Memorial Day is an American holiday based upon honoring US armed service personnel who have given their lives for their country in time of war. Yet, to watch TV and listen to the radio you might wonder if it is even that. There is hardly a mention of it, as a matter of fact, you’ll hear more about beer commercials and who has the best hot dog frank. Gradually our history is being subverted to have as little meaning as possible by such companies as Google who refused to acknowledge D-Day on June 6^th of each year, most public schools who may  or may not bother to display the American flag, and what few speaking engagements US veterans get invited to anymore. This is America in 2022, but we will discuss the selfless sacrifices made by our fighter pilots particularly in World War II where air superiority became the deciding factor in so many crucial battles.

There are those great US fighter pilots who not only excelled but ended up tragically as is the way of the sword in such a hazardous job as being a combat pilot. The branches of service, in a way, were responsible for creating a competitive atmosphere between US pilots attempting to become the top “Ace” (Any aviator with 5 air to air kills or more). At the top of the dog heap were two of the best, Major Richard Bong, and Thomas McGuire. These fearless and aggressive aviators not only blasted the enemy from the sky but came to the assistance of their fellow pilots whenever they were outnumbered, flying a damaged plane, or when it came to engaging a large formation of enemy aircraft far beyond the reasonable call of duty.

With 40 kills, Major Bong flying the venerable P-38 Lightning overcame his deficiency in gunnery skills substituting his aggressive acrobatic flying in order to get close enough to an enemy aircraft to make shooting them down an assured victory. Though a Major who could have simply commanded from behind a desk, Major Richard Bong chose to put himself in harm’s way and rack up the most air to air victories of any US pilot in history. He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.

As one of the many “Aces” in the 475^th Fighter Group, Thomas McGuire was in hot pursuit of the top kills trophy missing the mark by just 2 kills at 38 Japanese Zeroes shot down in air to air combat. McGuire was known for his heroic response whenever one of his buddies were in grave danger. In one instance a damaged P-38 pilot pursued by 7 Jap Zeroes was saved by McGuire who swooped in and took out 3 of the seven Mitsubishi Zeroes before being shot down himself though he survived. Bong and McGuire now became top competitors pitted against each other by the propaganda of high command seeking to encourage pilots to engage the enemy and receive accolades for it! However, this would lead to tragic consequences.

One thing that Richard Bong and Thomas McGuire had in common was guts, courage, and talent. Men such as this are risk takers and don’t like to be told what to do or be bothered with what they consider to be minor details. Each man died unfortunately due to these alpha male characteristics. Death came suddenly for each. In a heated competition for top “Ace” Thomas McGuire took it upon himself to go trophy hunting on an unauthorized mission. Needing just 2 kills to tie Major Bong, McGuire engaged the enemy Japanese Zeroes along with a wingman in an ill-advised hunting expedition. While in pursuit of a Zero whom Claire Chennault of the Flying Tigers had warned could out turn most American fighter planes at slow speed, McGuire’s P-38 Lightning snapped! This means that Thomas had pulled too tight a turn sending his fighter into an out of control spin which meant an uncontrolled dive into the jungle floor below. His wingman watched helplessly as McGuire’s plane exploded into a fireball of wreckage.

The year is 1945 and just as the two atomic bombs “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending the Pacific theater of war and World War II itself, Major Richard Bong makes a fatal error in judgement as well. Flying the new Lockheed P-80 Jet aircraft, as Chuck Yeager of breaking the sound barrier fame in the Bell X-1, describes in his auto-biography, Bong activated an oil pump switch which caused the P-80 to flame out at launch. According to the former Strategic Air Command commander who was a World War II ace, fought in the skies over Korea and tested a captured MIG-15, and even flew attack missions over North Vietnam, Yeager revealed that Major Bong failed to read the operating manual of the P-80.  As a result, he died as his plane plunged to the ground at the end of the runway standing in his cockpit with his parachute draped over him. The simple consequence of not reading the instructions cost him his life.

Brigadier General, Chuck Yeager, an Ace pilot in World War II, fought in Korea, flew the Bell X-1 to beyond Mach I, and as a Wing Commander leading bombing runs over North Vietnam stressed in his book the importance of every pilot carefully reading the operating manual of any plane he was to fly, but these brave men, at times, relied too much on their instincts and courage rather than the awareness of their mortal status. Yeager also commented on famous test pilot, Joe Walker, who had flown the Bell X-2 along with the X-15, the fastest manned rocket powered aircraft ever flown, who reported UFO’s flying alongside his supersonic aircraft during test flights, died ignoring safe practices. Chuck described Walker as being arrogant and often refused advice by those trying to be helpful.

Walker died when an unauthorized formation of US Air Force planes flew for PR purposes, Walker in his F-104 had ventured a little too close to the huge Valkyrie supersonic bomber he was alongside of got caught in the jet wash (Air displacement caused by jet engine thrust) and died as his needle nosed jet fighter broke into fiery fragments that impacted the fuselage of the mighty Rockwell International Valkyrie Bomber. This caused the fatal crash of the huge supersonic bomber itself. What all these ill-fated pilots had in common was not only talent and courage, but a sense of invincibility that became ironically their downfall, but still we recognize them for their incredible service to their country.