World War II aviator spends Veteran’s Day at San Diego Air & Space Museum

La Jolla's Milton Blackstone visits Museum

World War II aviator spends Veteran’s Day at San Diego Air & Space

Thursday, November 11, 2015 – Veteran’s Day – was a special day at the San Diego Air & Space Museum because of a visit from World War II aviator Milton Blackstone.

Blackstone, now 91, saw action in the war with the 7th Ferrying Group of the Air Transport Command (ATC) as an aerial mechanic, delivering B-17s, B-24s and C-47s to every theater of war. He came to the Museum to have his picture taken in the World War II Gallery for an article scheduled to appear in an upcoming Smithsonian publication.

Blackstone’s visit came at an important time. Last month during a celebration on Skype, Blackstone learned he was the last surviving member of the men who served in the 7th Ferrying Group.

“It’s hard to think of 1,200 men, that it is just little old me now,” said Blackstone.

Blackstone originally wanted to enlist at the age of 17, but his mother wouldn’t sign the forms. So on his 18th birthday – May 5, 1942 – he went to 99 Whitehall Street in New York City to enlist. Two of his buddies joined the Marines and served in the Pacific.

Because his scores on the enlistment aptitude test were so high, the Army wanted to send him to Officer Candidate School. But he declined.

“I wanted to be where the action was,” said Blackstone.

Though he enlisted in May, he didn’t receive a call until September and finally joined the Army Air Forces in December, 1942. He was stationed at Camp Upton in New York with many other young men his age.

“It was a strange situation, because you had a lot of young kids who had never been away from home. They were crying at night,” recalls Blackstone. “But I had been away to the State Guard before, so it wasn’t bad for me.”

He still has his enlistment pins and emblems, and he kept his aerial mechanic wings. Between the State Guard, the National Guard and four and a half years in the Army Air Force, he served a total of seven years.

During the war, Blackstone met Gene Roddenberry, who later created the immensely popular Star Trek TV series in the 1960. Roddenberry joined the Army Air Corps after studying law enforcement at Los Angeles City College and flew 89 missions during World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. While stationed in the South Pacific, Roddenberry contributed stories and poetry to publications.

On one of his flights during the war, Blackstone sat next to Theo Bikel. Bikel did not speak much English at the time, so Blackstone communicated with him in Yiddish. Bikel later became a famous actor with several prominent roles in theaters, on television and in motion pictures, including My Fair Lady and The African Queen.

Blackstone also appears, albeit partially, in one of history’s most iconic photographs. He is in the background of the original full-sized image of the famous “Unconditional Surrender” photo taken outside the USO on 46th Street in New York. He and some fellow aviators where enjoying furlough in the USO, and when they stepped outside, they saw the announcement about the war being over. Just then, the sailor bent the nurse over and gave her the famous kiss immortalized in the photo. Blackstone was standing a few feet away.

The photograph would not be his last brush with history. Over the years, Blackstone has enjoyed the honor of meeting five American Presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy. In fact, it was Roosevelt who presented Blackstone with his Good Conduct Medal.

“He stood up from his wheelchair to pin my Good Conduct Medal on me,” remembers Blackstone.

After the war, Blackstone enjoyed a successful career in television, according to an article in the La Jolla Light on August 11, 2005. Blackstone got a job writing for the popular radio show “Don't You Believe It,” which led to other work.

“During my career in TV, I worked on all three networks: ABC, CBS and NBC,” he was quoted in the La Jolla Light article. “I was an agent, producer and writer. I had a hand in it all. I produced a number of different shows, the ‘Steve Allen Show,’ Jack Parr. I did Guy Lombardo’s New Year’s Eve show for five years.”

During his time in television, Blackstone was a comedy writer for 20 years.

“I can still do stand-up comedy if I need to,” bragged Blackstone. “But my routine is more suited for older people.”

Blackstone, who has lived in the same home in La Jolla for 48 years, has an interesting story about his first trip to San Diego. In the late ‘60s, he was a producer for the Steve Allen Show. Andy Williams and Eydie Gorme were singers on the show.

“Andy Williams is the reason I’m in San Diego,” said Blackstone.

Williams was attempting to establish a PGA tournament in San Diego, which eventually would become the Andy Williams San Diego Open. (The tournament continues today as the Farmers Insurance Open and is still played at Torrey Pines.)

“I was writing for Golf Digest at the time, and Andy called me up to see if I could come help him out,” said Blackstone. “I had never been here before. I wasn’t here six hours before I called my wife and said, ‘We’re moving here.’ And I’ve been here ever since.”

Blackstone plans to return to the San Diego Air & Space Museum on a regular basis.

“It’s so overwhelming. I can’t drink it all in,” he said. “It’s too much to take in one visit. My head is swimming.”

Being Veteran’s Day, the Museum had its fair share of families touring during Blackstone’s visit, with many of them taking the time to thank him for his service.

“I’m happy to see so many kids here,” said Milton. “It’s important for us to pass this on to them.”

Equally important as sharing stories like Milton Blackstone’s.