(chiming music run-up) (regal instrumental music) (airplane passing) - My name is David R Wooden.

I was born and raised in Riverside, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago on the west side.

I was in the United States Marine Corp.

It was great, too.

It really was.

They treated me very well.

The reason I went into the Marine Corp is that at the time I went through training at Pensacola, Florida, the Navy had you flying a multi-engine anti-submarine warfare.

And I was just 19 going on 20.

And at that age, all I wanted to do was fly jet fighters.

Flying a multi-engine airplane looking for submarines sounded very boring.

I was really kinda stupid because those guys got coffee and fed, and everything.

We didn't get any of that.

But I would never take it back for anything.

I was extremely lucky to get into a jet squadron right away.

And I was in the very first FJ which the Air Force called the F86.

I was in the very first squadron of the F86 or FJ in the Marine Corp.

It was extremely exciting for me and I was just lucky to get it.

They were gonna send me overseas to Korea flying a propeller-driven airplane called AD.

Man, I didn't want that at all.

And so this Marine Corp Sergeant was in charge of giving you your orders where you were gonna go.

He said you're gonna go over to Korea and be stationed over there, and fly propeller-driven airplanes.

And I said, "I'd sure like to get into that jet squadron," you know, "that I just went down and looked at."

And he said, "There's gonna be a Major walk out "of that office there in about five minutes.

"They lost a pilot in that squadron yesterday "and they need another pilot.

"When he comes out, his name is Major Morrison, "introduce yourself, tell him you would like "that squadron and you wanna go down there."

So I did and he says, "Change his orders, "send him down, we need him."

And that's how I got it.

I was in this FJ squadron.

They were gonna go on a med cruise and I qualified and everything on the aircraft carrier and everything.

Then all of a sudden, they made a rule you had to have 100 hours in type to go.

I only had 90 at that time.

So I didn't get to go.

So they transferred me to an overhaul and repair squadron called an O & R Squadron.

At that time, we had lots of old airplanes and so I got to fly 'em to Litchfield where they, we called it bone yard, where they're gonna crunch 'em up.

So I was able to fly Corsairs, F6Fs, F4Fs, F7F Tigercats, F9F Bearcats.

We had a few old twin engine airplanes, Beechcrafts and things like that.

We jumped those down there, too.

And so I, for six months, that's about all I did, fly those airplanes down.

And then we got to ride back in a military transport at Cherry Point, North Carolina.

I was in 7th and 8th grade when the real exciting things were going on in the war: the Marianas Turkey Shoot, the Battle of Midway.

And later when I saw pictures of the airplanes and everything, I thought how lucky could I be to be able to fly these old war birds because they're gonna be extinct.

And nobody else is going to get to fly these airplanes 'cause they're junking 'em.

And so I thought it was unbelievable that I should have the opportunity to do that.

And the commanding officer of the O & R Squadron flew in the Battle of Midway.

And so, to be able to meet him and fly with him, you know?

Fly on his wing down to Arizona?

Probably one of the most exciting things I ever got to do in my whole life.

I mean it, it just made you grow like, two feet just thinking about it, you know.

- [Interviewer] Was there any tradition you had when you walked away from the plane and that was the end of the line for the plane?

- Yeah, I (David kisses his fingertips) on the side, "Goodbye, old girl."

It was really something for me.

I mean, it was really something to fly all the different jet airplanes, but just the opportunity to be able to climb into the cockpit of those.

Not only that, it really made you feel like a Marine.

I mean, it really did.

I mean, I know the Navy flew all those airplanes too, but for me, it was once in a lifetime.

I was extremely lucky to be able to do that.

And I was glad I didn't go on the med cruise, you know?

I think this is fantastic.

I mean, just being able to see these airplanes and the condition that they're in.

I mean, it's like when you get to go see a Model-T Ford that was built before I was born.

And it's drivable, looks brand new, that people can do that sort of thing because not everybody can do this.

These are special people that spend all of these hours putting these things back together.

It's incredible.

I always thought the P51 was probably the most beautiful flying airplane that I ever saw.

I mean, it's just something about it's sleek.

And the noise of that particular engine, it's so different from a radial engine.

(engine running) But when I was at Kingsville, Texas flying the F6F, we used to jump them at the Air Force base.

Down by the Mexican border, there was an Air Force base and our instructor would take us down there.

We'd be up like, 28,000 feet in the F6F and you got a two-stage blower?

And we'd be so high above 'em and then we'd.

And you'd get behind 'em and get on the radio and go, "da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da."

And boy, would they get mad.

And the next day, they were over at Kingsville lookin' for us.

It was a lotta fun.

I was aboard an aircraft carrier and President Kennedy came up and shook my hand.

Had no hat on.

Shook all our hands.

I thought he was gonna be the most famous president ever.

I was 20 years old.

Meet the president of the United States?

He was like a next door neighbor, I'm not kidding you.

He was just like the man next door.

He wasn't walkin' around all...

He was just a guy.

He liked the people in the military.

It didn't matter whether you're in the Navy or the Marine Corp.

But when he walked up to you, he grabbed your hand and, "How ya doin', Lieutenant?"

Man, that was to me was unbelievable.

I'll tell ya, when he got killed, I cried.

I really did.

It's just unbelievable, the opportunity.

But he did those kind of things in the military even popped up outta anywhere and just... And it wasn't just the officers, he shook enlisted men's hand.

Everybody, you know?

Pretty nice.

I had the easiest opportunity.

I only had two years of college and I went to Pensacola, Florida.

Kids today don't have more opportunities to go down to Pensacola and learn how to fly because to do it on your own, I would have never had the money when I grew up to be able to take flying lessons and learn how to fly.

And, I ended up in the commercial airline industry for 35 years.

I could tell all kids today you can't beat going in the military, I don't think.

And learn, there's so many things that you can learn in the military.

If you wanna be a mechanic, aircraft mechanic, I mean, you could just about do anything you want.

They have all of these programs.

It's free.

When you come out of the military, you won't have a bill to pay the government for your college.

And if you really put your foot down and study, could get an excellent job.

I enjoyed every minute I was in the military.

Every single minute.

And they were very good to me.

I have no complaints at all.

This is fantastic how these people could put these airplanes like this.

I've been through a lot of museums.

I've never been one to like this.

No kidding.

(regal instrumental music) (airplane soaring) (regal instrumental music)