Every once in a while, you come across something that makes you say, “I hope I can do that when I’m that age.” One of those once-in-a-while things happened the other day. I inadvertently came acrossa news story about Rutledge Alexander “Putty” Mills.

Putty Mills, long time motorcyclist

Putty, as his friends know him, is a motorcyclist, a very long-time motorcyclist. He has been riding bikes longer than most of us have been alive. Motorcycling is a part of him. So for his 99th birthday, he decided he go out and ride. But in Putty’s case, the ride was something more than your average street ride.

To mark his 99th complete journey around the sun, Putty put on some leathers and cut a few hot laps on a Speedway bike. And if you have ever ridden speedway, you know how much left leg strength it takes.

And although blasting some fast laps around an oval at speed is impressive, it’s probably not the most remarkable thing he has ever done. During his lifetime, Putty has accumulated quite a bit of “experience.”

Putty’s history

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Mills developed a love for motorcycles. He says he loved riding his bike so much that he became the youngest member of the Santa Barbara Motorcycle Club.

Putty also claims to be the world’s oldest speedway racer. But he says he no longer does the motorcycle tricks he used to perform. When asked about the kinds of tricks, Putty said:

“Standing up while riding, sitting backward on the bike while riding and jumping off while going 10 miles per hour, letting the bike run in circles and jumping back on.– Putty Mills to the Santa Barbara News-Press

令人惊讶的是,腻子说他混合family of four daughters and nine grandchildren “never gave it a second thought.”

World War II and Medal of Honor

While he has always loved motorcycles, his riding was interrupted by World War II. As a 19-year-old, Putty found himself in Europe fighting in the Battle of The Bulge. He was serving as an aircraft mechanic with Patton’s 3rd Army. Many say this battle was the turning point in the war for the Allies. Putty was among the Allied troops attempting to repel German attackers.

Putty says it was one of the coldest winters on record. One day a vast snowstorm was in progress, and the weather was so bad that the troops got separated from their ammunition and food trucks. Because of his mechanical aptitude, Putty and a handful of men were tasked with getting the trucks back to the troops.

“We tried to pull the ammunition truck up, but it was sideways and downhill and it wouldn’t move. So we hooked that truck up to a second truck and another winch… Then, the guys all got their shovels, and they dug holes for the wheels and everybody worked together… and the truck started coming up the hill and over the ridge. We had all of our ammunition, and we got the food truck, too.”– Putty Mills to the Santa Barbara News-Press

At the time and for years after the war, Putty didn’t think much about the incident. But about 75 years later, when battle records were being reviewed, the then French President was notified of Putty’s actions during the war. It was in 2018, that French President Macron decided that Putty should receive France’s highest award, the French Medal of Honor. As a result, Putty is now entitled to be referred to as Sir Putty Mills.

Space travel

You might think that honor is more than enough for a single lifetime. But Putty wasn’t through making himself valuable to his country.

NASA Moon Rover

While the US had already won the space race with Russia, it was a period where space exploration was in “full speed ahead” mode. So when it came time for astronauts to drive a vehicle on the moon (in what would become the moon rover), Putty’s expertise and services were called upon.

Boeing won the contract for the rover’s design and subcontracted some of that work to a company in Goleta, California. Putty said someone from the company knew about his experience with “hardware” and driving off-road, and he agreed to help them with the rover.

Putty worked with Gene Shomaker, a well-known geologist, and astronomer whose job was to help train the astronauts for their moon-based geological endeavors. Putty’s assignment was to design and build a prototype lunar rover that could be used to prepare the astronauts to maneuver it on the moon.

Once the contract was signed, Putty had 90 days to deliver four prototype moon rovers. Eighty-nine days later, all four rovers were complete. About the prototypes, Putty remarked:

“NASA paid $41 million for four moon rovers, but I built my prototypes for $2,000 each, using supplies from my surplus military catalog.– Putty Mills to the Santa Barbara News-Press

Ultimately, Putty trained astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, Jim Irwin, and Dave Scott to drive the prototype machine.

Bigger than life

It is clear that Putty is a man living a “large” life. His exploits have brought honor to himself and his country. And it is great to know that someone who has accomplished so much continues to do things that many people would never try.

Age will ultimately catch up with all of us. And Putty can envision a day when he may no longer ride motorcycles. He says that he may quit riding when he turns 100.

I hope that he doesn’t because his life is a great reminder to continue living no matter how old you are. So like the 1970 Blues Image song Ride Captain Ride, all I can say to Sir Rutledge Alexander “Putty” Mills is:

Ride, captain, ride upon your mystery ship
Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip
Ride captain ride upon your mystery ship
On your way to a world that others might have missed

Note: If you want to see some great pictures of Putty, his riding exploits and his prototype NASA moon rover,click this or any of the links above.