Tennessee Veterans Business Association announced today that World War II Veteran Jerry Yellin, who flew the final combat mission of World War II, will be the keynote speaker for the 2018 Keynote Dinner & Reception.
Captain (Retired) Jerry Yellin is an Army Air Corps Veteran who served in WWII between 1941 and 1945. Yellin enlisted two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on his 18th birthday.
After graduating from Luke Air Field as a fighter pilot in August of 1943, he spent the remainder of the war flying P-40, P- 47 and P-51 combat missions in the Pacific with the 78th Fighter Squadron.
He participated in the first land based fighter mission over Japan on April 7, 1945, and also has the unique distinction of having flown the final combat mission of World War II on August 14, 1945 – the day the war ended. On that mission, his wing-man (Phillip Schlamberg) was the last man killed in a combat mission in WWII.
After the war ended, Jerry struggled with severe undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He always wondered why he survived, while so many of his comrades died during the war. He now travels the world sharing his story and bringing healing and hope to a new generation of veterans who are battling PTSD.
Yellin will speak during the annual TVBA Keynote Dinner & Reception at Crowne Plaza Knoxville on Monday, January 29, 2018. TVBA’s annual Business Expo & Veteran Job Fair will be held the following day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30th at Crowne Plaza Knoxville.
Purchase your Keynote Dinner tickets now!