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...
Air Marshal Alexander Silantiev, the first Russian to be honored at the Gathering of Eagles, was born 23 August 1918, in Sverdlovsk in the Urals. He developed an early interest in aviation, flying gliders, skydiving, and receiving his pilot instructor license while...
William “Bill” Reid earned one of only 32 Victoria Crosses awarded for heroism in the air during World War II. The son of a blacksmith, Reid was born 21 December 1921 at Baillieston, Glasgow, Scotland. After completing his studies at the Coatbridge Secondary School,...
Major General Cecil W. Powell is one of the Air Force’s most experienced test and fighter pilots. Born in Port Arthur, Texas in 1935, he starred in high school football, and won an appointment to the Naval Academy. Upon graduation from Annapolis, he was...
The youngest-ever general in the Luftwaffe, Dietrich Peltz joined the Army in 1934. While attending the Army cadet school, he was transferred to the first instructional class of the Luftwaffe, earning his wings in 1936. Only two weeks prior to the beginning of World...
Major General (ret) David “Davy” M. Jones was a Doolittle Raider, former World War II prisoner of war, and a pioneer of American aviation whose heroic and distinguished service spanned four decades. Jones was born in 1913 in Marshfield, Oregon, and...
David Lee “Tex” Hill was born on 13 July 1915, in Kwangju, Korea, the son of American missionaries. He grew up in Texas, but returned to the Far East years later as one of the first pilots in General Claire Chennault’s American Volunteer Group (AVG),...
An innovative, aggressive fighter pilot in both theaters of World War II, Thomas L. “Tommy” Hayes was born in Portland, Oregon on 31 March 1917. Raised in the era of Lindbergh and Arnold, his love affair with flying began in 1936, when a Soviet aircraft,...
The tenth man to walk on the moon, Charles M. “Charlie” Duke, Jr. never dreamed he would be a member of such an elite group of Americans when he was growing up in South Carolina. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina on 3 October 1935, Duke was the 1953...
Brigadier General George E. “Bud” Day was first selected as an Eagle by Air Command and Staff College’s Gathering of Eagles in 1992 and subsequently honored in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2013 respectively. He was born in Iowa in...
Graduating from West Point in 1936, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became one of only two black line officers in the US Army at the time–the other was his father. Initially assigned to the infantry in July 1941, he joined 12 cadets in the first flying training program...
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...
While watching gunships on television during the Vietnam War, Richard A. “Commander ” Cody was fascinated with helicopters and decided to make a career flying them. When he graduated from the Military Academy in 1972, the impending peace treaty with...
Charles G. “Chick” Cleveland was born in 1927 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1945. Graduating in 1949, he chose to become an aviator and earned his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona. He was...
The Marine Corps’ first ace, Marion E. Carl, was awarded the Navy Cross for ” extraordinary heroism” during his very first combat mission. Upon graduating from college in 1938, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Due to...
No one else can claim the distinction of rising from seaman second class to Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces. George Herbert Walker Bush was born on 12 June 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. During his senior year in high school, the Japanese attacked...
Richard Halsey Best was born 24 March 1910, in Bayonne, New Jersey. While attending Stevens Institute, Best won a competitive appointment to the Naval Academy. After graduation from Annapolis in 1932, he was assigned to the light cruiser, USS Richmond. But he...
Jacqueline Auriol is France’s most distinguished aviatrix. Born 5 November 1917 in Challans, France, she is the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder and timber importer. After graduating from the university in Nantes, she studied art at the Ecole du Louvre in...
Fred J. Ascani was a key figure in Air Force experimental aircraft flight testing. He became a test pilot after flying 53 combat missions in B-17s over Europe. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1917, he grew up in Rockford, Illinois. Ascani entered flight training after...
Clarence “Bud” E. Anderson is a true aviator, triple ace, and test pilot. His military career spanned more than thirty years of distinguished service. He accumulated more than 7,000 flying hours, flying in two wars. Born in Oakland, California Bud learned to fly in...
