Posted on 09/02/2025 2:09:34 PM PDT by DFG
John "Lucky" Luckadoo, of Dallas, the last surviving B-17 bomber pilot from the 100th Bomb Group during World War II, has died at the age of 103.
Presbyterian Village North in Dallas, where Luckadoo's lived since 2006, confirmed in a statement that he died Sept. 1.
"He was admired for his courage and the kindness he shared so generously with our community. Lucky’s legacy of service and inspiration will continue to live on through the celebration of Home Front Heroes Day on May 9th, a local holiday that he one day hoped would become a national holiday honoring those who support our troops," the community said in a statement.
Luckadoo, a native of Chattanooga, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 19, according to the 100th Bomb Group Foundation, which documents the unit's history. He served as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot who participated in 25 missions over Germany between 1943 and 1944, including the Bremen mission during “Black Week” on October 8, 1943, according to the foundation.
"The relief and the realization that we’d been lucky enough to complete our tour, it was just indescribable, it was like lifting a heavy load off your shoulders, because psyching yourself up to get back in that airplane, particularly after a rough dose, was a difficult thing to do,” the foundation quotes Lucky as saying.
After the war, Luckadoo returned home and married his wife, Barbara, in 1946, according to the foundation. The couple had one daughter.
In his later life, Luckadoo sought to honor his fellow veterans, particularly from his unit, known as the 'Bloody Hundredth,' and share their stories. He helped spearhead the effort to get May 9 designated as 'Home Front Heroes Day' to honor the efforts of people on the home front during World War II.
"I shudder to think that you're trying to paint me as a hero. Because I ain't no hero," Luckadoo said in 2022, as WFAA previously reported. "The real heroes are those who did not come home. And the real heroes are also those who stayed home and outproduced the world."
He also served as a consultant for the Apple series "Masters of the Air."
"Well, I'm trying to maintain some balance and equilibrium," he joked during a WFAA interview in 2024 when asked if he felt like a Hollywood celebrity given his role.
"My fervent hope would be that they would recognize the futility of war," he said when asked about his hope for the movie's impact. "Hopefully it's going to impress on successive generations who weren't born then, what sacrifices were made on their behalf, or they wouldn't be here."
Luckadoo went to England for the last time in October 2023 and laid a wreath at Thorpe Abbotts in honor of his fellow veterans, according to the 100th Bomb Group Foundation.
"The 100th Bomb Group Foundation extends our sincere condolences to the Luckadoo family, and we are eternally grateful for all that John “Lucky” Luckadoo did in support of the Hundredth," the foundation wrote on social media.
“”My fervent hope would be that they would recognize the futility of war,” he said when asked about his hope for the movie’s impact. “Hopefully it’s going to impress on successive generations who weren’t born then, what sacrifices were made on their behalf, or they wouldn’t be here.””
Could not have been said better.
I’m sure my uncle would have known him as he was also a pilot in the 100th and lived in Dallas.
B-17 pilot after joining at early age.
TODAY’S SNOWFLAKES CANNOT EVEN TIE THEIR SHOES AT SAME AGE.
I hate seeing these heroes leave us.
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