August 31, 2024

A KC-135 with Nebraska Air National Guard’s 173rd Air Refueling Squadron performs a flyover for the Nebraska vs UTEP football game. The stripes on the plane commemorate James Kunkle, a 101-year-old pilot who is the oldest living pilot in the units’ long history. Kunkle served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II and flew P-38 and P-57 aircraft. Kunkle received the Distinguished Service Cross for engaging 20 German aircraft and downing two of them. The stripes are the same pattern Kunkle’s P-38 wore during the D-Day invasion. August 31, 2024. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication and Marketing.