93-year-old retired veteran pilot revisits the B-52

Nearly six decades after his last flight, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gary Lee stood on the flightline at Minot Air Force Base, marshaling in the modern iteration of the aircraft he once piloted: the B-52 Stratofortress.

Lee, 93, traveled from his home in South Carolina to visit Minot AFB on June 2025, to reconnect with the legendary bomber he flew during his two-decade career in the U.S. Air Force, which spanned from 1955 to 1975. Over the course of that time, he piloted several variants of strategic bombers, including the B-47 and B-52D, E and F models.