Portrait of Captain Floyd Edwin Wilhelm who was born October 7, 1922, in Jonesboro, Illinois, son of William and Alice Wilhelm. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II for more than four years and carried out Berlin Airlift missions, attached to the 317th Troop Carrier Wing. He served nine months in the Korean War. He was the first pilot in charge of an R. B. 45 to fly a non-stop jet from San Francisco to Japan unescorted, making the trip in September 1951. He lost his life October 20, 1952, while giving jet training, leaving a wife Delilah and five children.
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