Private Walter Gerstenlauer , United States Air Force

1953-1961

My grandfather, Walter Gerstenlauer, is a Korean War Air Force veteran. He joined the air force on January 16, 1953. He joined the Air Force because he said he simply loved planes and loved to work on them. He started basic training and described it as the hardest thing he ever had to do. He described scrubbing bathroom floors with toothbrushes and that is something he said he would never forget. He had to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and go out in the freezing weather of (-45 degrees) in Fairbanks, Alaska. He also said that he was not allowed to walk anywhere, you needed to run or double time it, everywhere you went or else you would have to go and run a mile.

During his time in the war he had to go to a lot of states such as Texas, Massachusetts, upstate New York and Alaska. He said his favorite place was in Fairbanks Alaska where he spent 3 years. He said that because there was so much snow you needed to walk on the compacted snow because if you didn’t’ you would fall in the powder and you would never be found. Walter Gerstenlauer worked on the bombing planes during the Korean War. He worked on the B-50, C1-19, C-47 and his favorite plane was the B-29 bomber which he said is the same plane that bombed Japan in World War II.

Walter Gerstenlauer went into war the same day with two other men, Robert Windish, who he still tries to keep in touch with. The other man is Crosley Fitton who was shot down in the war.
Even though he had to get up at 3:00 a.m. and had to prepare three planes for flight before the day in the -40 degree temperature of the Alaskan winter. He is very proud of what he did in the air force and has never regretted his decision join the air force to this day.