This is an IHeart podcast.

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories,

and we tell stories about everything here on this show, including your

stories. Send them to our American Stories.com. They're some of our favorites. Up next, a story from

Robert Frolic. Robert is the author of Aemless Life, Awesome God, and a regular contributor to

this show. Today, Robert shares with us the story of a man who impacted him profoundly.

Take it away, Robert.

In World War I, Wilhelm Bistner was in the German army.

His assignment was to care for the horses that pulled the cannons to fight against the Russians.

During a gas tack in that war, Wilhelm suffered the loss of his sense of smell.

After the war, he was awarded a small disability annuity for his injury.

The monthly payments continued until he died in Florida in 1977.

Wilhelm was born in 1892, the son of a tavern owner in Berlin, Germany.

He learned his trade as a tool and dye maker and married

Elspeth Schultz. In 1927, they came by ship to America with their daughter, Ursula.

Wilhelm Bithner became William Burtner. His German friends called him Willie and everybody else called him Bill.

When he first came to the United States, Bill worked as a Mason's helper while he learned the English language.

Then he went to work at his trade. Long Island, New York was a hotbed in the early days of aviation and he saw it all.

He knew many of the pioneers in that field.

He worked for Sversky and for Sikorsky, the early developers of the helicopter.

He also worked for Republic Aircraft and Chance Vot aircraft.

In 1933, Bill went to work for Edo aircraft in College Point, New York.

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