ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A 99-year-old World War II veteran from St. Pete has overcome the odds and beaten COVID-19.
Donald Betts celebrated his birthday last week via video conference from his hospital bed at Bay Pines. “To see him come through this, it’s amazing.
But on the other hand, that’s who he is. I’m actually not surprised,” said Joe Piemonte, Betts’ great-nephew. Fighting tough battles is par for the course for Betts, who flew 51 bombing missions during World War II.
He served as a waist-gunner in a B-17, flying raids to cut off crucial Nazi supply lines. “Coming out of that exemplifies beating COVID today.