Florene Miller Watson, one of only 25 women to qualify for the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), later known as the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), became fascinated with planes at the age of 8. By age 19, she had completed flight...
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...
The “Old Man” of MiG Killers over North Vietnam, Brigadier General Robin Olds is one of history’s most colorful aces. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1922, he is the son of Army Air Force Major General Robert Olds, a World War I combat pilot and aide to the...
Colonel Charles E. McGee is one of three original Tuskegee fighter pilots to have fought during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He completed 409 fighter combat missions, the highest three-war fighter mission total of any aviator in the history of the United States...
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...
Eldon W. “Al” Joersz’s distinguished career as a combat fighter pilot, world speed record holder, and exceptional military leader began in the small town of Hazen, North Dakota. Born to a proud farmer and professional baker, he graduated Hazen High...
General Charles A. “Chuck” Horner commanded all US and allied air assets during Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. He led a devastating air war against Iraq that allowed the coalition ground forces to achieve their objectives in just 100 hours of fighting....
“Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you Bob Hoover, the greatest stick-and-rudder pilot who ever lived.” That airshow introduction from General “Jimmy” Doolittle only scratches the surface of the military and civilian career of someone...
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),...
Gail S. Halvorsen is best known as the “Berlin Candy Bomber,” “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” or “Der Schokoladen-flieger.” Born in 1920 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Halvorsen was always fascinated by flight. At 18, he soloed for the first time....
The 1960’s was a decade of turbulence for the United States as the Civil Rights Movement and America’s escalating involvement in Vietnam divided the country. One of the bright spots during that time was the story of James P. Fleming, a Congressional Medal...
Bernard F. Fisher is the first living US Air Force recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Moreover, he is the first USAF member to receive the medal from Vietnam. Born in 1927, this native of Idaho served briefly in the Navy at the end of World War II and then...
Chief Master Sergeant Wayne L. Fisk was born in Waldport, Oregon, on April 6, 1945, and raised in the mountainous Oregon Coast. In high school, Fisk was a member of the honor society and an award-winning cadet in the Alaska Civil Air Patrol. He selflessly turned down...
Michael Durant was the first helicopter pilot to engage a SCUD missile launcher during Operation DESERT STORM. Born on July 23, 1961, Durant was the son of a full-time First Sergeant in the Army National Guard and grew up in Berlin, New Hampshire. His interest in...
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...
For the last 47 years, October 4th marked the date the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and started the government-sponsored space race. Now it also marks the date when a privately manned spacecraft started the quest of personal space transportation, and Brian Binnie...
