James was working in a railroad yard in Waywoka, Oklahoma on Sunday December 7, 1941. He joined the Army Air Corps on January 19, 1943 at the age of 19.
He was trained as a pilot and soon found himself shipped overseas to the European Theater of operations. He flew P-51 Mustang’s with the 2nd Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force based in Italy.
James also flew C-47 cargo planes in Egypt. He even flew C-46 Commando cargo planes in China, flying over “The Hump.” James flew a total of 347.5 hours in these different aircraft. He returned to the U.S. in November, 1945.
He chose to stay in the AAF and was there when the change occurred with the Air Force becoming a separate part of the military in 1949. He stayed in and retired in 1966 with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
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