Louis Herman Breininger

Lt. Col (ret) Louis H. "Jack" Breininger, 92, passed away peacefully at Oak Tree Manor on December 23rd 2013 in Seminole, Florida. Previously a resident of Largo, Florida for over 40 years, Jack is survived by his wife of 62 years, Altha Russ Breininger, 91, of Largo, Florida. He is also survived by his daughter Deborah, and his sons Eric and Jeffrey. He his also survived by his grandchildren, Jennifer and Daniel, and three great grandchildren, Declan, Tyson, and Gannon, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Herman and Grace, his son Stephen in 2004, and his sisters Louise, Hermina, Betty, Jody, Katie, and Bonnie. Jack was born in Bluffton, Indiana in 1921 to a family of farmers. Both of his parents were lost at an early age. The children were dispersed among relatives, and Jack worked on his Uncle Rudolph's farm in California and Aunt Mary's farm in Oregon, where he graduated from Merrill High in 1939. Jack joined the Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in 1943, and took his training at Lemoore Field, California. He trained to fly the B-29 for the Pacific Theater, and was based at Isley Field, Saipan in the 497th Bomb Group. Jack participated in the fire raids over Tokyo and flew many missions. He ditched the

B-29 "Miss Margaret" in the Sea of Japan in Feb. 1945 and was rescued after three days by the Navy, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. After the war, Jack met the love of his life, Altha Russ, while stationed at March Field in Riverside, California. They married in 1951. Jack was then sent to fly missions in the Korean War in the B-29. After the Korean War, children quickly followed - (Deborah, Stephen, and Eric in 1952, 1953, and 1956). Jeffrey, their last child, was born in 1962 when Jack was an ICBM missile site commander at Fairchild AFB, Washington. During the Vietnam War, Jack flew the Helio U-10 Courier for the 606th Air Commando Group at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Jack concluded his Air Force career with assignments as a Squadron Commander and Chief of Personnel in Germany and Michigan. Jack and Altha retired to Largo in 1972 after a 29 year Air Force career. Jack was a command pilot with more than 5700 flying hours and was the recipient of multiple awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry in combat. Jack was a sportsman and enjoyed golf and fishing. He flew sailplanes and worked "for fun" at Hammock Hardware well into his 80s. Jack was a shining example of honesty, loyalty, integrity, humility, and wit. He will be missed, but more so, he will be remembered for his unwavering love and the lessons of pure grace he passed on to all he touched. Above all, he was a patriot and gentle spirit who loved his "gal" Altha. Jack and Altha (Rusty) are members of Anona Methodist Church. A celebration of Jack's life with full military honors will be held at Moss-Feaster Funeral Home Serenity Gardens on February 1st 2014 at 11am.