Description: (Aircraft pilot, Military personnel)
Richard "Dick" Ira Bong was a highly decorated United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was known as the country's leading flying ace, having shot down 40 Japanese aircraft with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. Sadly, he lost his life in California while testing a Lockheed P-80 jet fighter just before the war's end. Bong's outstanding service and achievements posthumously earned him a place in the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the dedication of several monuments worldwide in his honor.