Leo K. Thorsness flew 92 Republic F-105F “Wild Weasel” missions and was awarded America’s highest military decoration before he was shot down and taken prisoner in North Vietnam. Born in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in 1932, he enlisted in the Air Force in January...
Ed Saylor was the flight engineer for crew #15 of the Doolittle Raiders when it carried out that historic bombing mission over Japan on 18 April 1942. Saylor was born in Brusett, Montana, on 15 March 1920. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 7 December 1939, at Fort...
James M. McCoy was adviser to Secretary of the Air Force Hans Mark and Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Lew Allen Jr., on matters concerning welfare, effective utilization, and progress of the enlisted members of the Air Force. He was the sixth Chief Master...
James H. Kasler is the only person ever to be decorated with three Air Force Crosses. Born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1926, he completed high school in Indianapolis. He then enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in May 1944. He flew combat missions...
Howard “Scrappy” Johnson served as a fighter pilot flying over 7,000 hours in fifteen different fighter planes during his career. A Tennessee-born only child, Colonel Johnson moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1933. While growing up in Kentucky, he earned...
Mirosław Hermaszewski was the first and only Polish Cosmonaut. He was born 15 September 1941, in Lipniki, Volhynian Voivodship. After World War II, he moved with his mother, brothers, and sister to Wolow near Wroclaw where he graduated from primary and secondary...
Gloria Whitton Heath is soft-spoken and unassuming about her contributions not only to the war effort but also to the incredible strides she helped make in the field of search and rescue. Born 7 May 1922, in New York, she graduated from The Putney School in 1939 and...
James H. Harvey III was one of the original members of the 332nd Fighter Group, the world famous “Tuskegee Airmen.” Harvey was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on 13 July 1923 to James and Cornelia Harvey. His family moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in...
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....
Robert Gutierrez Jr., was born in Chula Vista, California, on 15 February 1980. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in July 2002. After completing Combat Control training in December 2004, he spent the next few years honing his skills, ultimately graduating...
Leon Frankel was a U.S.Navy pilot during World War II and flew for Israel in 1948. His heroic efforts during World War II culminated in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser, the Yahagi. He was a volunteer pilot for the new Israeli Air Force, flying during the War for...
Henry P. Fowler served the Air Force for 27 years as an F-4 Pilot and Judge Advocate. He participated in combat operations in Vietnam and served as the Maxwell Air Force Base Staff Judge Advocate. Colonel Fowler enlisted in the United States Navy in 1961. Upon...
Rhonda Cornum embarked on a combat search and rescue mission the morning of 27 February 1991 to recover an Air Force pilot shot down over Iraq during Operation DESERT STORM. Tragically, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was aboard crashed as a result of Iraqi...
Robert Cardenas made history as one of America’s premiere test pilots, a combat leader in both bombers and fighters, and as the first Commander of the Air Force Special Operations Force. Born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico in 1920, he started his aviation career by...
