WWII veteran Donald Stern got to spend his 101st birthday with a flight from the Central Jersey Airport in Hillsborough to the Statue of Liberty on Thursday, April 25 2024. The centenarian served in the Army Air Corp during World War II. (Amanda Brown Murphy/TNS)
A World War II pilot who flew 32 combat missions in Europe had a wish for his 101st birthday — to fly once again in a small plane.
Donald Stern fulfilled his dream Thursday at Central Jersey Regional Airport, sitting in the front passenger’s seat for a 40-minute flight aboard a Cessna Skyhawk that soared above the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks before returning to Manville.
Upon exiting the plane just before 12:30 p.m., Stern was guided toward a small building near the runway, where friends and family were waiting with his birthday cake.
He took a seat on the couch and gave a salute and a gentle wave, before blowing out the candles.
“Thank you,” he said to the small crowd.
Glenn Sinibaldi, a retired Air Force major, piloted the flight, officials said.
Russell Stern, the younger of Donald Stern’s two sons, was in the back passenger’s seat for the flight. The 101-year-old’s other son, Howard Stern, was waiting on the ground.
Russell Stern, 63, said his father was “mesmerized” at the sights as they gazed down at the New Jersey Turnpike, Rutgers University and the Manhattan skyline.
“He seemed comfortable and almost at home, almost like he was mesmerized and he was looking back,” said Stern, who lives in Madison.
“It was good. He liked it. He was quiet during most of the trip,” Russell Stern said.
Donald Stern was born in New York City on April 25, 1923, according to an overview provided by officials who organized the event. He lives at Brandywine Princeton Senior Living Community in South Brunswick.
He was 21 when he was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corps 483rd Bombardment Group. He flew 32 combat missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress between January and April 1945. His final combat mission was April 24, the day before his 22nd birthday.
After returning from the war, Stern received a degree in architecture from Cooper Union. He and his wife, Barbara, had two sons, settling in 1960 in the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick.
He worked as an architect for New Jersey’s division of building and construction, retiring in the late 1980s.
He was a “bureaucrat with a heart,” his family said.
With his sons Howard, left, and Russel, right, and Life Enrichment Director at Brandywine Living Stephanie Gaber, Donald Stern, second from left, prepares to get into the plane, on Thursday, April 25 2024. He got to spend his 101st birthday with a flight from the Central Jersey Airport in Hillsborough to the Statue of Liberty. The centenarian served in the Army Air Corp during World War II. (Amanda Brown Murphy/TNS)
In retirement, he wrote a book on the 483rd Bombardment Group. He frequently discussed his World War II experiences at middle schools, high schools, senior clubs, veterans groups and other civic organizations, his family said.
“His World War II experiences as a bombardier navigator in combat has been so important to him, has been such a cornerstone of his life,” said his older son, Howard Stern.
Leading up to his 101st birthday, he made a request: “To fly in a small plane again,” his family said.
A ceremony was held before the plane took off. He was seated as friends and family sang happy birthday, then he was taken to the plane.
Howard Stern, 66, stood in wait for his father and the plane to return.
“He’s enjoying it today,” said Howard Stern, who lives in Plainsboro.
When his father emerged from the plane, he son was ready with a joke, saying, “You didn’t even have to wear a parachute.”
Once inside, Donald Stern made a point of counting everyone in the room to celebrate his 101st birthday. He stopped when he reached 30.
He was handed a slice of pizza.
“He’s 101. He’s frailer than he used to be, but Dad is an amazing guy,” Howard Stern said.
“He never ceases to amaze me, how sturdy he is and how he has bounced back. The guy is stoic, even in his old age,” Stern said.
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