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Highly decorated WWII Veteran and P-38 pilot, Capt. James Kunkle named honorary USSF member and coined as first Space Force Delta 30 honorary member at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Space Launch Delta 30
May 17, 2021 | 2:03
Highly decorated U.S. Army Air Corps WWII Veteran and P-38 aviator, Captain James Kunkle, became an honorary member of the United States Space Force on May 17, 2021. The 98-year-old Veteran, accompanied by is wife Ruth, was also presented the first Vandenberg Space Launch Delta 30 coin during the official renaming and redesignation ceremony of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Kunkle's first mission was an armed reconnaissance flight across the channel just after the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Normandy. He was severely injured during a dog fight and nearly a prisoner of war. He was rescued and recovered after many months and then left active duty in 1948.
Kunkle is a local area resident and a lifelong aviation enthusiast.
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VandenbergVeteransWWIID-DayP-38Solvang
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