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Former WWII POW is still going strong at 99 years old

Jesse Seeley poses for a photo with the records that Germans kept on him from his time as a prisoner of war Monday, October 15, 2018 at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Seeley was held as a prisoner of war for about 18 months after the B-17 he was in was shot down.
Jesse Seeley poses for a photo with the records that Germans kept on him from his time as a prisoner of war Monday, October 15, 2018 at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Seeley was held as a prisoner of war for about 18 months after the B-17 he was in was shot down. Jesse Seeley poses for a photo with the records that Germans kept on him from his time as a prisoner of war Monday, October 15, 2018 at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Seeley was held as a prisoner of war for about 18 months after the B-17 he was in was shot down.

By Rosana Hughes 5 min read

BIO

Name: Jesse SeeleyAge: 99Branch: U.S. Air Army Air Corps/U.S. Air ForceYears of service: 1942-1970

View our 21 Veteran Salute page

It was 4 a.m. at the Chelveston air base in England on Nov. 26, 1943, when former U.S. Army Air Corps Flight Officer Jesse Seeley was awakened and ordered to fly.

He would be flying with a different crew than his own as a replacement for a sick navigator. Their target? Bremen, Germany.

The crew flew out over the North Sea but hit heavy flak and lost an engine of their B-17.

They were able to drop their bombs on the target, but on their way back, they couldn’t keep up with the formation and became a sitting duck for the enemy.