Sergeant Kenneth R. Haines was in the 15th Army Air Force in the European theater during World War II, and was a tail turret gunner in B-24 Liberator Bombers. He talks about the mechanics of missions... assembling the crew, getting a briefing, flying the mission, and debriefing. In this shortened video, he also talks about the daily life of a soldier in the Army Air Force. He was interviewed by his grandson, Kenneth Witzman, himself a student at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) who talks with his grandfather about the awards and medals he earned during his service.

In war, certain missions demand the most and constitute much of the legends of bravery. Journey back to the Second World War when fearless airmen manned the B-17's belly guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could become their coffin. The ball turret gunners called their work "flying the ball", others called it crazy!