Though staggering unemployment and the vilification of illegal aliens are modern hallmarks, America was once considered a melting pot of opportunity. And though something has shifted since World War II, the History Channel, HBO and other channels entice Americans with stories of its “Greatest Generation,” satiating our hunger for a simpler, more heroic time.

• Gerhard got a job as a grease monkey, improved his English, and eventually became General Chennault’s chief aeronautical engineer.

• Gerhard maintained the airplanes used to bomb Hong Kong, and helped win World War II.

• Though he was an illegal alien, Gerhard became a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was made a citizen by a private act of Congress for his service to the country.

• GIs taught her husband how to swear, and the FBI thought he was a secret German agent.

• Gerhard was a member of the Flying Tigers, undertook a 10,000 mile Jeep trip across Asia and was lucky enough to meet Wild Bill Donovan.

• Amazed by America’s opportunities (as compared with those in his native Germany), Gerhard rose from peon to vice president, working for GE for 33 years.