James T. Pettus, Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1919. At age 19, he earned his private pilot license. When World War II began, Pettus went to Canada to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). On August 2, 1943, he transferred to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) graduated from flight school and earned his wings then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant.

As a Captain, Pettus was assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Group (43rd BG) as an overseas replacement pilot. He rose through the ranks, becoming Operations Officer, Deputy Group Commanding Officer, and finally, became the Commanding Officer (C.O.) of the 43rd BG and was promoted to the rank of Colonel. At the end of the Pacific War, he was one of the pilots tasked with flying Japanese emissaries to negotiate the surrender with MacArthur’s headquarters in Manila.

Postwar, he joined the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and served in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. Continuing his service to the nation, Pettus worked for the Department of State for many years at various overseas postings until retiring to live in Honolulu. He died on March 10, 2001 at age 81. He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) at plot CT5-S.

Pettus is a co-author of Ken’s Men Against the Empire Volume II: The B-24 Era in the Eagles Over The Pacific series.