James Elduff was born in July 1920 in Philadelphia [Annotator’s Note: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. His father was a handyman. He was an only child. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. He went to a private school run by nuns. He had to attend church. He thought the nuns were kind. He got a high school education. He knew the war was trouble and that he would be a part of it. He remembers Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Elduff volunteered for service. His mother was afraid and not supportive.

James Elduff does not remember what made him want to fly. The training was not too much about guns. He remembers his crew. There were four officers including Elduff and his copilot. He had a good crew. He could not let the Germans see him. He was close with Clark Gable [Annotator’s Note: William Clark Gable; American actor]. Elduff looked up to Gable who was twice his age. Elduff was a loner. He felt that he was in control and responsible for the crew. He thought he was not going to survive.

James Elduff [Annotator’s Note: while serving as a pilot flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers with the 749th Bombardment Squadron, 457th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] depended on himself and not his crew. He was always in control of things. He knew if they made it back, it would be because of him. It was a lot of responsibility for young men in their teens. One of his missions was very rough. Everything on the left side [Annotator's Note: of his aircraft] was shot. The collision [Annotator’s Note: he is referring to damage on the plane] was not as graphic as you would think. He did not think he would have to bail. He flew a plane with more than two engines out. They were in a partial dive. He was going to land the plane. The tail gunner was the only one who had been wounded. They were minutes away from the landing field. He was not afraid. The landing gear was not functioning.

James Elduff [Annotator’s Note: when asked about landing his damaged Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber while serving with the 749th Bombardment Squadron, 457th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force] was unsure which airfield they would be landing in. He had to have clearance to land. They hit the runway with two wheels and then bounced about 50 feet. He thought something broke loose. He wished the crew would have bailed out. He knew he was responsible for the landing. The noise was almost unintelligible. He was not scared. Andy was in the turret, and they could not leave him and bail out without him. Elduff flew 44 missions.

James Elduff flew during the Korean War [Annotator’s Note: Korean War; 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. He received an Air Medal [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight]. He stayed in the Air Force after World War 2. Elduff learned to stay out of a cockpit. It was too much responsibility. He was lucky.