Raymond William West safe at Kimpo airbase with his flak-damaged Skyraider on September 21st 1950

West passed away in 2016 and his obituary shows this brush with danger as being just one of many he must have experienced as both a WWII and Korean War combat veteran:

CDR Raymond William (Bill) West, U.S. Navy (retired), passed away Saturday, April 2, 2016, in Meridian. He was 92.

He was born on Friday, July 13, 1923 in Riverside, CA. He was the firstborn of four children.

He grew up during the Great Depression and spent the majority of his teenage years with his father, traveling throughout the western U.S. looking for work. In June of 1942, after finishing junior college, he joined the U.S. Navy’s V-12 program and was ordered to active duty as an Aviation Cadet in March 1943. His first combat airplane was the F4U Corsair.

He met his beautiful bride of 61 years, Betty Gibson, in Los Angeles, and married her in San Diego, CA, on May 8, 1945, V-E Day. He served as a pilot in World War II and Korea, and was the Operations Officer on the USS Ranger during Vietnam.

He flew 17 different airplanes, starting out in a bi-wing and completing his flying career as the Squadron Commander of VA-52, the Knight Riders, flying sky raiders off of the USS Ticonderoga. He flew 154 combat missions in Korea. He retired from the Navy on July 1, 1967 after 25 years of service.

His awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with Five Air medals, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V, various campaign and area service ribbons and medals.