http://www.aviation-history.com/airmen/tigers.htm this is one of the best storie's,,that I've read in long time,,,What a Hero this man was..Claire Chennault ,,,The Role of Defensive Pursuit.

Ernie

Top Ten American Fighter Pilot Aces
Compiled by Joe Noah, PMF, August 2008.
**************************************
Maj. Richard I. Bong, US Army Air Forces, 40, MOH, NAHF
Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Jr., US Army Air Forces, 38, MOH, NAHF
Lt. Col. Francis S. Gabreski, US Army Air Forces & USAF, 34.5 (6.5 in Korea), NAHF
Capt. David McCampbell, US Navy, 34, MOH, NAHF
Capt. Robert S. Johnson, US Army Air Forces, 27
Col. Charles H. MacDonald, US Army Air Forces, 27
Maj. George E. Preddy, Jr., US Army Air Forces, 26.83
Col. John C. Meyer, US Army Air Forces & USAF, 26 (2 in Korea), NAHF
BGen. Joseph J. Foss, US Marine Corps, 26, MOH, NAHF
Capt. Robert M. Hanson, USMC, 25, MOH
Notes;
1) MOH: MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
(2) NAHF: NATIONAL AVIATION HALL OF FAME ENSHRINEE
(3) Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, US Army Air Service, 24.33, MOH, NAHF. If counted according to WW II rules (Rickenbacker shared two victories with one other pilot, and a third victory with two others). He is credited with 26 victories according to WW I rules and according to popular opinion.
(4) Col. Gregory Boyington claimed 28 victories, four of them while with the American Volunteer Group (AVG) Flying Tigers.
Those four could not be substantiated. The USMC recognizes those four, but the American Fighter Aces
Association and Dr. Frank Olynyk do not.
(5) Joe, The list looks good to me. I had never seen the "new look" at Rickenbacker's score before, but it makes sense. Regarding Boyington, I was talking to Tex Hill during an Aces reunion once upon a time, and asked him about Boyington's AVG victories. Tex's response to me was "Boyington never scored those victories, you can't shoot down an enemy plane from the end of a bar"!!!
Best regards,
Tom Ivie
I hope you guy's would like some History..Ernie

Anyone else ever get to meet Dallas Clinger,of Alpine Wyoming? he was Wyoming's first and only flying Ace, and a Flying Tiger through and through.

I first met him in '87 when I landed my Pterodactyl ultralight on the road near Hoback Junction. The Alpine Valley, in the morning especially, can give you many different wind direction indications. I'd eyeballed the windsock at the airport and then landed a 1/2 mile away, bad idea, totally
different wind direction, 90 degrees different anyway. That was major for a 2 axis controlled ultralight. I didn't ground loop, but did end up in the ditch on the side of the road (NO traffic of course, I wasn't stupid , even back then), and no damage was done, just a slo mo uncontrolled drift into the barrow pit.

As I was pulling it out and getting my sh*t back together an older guy on a Vespa motor scooter rode up, and asked if I was all right. "Oh yeah", I said, "I just taxied off the road to get out of the way". "Bullshit", he said, "you damn near ground looped". Then he told me to get on the Vespa, and we rode the couple hundred yards to his roadside cafe (where the Nordic Inn is now). He told me to sit down, which I did, I mean he was a bad ass older guy, very intimidating, and he had a major attitude! Not until he personally served me coffee (on the house that day, and for years later) did I catch onto the fact he was jerking me around! He was tickled to death to have me fly in, and in short order I was informed as to who the heck he was and how he fit into the scheme of things.

I really didn't have the interest and appreciation I do now for any historical figure concerning aviation (like the times I had dinner with Anne Morrow Linbergh's brother, who was my girlfriends step father, but I digress), all I knew was that Dallas was a hoot and I was always welcome, no matter where and how I landed. He died suddenly a few years later (a stroke or brain aneurysm as I recall), a good quick way to go for a guy like him, he would have made lousy invalid!

I can only guess what a tough guy he was in his 20's, when flying in the Tigers, it took very little imagination to invision him as he used to be. I still miss him every time I head to Alpine for breakfast, it ain't the same.

One last thing, Dallas had utter disdain for Chuck Yeagar, the bad feelings went way back, but he was tight with Hoover. Interesting.......

I don't know why someone would feel the need to repeat hearsay suggesting that Pappy Boyington was all mouth and no action. Lots of people say lots of things, lots of it being untrue. Better that such talk denigrating other who put it all on the line for us should be left unsaid.

The man was a true hero, having shot down far more enemy planes than most American fighter pilots could ever dream of doing, and was recognized by his country with the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross. He was shot down in action by the Japanese and was held as a POW for the rest of the war.

Hats off to Pappy and every other American pilot - fighter, bomber, air transport, whatever - in that war. They suffered some of the highest casualties of any branch of military service in that war.

We have our very own Flying Tiger here in Hood River. Ken Jernstedt. In fact, the Hood RIver airport was renamed "Ken Jernstedt Airport" in his honor a few years ago. Ken is a true gentleman. Never bragged about his victories with the Flying Tigers. We need more heros like these guys.

wasn't Anne morrow lindberg's wife?

ccurrie wrote:wasn't Anne morrow lindberg's wife?

Correct, and Dwight Morrow Jr. (who I briefly hung out with) was the son of Dwight Sr, who was the ambassador to Mexico way back when. When Lindbergh was on his state sponsered good will trip (showed up, talked about his flight, all to promote aviation and America, a positive PR thing) and was put up at the US embassy in Mexico, who did he run into but his future wife Anne, brother of "my" Dwight Jr.