Last Saturday I was given the opportunity to photograph a WWII pilot. The Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum, located in Titusville FL, contacted me and asked if I would like to come out and take photos.
Mr. Arvid Shook was barely 20 years old, just prior to WWII. Since graduating from High School in Akron Ohio, he had tried to sign up for the military and go to flight school. However, at that time, the US required 2 years of college, so he decided to hitch hike to Canada and sign up with the Royal Canadian Air Force. His first trainer, at the Canadian flying school, was a bi-plane called the “Tiger Moth.” Later, an American General came up and said that if they wanted to return to the States right then and begin flight training all over, they would be commissioned in the US Military -- and he did. Mr. Shook was eventually, assigned to the China, India, Burma (CBI) Theater, where he flew the treacherous “hump” (Himalayas); often overloaded and in terrible weather conditions. He flew the famous C-46 Commando and C-47 Skytrain among many others, such as the B-25, B-17, C-124 and C-119. He was stationed around the world including Korea and Japan. For his 91st birthday the museum took him up in a Tiger Moth, the first plane he trained in. The photos you see of the gentleman signing a book is the pilot that took Mr. Shook up in the plane. The book he is signing is Mr. Shook's original flight log book from 1942.
It was a great honor for me to be able to document this special occassion with my camera for the family and the museum. To see more of the photos of this event go to the link in my signature below.
DSC_0400 by dwhart24, on Flickr
DSC_0483 by dwhart24, on Flickr
DSC_1036 by dwhart24, on Flickr