In 1942 Thomas Tredici enlisted in the Army for pilot training; the Army trained cadets until 1947 when the Airforce was established within the Armed Services. Tredici was tested and selected to be trained as a bomber pilot and eventually was assigned to a B-17G Fortress II aircraft with a crew of 10. In 1944 he was deployed to Great Britain with the 751st squadron of the 457th Bomb Group of the 1st Bomb Division of the 8th Air Force.
Thomas Tredici and his crew regularly flew between 30,000 and 35,000 feet without pressurization. Col. Tredici recalls that the most common injuries were frostbite and ocular trauma if the aircraft came under fire. In total Tredici flew 18 combat missions over Germany between November 1944 and June 1945.
Influenced by his interactions with flight surgeons, Tredici earned his bachelors degree in 1949 and immediately entered medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. His specialization in ophthalmology allowed him to become an instructor at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine. In 1987 Col. Tredici became the last WWII pilot to retire from active duty in the Air Force, but he is still working today at the school as a Senior Scientist with the Aerospace Ophthalmology Branch.
Photo this page:
1. 2nd Lt. Self, Sgt. Lowery and 2nd Lt. Thomas J. Tredici (left to right), c.1944. Courtesy of Col. Thomas J. Tredici, MD
