Veterans Day reminds us to honor the men and women who served our country — men such as Joe Horne.

I met Joe years ago at a neighborhood coffee shop. We shared many enjoyable conversations, which is how I learned about his incredible life. A tailgunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Joe and his crew enjoyed 11 successful missions. They didn’t expect to survive their 12th: orders to bomb a heavily guarded munitions plant in Munich.

As they approached their target, Joe fought off German fighter planes, but heavy flak hit the plane hard. It lost altitude so fast its windows shattered and landing gear was destroyed. Their only hope was to make it across the Swiss border for a crash landing.

As the plane’s belly hit the ground — as uprooted earth and stones whipped through the br

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