The story of WW II Pilot Richard Eager covers time in and out of the cockpit

The life story of U.S. Air Force veteran Richard Earnest Evans is certainly filled with amazing tales—such as how he became the B-17 "Flying Fortress" pilot for Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the British 8th Army.

But this is just one of several stories compiled and self-published by his daughter, Barbara Kinnear as “Richard Eager: A Pilot’s Story from Tennessee Eagle Scouts to General Montgomery’s “Flying Fortress.” Better known as Richard Eager, Evans began working on this book after his service, but passed away before the book was completed.

In this episode, Kinnear talks about her father’s time with the Air Force and all the things she learned through his stories. The book also looks at Richard’s time growing up and we talk about life back then.

Kinnear talks about the fire that claimed their home and—she thought at the time—the entire collection her father had worked on, only to make a welcome discovery later. She shares the experience of growing up in the armed forces and the perspective on her father’s service through a child’s eyes.