat missions over Germany and occupied Europe and participated in D-Day air support for the Normandy invasion. On Nov. 30, 1944, due to plane damage on a mission to Merseburg, Germany, he crash-landed on the Belgium front line and was rescued by a British Army patrol.
