And the Oh, Welcome to 1, 2001 Heroes, Legends, Hist, and mysteries.

In the early days of television, when shows were taped live and everything was seen in black

and white, there were three TV networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC.

One of NBC's most popular shows in 1959

was the Today Show, which featured a host

named Dave Garroway.

And just like this show today, the host's job was to interview interesting people from all walks of

life.

The Today Show was filmed before a live audience at the NBC Building in Rockefeller Plaza, New York.

And every weekday morning, Dave Gereway would enter the building,

cross the marble floors to the elevator, the door of which was usually open. Then he would say

hello and maybe exchange a few words with the elevator operator. A black man

named Jean who looked to be in his late 50s and always had a bright smile and something to say about the day.

Gene wore a standard cap and elevator operator's uniform and had some metals pinned to the chest of that

uniform.

But beyond that, he never talked about himself or

where the metals originated. One day one of the NBC executives suggested to Dave

that he asked Jean about his background and Dave followed up by asking where the

metals came from.

What Dave was to find out would rock the world of any TV talk show host today. This man had fought in two wars, World War I and World War II.

He was the first black American-born combat pilot and flew for the French Air Corps during World War I.

Before flying, he had fought in the French Foreign Legion,

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