Ira Martini Britton was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania in 1920. After receiving a letter from an American friend who had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, Britton decided to enlist as well. He left for Canada in the fall of 1941. By December, he had washed out of the program and returned to the United States. He then enlisted in the United States Navy where he worked in aircraft maintenance. On November 19, 1945, Britton was honorably discharged from the Navy with the rank of Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class.

When Canada joined the war on September 10, 1939, Americans who wished to fight before the United States entered the war got their opportunity in the Royal Canadian Air Force. When joining the RCAF, recruits were required to pledge alleigance to the British monarch. For American recruits, this pledge could mean forfeiture of their American citizenship. In order to work around this issue, the Canadian government passed an Order in Council that allowed foreign recruits to instead agree to obey RCAF rules and discipline during the course of the war. When the United States entered the war, many Americans returned home to serve in the United States military.