Highly decorated WWII veteran turns 100
'Fox & Friends' wishes a happy birthday to the WWII Air Force pilot
"Hunkered down behind a fortress of sandbags on Dec. 7, 1941, I wondered if this was the day I would die," writes Jack Holder, 99, of his experience on duty at the Ford Island Naval Base when 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor in his book, "Adrenaline, Excitement, and Fear."
Jack Holder received many awards for his service, including two Distinguished Flying Cross Medals, and one Presidential Citation. (Jack Holder)
"Jack can still clearly see the face of the Japanese pilot whose machine gun barely missed killing him and his mates as they hid in plain sight in a sewer ditch," writes Holder’s friend and biographer Thomas Baldrick on Holder's webpage.
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Surviving the Pearl Harbor attack was far from the last action Holder would see. He would serve in several battles, at Midway, Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands, and the English Channel.
The sacrifices he has made for this nation have been immense, and now as his 100th birthday approaches, he has one request: birthday cards.
The Arizona resident is no stranger to big birthday celebrations. Last year, for his 99th, his neighbors threw him a surprise parade.
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"What began with a small army of neighbors in golf carts quickly expanded. Basically, it was the can’t-miss Arizona event of the day," Baldrick told Fox News.
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In his almost 100 years of life, Holder has experienced parts of American history most people only learn from books. Born in Texas to a family of farmers, Holder grew up in the shadow of the Great Depression. He developed an interest in flight and joined the Navy in 1940. He was assigned to Pearl Harbor Hawaii as a member of PBY Squadron VP-26, and a year later found himself in the middle of what would later be called the day that would live in infamy.
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
After the war began, he would go on to take part in over 100 Navy missions, earning many titles and distinctions including two Distinguished Flying Cross Medals, and one Presidential Citation. He was honorably discharged in 1948 and spent his civilian years as a commercial and corporate pilot.
Now, he lives in Chandler, Arizona, and spends his time golfing and spending time with friends. Holder does speaking engagements for veteran groups and schools where he talks about his experiences in the Navy and the Great Depression.
To send him a birthday card, address the envelope to Jack Holder
C/O Darlene Tryon
PO Box 11094
Chandler, Arizona 85248.
Please mail the card no later than Nov. 30, to ensure that it will arrive in time for his birthday on Dec. 13.
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