As a 33-year-old pilot at the end of World War II, then Capt. Mayhew ‘Bo’ Foster had an extraordinary mission, flying captured Nazi leader Hermann Goering from the Austrian Alps back to the 7th Army’s headquarters in Germany for interrogation.
Capt. Foster took one look at the one-time heir to Adolf Hitler and commander of the fearsome Luftwaffe, all 300-plus pounds of him, and knew he needed a bigger plane.
Capt. Foster, now 99, and living in a nursing home in Missoula, Montana, recently recounted his rare one-on-one encounter with one of the most wanted Nazi leaders.
Mr Foster went on to become brigadier general of the Montana National Guard and was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his World War II service, but it was this mission that stood out as the highlight of an illustrious military career.