Jim Peters Jr. talks about his late father, US Air Force Master Sgt. (Ret.) James Peters during a ceremony to induct his dad into the Our Gallant Men wall at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus on Monday. The elder Peters was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, served with the Strategic Air Command during the Cold War and volunteered at the museum.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
A World War II airman whose service to the nation’s air defenses stretched into the 1960s and in later years included helping preserve military aviation history was posthumously honored Monday at Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum in Columbus.
Jim Peters Sr., who died in 2018, was inducted Monday as one of the museum’s “Our Gallant Men” honorees during a ceremony in which family members, fellow veterans and museum volunteers paid tribute.
Peters flew 27 bombing missions as a tail gunner and flight engineer on B-17 Flying Fortress bombers in the European Theater of World War II. After his induction into the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943, he took part in raids over Germany, Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia.
Later, as a member of the U.S. Air Force, Peters served in the Korean War and in the U.S. Strategic Air Command during the Cold War, where his duties included keeping B-52 bombers in a constant state of readiness against North Korean forces. Peters retired as a master sergeant in 1965.
“I miss Dad and his stories, but I know he was very proud,” Jim Peters Jr. of Columbus said, with tears in his eyes at the end of a presentation about his father.
The younger Peters shared stories he heard growing up from his dad: dining on powdered eggs during World War II and later being stationed in Alaska, where an oil drum provided heat for him and his young bride. Serving in the Strategic Air Command in Korea and during the Cold War, the younger Peters said his father was part of a “Herculean effort” to keep the nation’s air defenses ready around the clock.
While the senior Peters had no direct military experience rooted in the former Bakalar Air Force Base or its predecessor, Atterbury Air Base, his son said the decorated veteran was dedicated to preserving its memories and military aviation history more broadly.
A plaque honoring Peters, complete with many of his service medals, patches and other items from his service was unveiled Monday, the ninth airman honored on the museum’s Gallant Men wall.
A fellow Strategic Air Command veteran and Gallant Men honoree Maj. Gen. Mark Pillar lauded Peters’ service and commendations, and not just for “some pretty heavy flights he was on” in World War II, but also for the sometimes unheralded constant watch and readiness demanded of air defenses during the Cold War.
Atterbury Bakalar Air Museum Board member Pat Billey said Peters had been an active volunteer since moving to Columbus in 2003 until a year before he died. Moreover, he helped found a cooperative organization of B-17 collectors and was instrumental in the restoration of the B-17 Sentimental Journey. The aircraft, which flew missions in the Pacific Theater in World War II, is still in operation by the Commemorative Air Force, based in Mesa, Arizona.
Billey read letters from acquaintances of Peters who with him co-founded the B-17 co-op. They described him as a mentor and an expert who could navigate sometimes tricky situations to reach the ultimate goal of preserving pieces of military aviation history.
“It was his plan to avoid the politics and to focus on helping others,” read one message of tribute shared by Billey.
“I am who I am because of Jim,” said another. “He is my friend and mentor forever.”
