World War II veterans Wilson and Connie Conaway celebrate their return from a recent Inland Northwest Honor Flight. Their 64th wedding anniversary is near.

Wilson Conaway didn’t care for high school in Youngstown, Ohio. “It was 1942,” he recalled. “The war was on. There were a lot of flags waving, and I wanted to be a pilot.”

One thing he did like about school was a pretty girl named Connie. “She was running around with my best friend, and he introduced us,” Wilson said. They went out a few times, but the lure of flying proved stronger than his affection for Connie, and triumphed over the drudgery of schoolwork.

So he hitchhiked to Cleveland and enrolled in the Army Air Corps. His eyes lit up when he recalled the first aircraft he flew. “I learned to fly in a Stearman. It’s a beautiful plane and great for acrobatics!” Read more. Cindy Hval, SR

Do you know any WWII veterans?

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