Editor’s note: This article is part of We the People , a series marking the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States of America by Gray Media, parent company of WANF Atlanta News First .

ACWORTH, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — At 99 years old, Navy veteran Richard Stroud’s memories of military service remain as sharp as the day he lived them more than 80 years ago.

Stroud, who enlisted at just 17, served 17 years in the military and experienced what few sailors ever will. “I went into the Navy when I was 17. I was a member of the Navy Blue Angels,” Stroud said. “Done a lot of things. I made 1,143 take offs and landings without having an accident.”

His service included dangerous night reconnaissance missions searching for Russian submarines. “Due to my experience I fl

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