Capt. Dick Nelms, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II

Veterans Chronicles

Dick Nelms was fascinated by flight at an early age. Born just five years after the end of World War I, he still vividly remembers what an event it was to see a plane in the sky when he was a child. Not long after the U.S. entered World War II, Nelms volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He would eventually pilot or co-pilot 35 missions aboard a B-17 bomber.
In this edition of " Veterans Chronicles," Nelms reveals why the Army pulled the plug on him becoming a fighter pilot and assigned him to a bomber crew. He also walks us through a typical mission from briefing to pre-flight checks to take off and formation to the dropping of the bombs over German targets.
Now 101 years old, Nelms takes us inside two of his most harrowing missions and also details his mental approach to confronting fear and carrying out the missions. He also shares how he and other bomber pilots saved thousands of American troops in Normandy.
Finally, Nelms shares how his love of art led to a unique opportunity years after the war and how his artistic legacy lives on today.