Joe Foss

Joe Foss Flying Marine

US Marine Joe Foss was the hottest ace in World War II. He led the Flying Circus, an elite group of eight fighter pilots with a reputation for aggressive close-in fighter tactics and uncanny gunnery skills. In October 1942, Foss and his Circus were sent into the heat of battle at Guadalcanal. His spectacular success there earned Foss a presidential citation from Roosevelt: "His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal." In his book, Foss explains how he became a pilot, why he, and men like him, chose to fight the war in the air and what it was like to engage in helter-skelter dogfights with the dexterous Japanese Zero pilots of World War II.