Jerry Yellin remembers the depression and how hard it was to make a living. His family moved every October 1st because you were allowed 3 months free rent each year moving at this time of the year. Yellin was working at a Steel Mill, saving money to attend college when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. That action caused him to enlist, he wanted to become a fighter pilot. Not having attended college he had to pass an academic test and a physical test. He passed the academic test but failed the physical. One eye was 20/30. Jerry memorized the eye chart and went back and this time passed. After all this training, a few days before graduation, he again was having an eye exam. They eye chart was changed and he failed. By going to see the Corporal, he was granted permission to graduate and become a fighter pilot. His station in Hawaii, saw him being selected as one of 5 out of 40 graduates to continue with the fighter pilot training. Jerry was stationed in the South Pacific with the 78th Fighter Squadron. Courtesy of the American Veteran Center.