“Thank you for your service” is what you should say when you meet a veteran, especially if it is a person like Edward R. "Buddy" Haydon. Buddy is a WWII veteran who flew a P-51 against deadly German ME-262 jet fighters.

The Allies lost 542 aircraft to the ME-262 compared to the German fighter's 100 losses, a ratio that could have impacted the course of the war if executed on the large scale German pilots desired. Buddy was a key player in the ME-262 dog-fight many claim changed the course of the air war over Europe, witnessed an early V-2 launch, was declared killed in action and spent several months as a POW. Follow the eponymous link above for many interesting details of Buddy's early career. After WWII he continued to serve in the Air Force, flying early jet fighters such as the F-86 (pictured here) and F-102.