Lewis was working at an Army Ordnance plant when he was drafted in February 1943. He trained in communications and radio mechanics, joined up with the 479th at Glendale CA then shipped over on board the 'Aquitania'. At Wattisham his duties consisted of maintenance of the control tower equipment, base transmitters and homing devices. In advance of D-Day he was sent to a radio station at Dover as back-up. He returned to the USA on Thanksgiving Day 1945 being discharged the next month. He later worked for the US Postal Service as a technician and edited the 479th Newsletter.