Jim Bleidner was born on December 22, 1921, in West New Brighton, New York. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 15, 1942, and was trained as an aircraft armorer at Buckley Field, Colorado, before deploying to England in July 1943. Sgt Bleidner was assigned as an armorer to the 487th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group in England from July 1943 to August 1945. He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 10, 1945.