After I received an email from Shelly Gardner telling about her grandfather’s fulfilling life, I took the opportunity to visit Bernard Parsley and his wife, Elizabeth, in their Malta home.

At 95, Parsley could be the oldest man in town, but one would never believe his age when talking with him. We covered a lot of history, from his World War II service, marriage, building his own motor home, designing and building sleds for tractor pulls, piloting his own plane, farming for 20 years, then becoming a skilled dynamiter, among his other endeavors.

He joined the Army Air Corps as part of the 309th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group during the World War II as an aircraft radio mechanic for the planes that were part of the North African campaign and then the invasion of Italy. He was quick to point out that “people should never forget the foot soldier, who fought and died to secure this real estate, as well as the bomber pilots and flight crews who flew hundreds of missions.”