Brigadier General (ret.) Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier and went on to become one of the most legendary figures in aeronautical history. Born in 1923 in Myra, West Virginia, Yeager joined the US Army Air Corps at...
Flying only 57 combat missions in 7 months, John Voll became the highest scoring ace in the Fifteenth Air Force during World War II. After completing pilot training and commissioning in January 1944, he was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group (FG). This group was one...
George A. Vaughn, Jr. is the highest scoring American ace from World War I. Born in 1897, he grew up in Brooklyn, NY and enrolled in Princeton University in 1915. In February 1917, Vaughn signed up for the Princeton Aviation School. Concerned about passing the...
Brigadier General “Steve” Ritchie is the U.S. Air Force’s only pilot ace of the Vietnam War. Born in North Carolina in 1942, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1964. He then attended undergraduate pilot training in Texas where he...
In 1973, Americans welcomed home their returning Vietnam prisoners of war (POWs). Among those released heroes walked then-Colonel James Robinson “Robbie” Risner. During 33 years of service, he fought in three wars and twice received the Air Force’s...
Long before the United States entered World War II, Americans flew with the Royal Air Force in the renowned “Eagle” Squadrons. Of these US pilots who left their indelible mark in the skies over Europe and in the hearts of the British people, Carroll...
Captain David McCampbell is the US Navy’s “ace of aces.” Born in 1910, the Alabama native graduated from Annapolis in the midst of Navy manpower cutbacks during the Depression and was honorably discharged in 1933. Called back to active duty 1 year...
Walker Melville “Bud” Mahurin was the first American double ace in Europe during World War II. Born in 1918 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Mahurin developed an interest in flying at the age of 12 when his father took him for a ride in a Stinson. Some years...
Francis “Gabby” Gabreski, was a member of “The Inner Seven,” an elite group of pilots who achieved the status of “ace ” in both World War II and Korea. Born in Pennsylvania in 1919, he attended Notre Dame University where he learned...
Joe Foss “the Flying Marine” was truly a Proud American! Born near Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1915, he graduated from the University of South Dakota. He soon joined the Marine Corps, became a Naval Aviator and received his commission in March 1941. After a tour as...
Herman Ernst, who began his military service as a trombone player in the Tennessee National Guard, was one of the first American aces of a new and highly specialized type of aerial combat–night fighting. His love of flying began in his youth in Chattanooga where...
Navy Lieutenant Randy Cunningham was Americas first pilot ace of the Vietnam War. Born on 8 December 1941, he was commissioned in the US Navy in 1967. Receiving his gold wings the following year, he soon joined VF-96 flying F-4J Phantoms. Assigned to the...
Marine Colonel “Pappy” Boyington is the greatest living ace in the Vought F4U Corsair and winner of the Medal of Honor. Born in Idaho in 1914, he was an ROTC cadet while in college and entered the Coastal Artillery as a second lieutenant soon after...
Frederick “Boots” Blesse, a double ace with two combat tours each in Korea and Vietnam, is the sixth-ranking US jet ace and one of the world’s premier jet tacticians. Born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1921, he graduated from West Point in 1945 and...
Colonel Rex T. Barber is one of the principal P-38 pilots who participated in the famous (and then highly classified) “Yamamoto” mission, which helped turn the tide of World War II against the Japanese. Born in Oregon in 1917, Barber joined the Army Air...
A highly decorated combat ace of World War II and veteran of the Korean War, Major General John R. Alison was credited with the first night victory in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. Born in Florida in 1912, Alison graduated from the University of Florida, School...
