NDANG charter member Fred Quam celebrates 99th birthday

U.S. Air Force retired Chief Master Sgt. Fred Quam, formerly of the North Dakota Air National Guard, holds his birthday cake at his 99th birthday celebration at the Fargo Air Museum, Fargo, North Dakota, Oct. 27, 2015. Quam’s birthday was October 2, but friends decided to hold a public celebration on a day of his choosing. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces (known as the Army Air Corp until June 20, 1941) in December, 1941 and served as a B-25 aircraft mechanic during WWII and then served 29 more years in the North Dakota Air National Guard. He is a charter member of the North Dakota Air National Guard, which he joined January 16, 1947. The U.S. Air Force became a separate branch from the Army Sept. 18, 1947, eight months after Quam joined the North Dakota Air Guard’s 178th Fighter Squadron. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp/Released)