CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Thursday marked the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. One veteran from Scranton traveled to Germany to be thanked for his service and heroic actions.
"Here I am, as low as you can get in rank, and I'm right up the front with the big guys," said Harold Bowers, U.S. Army Air Corps Veteran.
95-year-old Harold Bowers remembers his time as a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps well. Just out of high school, he served as an aircraft mechanic and standby flight engineer. Training came in handy when he was one of the seven involved in the Berlin Airlift.
"Russia could go ahead and, if you will, blockade from now until hell froze over, and Harry Truman didn't care, fly it in there; That's what I told you to do. Ok," said Bowers.
Known as the kid from Scranton, Bowers helped bring in coal, food, and more to German civilians who were stuck inside a Soviet-controlled eastern Germany following the end of World War II.
While the crisis only lasted a year, Bowers's heroic actions were never forgotten. That's why last month, he left his home at Clarks Summit Senior Living to catch a flight back to Germany to be thanked for his service 75 years later.
"I was anxious to go, willing to go, I enjoyed going," added Bowers.
Accompanied by his son, who is also a veteran, Bowers spent several days in Germany, attending ceremonies that detailed his flight crew's actions. A piece of history that can be seen proudly displayed on the lapel of his jacket.
"This one is strictly the German American, and that's why the little aircraft and what have ya," said Bowers as he described the jacket.
Now, Bowers lives a quieter life, but the memories of the airlift are still there. When asked if he would do it all again, Bowers says without question.
"Yes, I would, I would, and again, I think I'd be just as proud as I was then. I mean that," added Bowers.