Heard Sunday at 4 p.m. on KMJ 580
September 21, 2008: Don Potts of Fresno, CA. Don piloted blimps during
World War II as part of the Navy's
Lighter Than Air program. Potts, a 1941
Fresno High School graduate, was in his first
semester at Fresno State when the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor.  Two days later, on
December 9th, 1941, he enlisted in the Navy.
Don's service during the war included roughly
a year as a pharmacist's mate at Lake
Norconian Country Club, which the Navy turned
into a hospital for sailors wounded at Pearl Harbor.  His first deployment in the
Lighter Than Air program sent him to the Caribbean, where the blimps
escorted ships, keeping an eye out for German U-boats. Later he would serve
in the Pacific, transporting troops and cargo until the war came to a close.
Click play to listen
Video: CBS 47 story on Don from September 2007
Naval Airships Association