KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A local World War II veteran remembers flying his P-47 Fighter Bomber Thunderbolt during his last bombing mission over Germany.
Peter Samson, now 99-years-old, said the last bombing run started like any other.
As his squadron was getting close to their target area, they received word from the ground saying, “Don’t bomb, return to base.”
One by one, they landed their aircraft at an auxiliary field, holding the bombs that were still charged and hot.
It was not until their feet hit the ground that they knew the war was over.
“I think it made me grow up in a hurry,” said Samson.
Samson was just a teenager when he enlisted in the military.
Even after all this time, he says he would do it again in a heartbeat.
Samson served two more years before retiring from the military. It was his desire to return for a third tour, but he was denied because of his age.
After returning to civilian life, he went on to work for IBM, got married and became the father of five children.
Samson now lives in Grain Valley, Missouri.
His leather-bound pilot log forever holds the memories of each flight he has taken in his country’s honor. As he recalls his time in service and all the men that served with him, he wants the public to never forget the “why.”
“They really should remember what a war was like and why we were there,” said Samson.
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