WWII fighter pilot shares personal demons with USAFA cadets
Retired pilot Jerry Yellin told cadets he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for 30 years after the war
February 23, 2017
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WWII fighter pilot shares personal demons with USAFA cadets
Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Jerry Yellin, a P-51 Mustang aircraft pilot as well as the national spokesman for the Spirit of '45 organization, salutes during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., May 26, 2014. The non-profit organization focused on honoring the World War II generation. (DoD photo by Jim Varhegyi, U.S. Air Force/DVIDSHUB)
By Tom Roeder
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Jerry Yellin said he didn't come home from World War II until 1975.
The fighter pilot who flew one of the last American missions over Japan said he was back in combat every night accompanied by 16 friends who died while flying with the 78th Fighter Squadron.
"For 30 years after the war I was a basket case and I couldn't work," he said. "For 30 years I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder."
Yellin is sharing his story of recovery at the Air Force Academy this week during the school's annual National Character and Leadership Symposium.
https://www.military1.com/military-heroes/article/1706805014-wwii-fighter-pilot-shares-personal-demons-with-usafa-cadets/
