FROM STAFF REPORTS  

A U.S. Marine Corps Captain who shot down nine Japanese fighters in World War II and was once shot down himself will be speaking about his experiences at the Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club meeting on July 19.

During the meeting, which will begin at noon at the Physicians Center at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster, Capt. George Mestler, 91, will share his life experiences.

Mestler, who piloted an F4U Corsair aircraft alongside Gregory “Pappy” Boyington in Marine Attack Squadron 214, played football at the University of Alabama in 1939 and later spent time as a school teacher.

The Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club meets every Thursday at noon in the SBMC Physicians Center.