Last Monday, on April 14, Franklin’s American Legion Post 108 donated a motorized scooter to 93-year-old Navy and Air Force Veteran Master Sergeant Thomas Kaye, who currently lives at the Franklin House.
Kaye began his military career in 1950, serving in the Navy until 1954 and then in the Air Force until 1972. He was originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but has lived all over as a result of his service. Kaye spent brief periods — a month or so each — in North Africa, Turkey, England, Germany, other parts of Europe and several Pacific Islands including Honolulu, Guam, the Midway Islands, Macten Island, and many more. Kaye’s primary job was maintaining the planes, saying as soon as he fixed one issue something broke somewhere else.
“But that’s just how it is,” he said.
Kaye repaired and maintained FG-1Ds, C-47s,46s, 54s and 118s. He worked on B-47s and 52s, KC-138s and 97s, the RB-57s and 57Ds, to start a modest list. Airplanes had been Kaye’s whole life, he said, and he loved everything about their maintenance and each one he worked on. Kaye said the B47 was the most challenging aircraft he’d worked with, given that everything in the plane was crowded and rarely suffered the same problems.
Post 108 Commander Al Albiston said the post “donated a motorized scooter to a well-deserving veteran,” and spoke with Kaye while he sat atop his new mobility aid.