“Ever since the war I just really enjoyed flying,” Elmore said. “It was always enjoyable for me to just be up in the clouds.”

Elmore then worked for Vanity Fair as a sewing machine mechanic before he started a sewing machine business in Chilton County called Elmore Sewing Machine.

Elmore retired when he was 61 and now spends time in his Clanton home with Dene and their dog, Kip.

“I think one of the hardest parts about the war was being away from her,” Elmore said. “She would send me stuff while I was overseas like pound cakes and letters. I would get about four or five letters from her at the same time but it was just nice to get back home to her.”

Elmore lost contact with everyone from his squadron and doesn’t know if any of them are still living.

“We used to have a few 452 Bomb Group get-together type of things but that didn’t last,” Elmore said. “There aren’t many people left who remember that time, but if there is one thing I hope people remember is that it happened. War was hard and I was one of the fortunate ones who survived, but I will never be able to forget what happened.”