Family surprises veteran celebrating 100th birthday 

A birthday for the ages!!

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Meet Ted Wolfram III! An Air Force Veteran who flew in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam celebrated his 100th birthday in style. Today, Wolfram got up close and personal with a Stearman aircraft, the same type of plane he learned to fly on 79 years ago.

“The Stearman was the first plane I ever flew solo,” Wolfram said.

The Concordia graduate watched the plane fly into the sky with four generations of kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and his bride of 75 years.

The goal was to get Wolfram up in the air, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to get him inside of the cockpit. His son Ted Wolfram IIII took his spot instead.

“As we flew over, we saw the family all waving at us and stuff like that so that was really, really cool,” Wolfram said. “But, like I told my dad when we got off and on the ground, I said dad, now I know why you fell in love with flying.”

Chris Stokes, a local pilot, just so happens to have this same historic plane at Silverhawk Aviation and made arrangements for Wolfram’s special day.

“I mean to take my weird little selfish hobby and to share it with an American hero like this guy, it’s really meaningful.”

A birthday celebration that might not ever be topped.

“Dad has always joked his entire life that he’s going to live to be 106,” Wolfram said. “So what this means now? Now that he’s 100, tomorrow, I got to start planning for his next party at 105. What are we going to get him to fly in then.”