Ken Foht took part in the Berlin Airlift during his stint with the Air Force

In the fall of 1948, Ken Foht found himself on a ship headed across the Atlantic.

As an Air Force man, he didn't much like the boat ride. Nonetheless he dutifully accepted the trip to his next stop in a three-year military career that saw him take part in some monumental events of the 20th century.

"It was quite an experience. I guess I was a part of history," said Foht, 80, of Scio, one of three Distinguished Veterans to be honored by the Veteran's Commemoration Association.

His boat ride eventually got him to Germany, where he participated in the Berlin Airlift. After his earlier experiences in the Pacific witnessing three A-bomb tests, it seemed almost restful, he said.

Originally scheduled to train as a gunner, Foht ultimately told his commanding officer he wanted to fly.

He got his wish, serving with the 3035th Army Air Force Base as flight clerk in charge of loading and unloading C-54 cargo planes.

"I flew all over the Pacific for two years," he said, smiling.

Trips took him to Hawaii, Guam, the Philipines, Japan and a frozen stop in the Aleutians only 12 miles from the Russian border.

"We had to be talked in for a landing because there was zero visibility," he said.

His most memorable days came during his time in the Marshall Islands.

"I got called in one day and told I was getting top secret clearance," he said. "That was all they told me."

He found out the mission soon enough. After a flight to Enewetak and a month-long wait, he was among a group informed they would be participating in atomic bomb tests.

"I was handed some black goggles, told to go to a quonset hut and lay face down on a cot," Foht said.

The ground-shaking experience is something he'll never forget. Once it was over he witnessed the mushroom clouds of three tests, the last just nine miles away.

"We wore patches that they tested for radioactivity but once it was over they sent us on our way," he said.

Next stop Germany. He loaded cargo - mostly coal - for the airlift after the Russians blockaded East Berlin.

He was discharged as a corporal in June 1949 having earned the World War II Victory Medal and the Army Occupation Medal, though he never received them.

"I never regretted any of it," Foht said. "I have a good feeling about my career. It's an honor to be recognized."

Foht and Virginia, his wife of 57 years, have been in Oregon for more than 30 years. They have six children, 14 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.