Staff Sergeant (Sep.) Albert "Bud" Porter served in the Eighth Air Force during World War II from October 1942 through November 1945. Originally designated to be a radio operator, “Bud” was surprised when he was assigned as a ball-turret gunner on a B-17.
“I told the pilot, ‘I'm a radio operator,’ and he asked me, ‘Porter, how tall are you?’ and I said, ‘Five-seven.’ He says, ‘That sounds just about right for a ball-turret.’ Apparently, they had more radio operators than they knew what to do with. So, that's how I ended up in the ball,” Bud said.
During his time in the Army Air Corps, Bud flew on nine missions over hostile German airspace before the war ended.
He currently volunteers at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, GA where he shares his WWII experiences with visitors.