Wings of Valor: Honoring America’s Fighter Aces

A hero’s action is always extraordinary because it is so contrary to the basichuman instincts of self-preservation and survival. For the fighter ace, it is often kill or be killed . The men whose images and stories are told in Wings of Valorreflect the courage and determination it takes to get no less than five kills inaerial combat and return from each mission alive. They distinguishedthemselves as Navy, Marines, U.S. Army Air Corps, and Air Force pilots who hadthe courage to pursue their enemy with aggression, agility, and precision. Tofly in combat is extremely dangerous. All fighter pilots, regardless of theirpersonal victory tallies, are deserving of great respect and credit for what theyendure. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact qualities that separate a good fighter pilotfrom a great fighter pilot. However, they consist of an indomitable inner spirit,a fierce determination to survive and succeed, with a measure of opportunityand luck added to the mix. Wings of Valor immortalizes eighty-two men fortheir bravery during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Their images andstories, collected on these pages, are as diverse as America itself. Today,these men assert that they are proud Americans who are caretakers offreedom. They have been to the edge and have lived to tell their story. At one time there were over 1,400 fighter aces. Because of the changingtechnology of war and the shifting nature of war itself, these men of Wings ofValor are considered the last of the traditional aces. This book honors thecontent of their character via formal photographs of these valiant men, the lastof their breed.