Bernard “Bernie W Larson, Sr. was born on January 9, 1918, in Renovo, Pennsylvania and was the son of Charles and Selma Colberg Larson. Bernie passed away on February 21, 2009, at the age of 91.

Bernie enlisted in the United States Air Force on December 8, 1941, in Newark, New Jersey, and began his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on January 2, 1942. In March 1942 Bernie attended the Curtiss Wright Technical School at Glendale, California, for 19 weeks to receive instructions on the repair and maintenance of several types of airplane engines and their accessories. He came to Del Valle Air Base with the 89th Troop Carrier Group in December 1942 and remained there for two and one-half years before being sent to the China- Burma-India Theater of War where he assisted as Crew Chief on C-46 and C-47’s in flying supplies to the troops for the 1st Troop Carrier Group, 10th Air Force.