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Episode #752 of Hometown Heroes, airing September 24-29, 2022, continues the story of 99-year-old Jim Kunkle of Santa Ynez, CA, capturing his memories from the September 16th, 1944 mission that left the P-38 pilot with the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. If you missed the first part of Kunkle’s story, access the podcast version of episode #751. Jim will reach the century mark during the Central Coast AirFest in Santa Maria, CA, October 15-16th, 2022. Click here to secure your tickets to the air show, which will feature a mix of historic aircraft like the ones Jim flew during World War II, and some of the most modern fighter planes, including the F-35 Lightning II.

Kunkle was just 21 years old when he took on, in his lone P-38 Lightning, more than 20 enemy fighter planes in the skies over Aachen, Germany. His Distinguished Service Cross citation includes these details:

“Many hits were registered on his aircraft which caught fire burning his face, neck, and hands. Despite his burning plane and the gunfire from enemy planes, Lieutenant Kunkle continued his attack against the vastly superior enemy force and succeeded in destroying a second enemy aircraft, breaking off combat only when forced to parachute to safety when his left fuel tank exploded.”

In this episode of Hometown Heroes, you’ll hear Kunkle provide a detailed play-by-play of that aerial combat experience, which he estimates lasted a total of about six minutes. Those 360 seconds have had a profound impact on the rest of his life.