On April 29, 2026, at 101, WWII veteran Jose Noe Mendez returned to the skies, reconnecting with the aircraft that shaped his early military service. To mark his birthday, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Maxine Flournoy 3rd Coast Squadron partnered with Vintage Air Tours to arrange a commemorative flight over the Texas Coastal Bend. The flight, operated by Vintage Air Tours in a historic aircraft, echoed Mendez’s wartime experience as a young Navy trainee working on similar engines more than eight decades ago.
Mendez entered service at 17, training at a Navy aircraft engine school near Corpus Christi, where he stood out as a skilled mechanic. He later deployed to Europe, serving seven months on the front lines during WWII, including…..