John fought his way throughout the war as a P-47 fighter pilot. Born as a twin in Shreveport, Louisiana, John took civilian pilot training at Louisiana State University and then joined the Army Air Forces in spring of 1942. By December of 1943 he was based near Gosfield, England with the 365^th Fighter Group, 387^th Fighter Squadron. From there, and later from a base in France, John flew escort missions, protecting B-17 and B-24 bombers. In all, he flew 83 missions and left the service on June 21, 1945 as a first lieutenant. He spent most of his career in the insulation business.