Stuart Hodes had one of World War II’s most dangerous jobs: flying bombing runs over Occupied Europe in a B-17 Flying Fortress. That was no big deal. He was more self-conscious with his next job. Luckily, he had all the right moves for either gig.
Stuart Hodes on a Stearman PT-13 “Primary” trainer. (U.S. Army)
Stuart Hodes had one of World War II’s most dangerous jobs: flying bombing runs over Occupied Europe in a B-17 Flying Fortress. That was no big deal. He was more self-conscious with his next job. Luckily, he had all the right moves for either gig.
A recent segment of PBS NewsHour’s “Brief But Spectacular” featured Hodes, now 96 years old, discussing his memories of flying planes during World War II and contrasting those memories with his postwar career as a professional dancer and choreographer.
“I guess I’ve been a dancer most of my life,” Hodes said during the segment. “Although it’s really foolish to become a dancer, but I did it anyway.”