Floyd Ater - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

World War 2

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the World War 2.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question. Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2024 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
Floyd Ater US Army Air Corps MAJ World War 2 Floyd Ater was drafted in 1944 and served in the US Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1947. He underwent standard training, including boot camp, and subsequently attended crew and flight school, a routine process for all aviators during that time. Floyd served as a top turret gunner on a Douglas A-20 Havoc Bomber, an attack bomber with a compact crew of only three members. Floyd mentioned that the squadron undertook numerous missions, often tasked with targeting targets which other bombing crews had missed, functioning essentially as a mop-up flight. The versatile A-20 was equipped to carry both bombs and four triple-tube T-30/M10 rocket launchers, specializing at night in intruder, bomber, and fighter aircraft missions. During combat stations, Floyd would man the twin Browning machine guns mounted behind the bomb bay. The top turret gunner was also the bomber's flight engineer. In addition to protecting against attack from above, he had to know all the systems on the aircraft and monitor the engines and fuel in flight. Floyd Alter earned two Purple Heart medals, both from encounters with German anti-aircraft flack. The first was awarded during missions in June 1944, and the second followed in November of that year. Notably, Floyd proudly displayed his original Air Corps aviator portrait, which he had received during training before deployment. He remarked that the photo reflected his sentiment that he hadn’t aged too badly over the course of his service.
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Floyd Ater - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
Floyd Ater US Army Air Corps MAJ World War 2 Floyd Ater was drafted in 1944 and served in the US Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1947. He underwent standard training, including boot camp, and subsequently attended crew and flight school, a routine process for all aviators during that time. Floyd served as a top turret gunner on a Douglas A-20 Havoc Bomber, an attack bomber with a compact crew of only three members. Floyd mentioned that the squadron undertook numerous missions, often tasked with targeting targets which other bombing crews had missed, functioning essentially as a mop-up flight. The versatile A-20 was equipped to carry both bombs and four triple-tube T-30/M10 rocket launchers, specializing at night in intruder, bomber, and fighter aircraft missions. During combat stations, Floyd would man the twin Browning machine guns mounted behind the bomb bay. The top turret gunner was also the bomber's flight engineer. In addition to protecting against attack from above, he had to know all the systems on the aircraft and monitor the engines and fuel in flight. Floyd Alter earned two Purple Heart medals, both from encounters with German anti-aircraft flack. The first was awarded during missions in June 1944, and the second followed in November of that year. Notably, Floyd proudly displayed his original Air Corps aviator portrait, which he had received during training before deployment. He remarked that the photo reflected his sentiment that he hadn’t aged too badly over the course of his service.