When I began interviewing veterans of the air war over Europe, I had no real plan. I knew there were few of these men left, and we had one chance to capture their stories. As we started, I expected to document aircraft, missions, combat stories, and tactics. What I found instead were ten distinct lives—ordinary men who, when called, took on an extraordinary task. Their experiences aboard the B-17 Flying Fortress reveal not just the story of an amazing airplane, but of an entire generation.

Each interview was filmed with a simple intent: to let these men speak for themselves. No narration, no dramatization—just firsthand accounts from those who were there. Some recall their first combat missions; others describe being shot down or seeing friends lost in an instant. Others just enjoyed the fact that someone cared about what they went through. Collectively, their words trace the evolution of the air campaign from 1942 to 1945, showing how quickly young crews were forced to adapt, innovate, and persevere against a determined enemy.

As the number of our living veterans declined, 10 Good Men became a race against time. Many of these voices have since been lost, including many of the men in this film, making the responsibility to preserve them even greater. My goal was not to retell history, but to record it as honestly as possible—through the cadence, memory, and reflection of those who lived it.

This film is, above all, an act of preservation. It belongs to history as much as to its audience: a record of what was required, what was sacrificed, and what it meant to fly in the B-17 over Europe.

— Trent Jones, Director