Nicholas J. Bouras enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. By the end of 1945, he had attained the rank of Major, had flown forty-four combat missions in the European theater as the lead bombardier/navigator in B-26 and A-26 bombers, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, eight Air Medals and five Battle Stars. After his discharge from the service, he returned to his work in the steel industry. He received numerous awards for his philanthropic and humanitarian work.
Bouras was a devout Orthodox Christian who served the Greek Orthodox Church of America in many ways including as a member of the Archdiocesan Council and as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Mr. Bouras and his late wife, Anna, built Bouras Industries, a highly regarded steel fabrication company in the commercial real estate industry that consisted of five manufacturing operations in four states with more than 600 employees.