Vermont Garrison Vermont Garrison ( October 29 , 1915 — February 14 , 1994 ) was a career officer in the United States Air Force , and an ace with 17 . 33 credited victories in aerial combat . He was one of only seven Americans to achieve ace status during World War II , then again against jet fighter opposition during the Korean War . In 1966 , Garrison participated in his third war , as vice commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing , and flew a full tour of bombing and fighter missions over North Vietnam . During all three of his combat tours , Garrison was consistently older than his peers , becoming an ace in World War II at the age of 28 , in Korea at the age of 37 , and flying Rolling Thunder missions at the age of 51 . For this and his renown as a gunnery expert , Garrison was known in the service as " The Gray Eagle " . U . S . Air Force historian and author Walter J . Boyne described Garrison as a " first - rate combat unit leader . " Col . Robin Olds , commanding the 8th TFW in Thailand , said of his vice commander : " Of the many hundreds I ' ve served with , Garry was one of the greatest — as pilot , as gentleman , as officer , and as friend . " Biography . Garrison was born on a farm near the tiny hamlet of Mt . Victory , in Pulaski County , Kentucky , a part of Appalachia . He was the oldest of five sons and three daughters ( one of which died in infancy ) born to Mayhue H . Garrison and his second wife , Shelta Harriet Sears Garrison . While he grew up farming and timbering to help his family subsist , he also completed a basic education despite the Great Depression . He graduated from Pulaski County Public Schools in 1933 , then went on to two years at Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College , and earned a teaching certificate after a term at Sue Bennett Junior College in nearby London . He taught elementary school in one - room schools between 1936 and 1941 . Garrison married Maria Lee in August , 1961 , at Mountain Home , Idaho , where the couple also resided after his 1973 retirement , and raised three daughters and a son . Garrison died of a heart attack on February 14 , 1994 , in Mountain Home . World War II . Royal Air Force . On March 17 , 1941 , Garrison enlisted in the United States Army and became an aviation cadet in Class 41 - C at Muskogee , Oklahoma , but washed out of advanced flight training at Brooks Field , Texas , in October . Garrison promptly enlisted in the Royal Air Force at Dallas , and completed flight training in El Centro , California . After obtaining his RAF wings , Pilot Officer Garrison was shipped to England , where after further training he was promoted to Flying Officer and made a gunnery instructor , posted to RAF Hawarden to train pilots flying North American Mustang s . Army Air Forces . On July 13 , 1943 , Garrison transferred from the RAF to the United States Army Air Forces , receiving a commission as a first lieutenant . On September 26 , after transition training in the P - 47 Thunderbolt at RAF Atcham , he was assigned to the 4th Fighter Group , based at RAF Debden , as a member of the 336th Fighter Squadron . Garrison ' s first combat mission came on October 4 , 1943 . The 4th Fighter Group was assigned to support a task force of 3rd Bomb Division B - 17s on its withdrawal after bombing Frankfurt am Main , Germany . It proceeded to the rendezvous - point at Eupen , Belgium , but could find no bombers , remained in the vicinity for 16 minutes , and then withdrew . Garrison recorded his first combat victory returning from a bomber withdrawal support mission to Bremen on December 16 , 1943 . In exceptionally bad winter weather conditions , he shared credit for shooting down a Junkers Ju 88 fighter over the German - Dutch border with Don Gentile and Louis Norley . A month later , on January 14 , 1944 , he downed two Focke Wulf Fw 190 s , although his claim report for the second kill credited half to Norley . A review of his gun camera film , however , resulted in the award to Garrison of both victories . By February 10 he had scored his fifth kill and made ace , followed by a sixth victory on February 25 , during an escort mission supporting the Big Week bomber offensive . The next day his squadron began conversion to the P - 51B Mustang fighter . On March 3 , 1944 , the 4th Fighter Group flew a bomber support mission to Berlin for the first time , resulting in several large aerial engagements . Garrison was part of a flight of nine P - 51s of the 4th engaging more than 60 Luftwaffe fighters attacking bombers at 24 , 000 feet near Wittenberg . Three of the flight , including Garrison , were shot down . Despite losing his aircraft ' s supercharger and having five of its six guns jam , Garrison shot down an Fw 190 and received a " probable " for downing a Messerschmitt Bf 110 . Flying back to England at low level with two wingmen , one of whom had a damaged engine and could not maintain altitude , Garrison was shot down by antiaircraft fire near Boulogne - sur - Mer and bailed out . Captured almost immediately , he was subjected to two weeks of interrogations , then shipped to Stalag Luft I , the German Prisoner - of - war camp near Barth , Germany . U . S . Air Force . Post - war service . Liberated on May 1 , 1945 , by Soviet troops , Garrison elected to rejoin his squadron rather than return to the United States . He remained with the 336th FS until it was inactivated in September 1945 , then transferred to the 406th Fighter Group on occupation duty in Germany . In 1946 he transferred to the 56th Fighter Group at Selfridge Field , Michigan , where he again flew P - 47s . Garrison rejoined the 4th Fighter Group ( now a component of the 4th Fighter Wing ) at Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland , in April 1947 , was promoted to captain , and became part of the U . S . Air Force when it became an independent service on September 18 . Garrison organized and led a jet aerial demonstration team for the 4th FW , flying P - 80 Shooting Star s , and participated in the first official delivery of air mail by jet to celebrate the 30th anniversary of air mail on May 15 , 1948 . Using the same route as in 1918 , Garrison delivered a packet from Washington , D . C . to New York City in a 28 - minute flight . In May , 1949 , he led the team representing the 4th Fighter Wing at the first Air Force Worldwide Gunnery Competition at Las Vegas Air Force Base , Nevada , winning the jet portion of the competition . Garrison ' s noted gunnery skills and prior instructor experience resulted in his transfer in May 1950 to Las Vegas , now Nellis Air Force Base , where the USAF converted its flying training establishment into the USAF Aircraft Gunnery School . After completing the gunnery course , he remained at Nellis as an instructor and R & D officer of the 3596th Advanced Applied Tactics ( later " Combat Crew Training " ) Squadron , where one of the instructors was Captain Manuel J . Fernandez . Garrison formed another unit jet air demonstration team , the " Mach Riders " , with Fernandez and future ace Capt . William H . Wescott on wing . At the outbreak of the Korean War , while many experienced fighter pilots deployed to combat , Garrison continued in his combat crew training role at Nellis . He was promoted to major in 1951 and took command of the 3596th CCTS . The commander of the 4th Fighter - Interceptor Wing ( successor to the 4th FG ) requested Garrison by name to join the wing , and in November 1952 Garrison went to Kimpo Air Base , Korea , as operations officer of the 335th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . Korean War . In January 1953 , Garrison took command of the 335th FIS . The " GunVal Project " , seven F - 86s and five veteran pilots , was attached to the squadron to test armament modifications in combat . North American Aviation removed the six M3 . 50 - caliber machine guns from four late - production F - 86Es and six block - one F - 86Fs , expanded the size of the gun bays , strengthened the surrounding frame assemblies , and mounted four newly developed T - 160 20mm cannon in their place . Having a similar rate of fire , the cannons were expected to significantly increase the Sabre ' s lethality over that of the machine guns , whose armor - piercing incendiary ammunition was usually ineffective against jet aircraft above 35 , 000 feet of altitude . However , the heavier weight and bulk of the cannons and ammunition , while providing greater effective range , flatter trajectory , and higher velocity , limited the F - 86 to only 400 total rounds , which reduced its total firing time by nearly 75 % , from 16 to 4 . 6 seconds . Garrison worked closely with the project after one of the test aircraft was lost in combat on January 25 because its engine experienced compressor stall from ingesting the cannons ' propellent gases . He regularly flew GunVal Sabres on missions before the testing ended on May 1 , and despite firing limitations imposed by the stall risk , scored a MiG victory in a cannon - equipped F - 86F , near Sui - ho Reservoir on March 26 . His first victory came on February 21 , 1953 , during his 18th mission as 335th FIS commander . Engaging a pair of MiGs in a " dogfight " , Garrison was nearly shot down as he became too focused on his quarry and failed to detect a MiG closing in from behind , then became locked into a Lufbery circle . When the MiGs broke the circle and tried to escape , both he and his wingmen destroyed one . With just two MiG credits in his first six months of his tour , Garrison ' s tally increased dramatically in the final three months of combat before the Korean armistice . In the spring of 1953 , the size of the Fifth Air Force ' s F - 86 force doubled , increasing competitiveness among its pilots for victories over largely inexperienced communist pilots . Garrison achieved two kills in May . On June 5 , 1953 , he led a fighter sweep to the mouth of the Yalu River in the northwest corner of " MiG Alley " at 45 , 000 feet . Observing approximately 40 MiG ' s in the process of taking off from an airfield in Manchuria , he led his flight of four aircraft in an attack on the vulnerable fighters , diving at Mach 1 through a protective top cover of MiGs 20 , 000 feet over the base . Almost immediately he shot down a MiG at low altitude , followed by a second soon after , as every member of the flight scored a kill , a rare if not unique occurrence . In addition to recognition as an ace , Garrison was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the mission . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on June 25 , 1953 , and scored his final MiG victory on July 19 , eight days before the armistice . Professional career . Garrison finished his tour on Korea on October 28 , 1953 . His next assignment was in the newly activated 4750th Training Wing ( Air Defense ) at Yuma ( later Vincent ) Air Force Base , Arizona , an Air Defense Command organization developing tactics and training pilots to fly the F - 86D rocket - firing interceptor . There he worked in conjunction with wing commander Col . Glenn Eagleston and 4750th Training Squadron commander Lt . Col . James Jabara , both aces who also served in the 4th FIW in Korea . Garrison attended the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare Senior Officers Course ( now the Marine Corps Command and Staff College ) at Marine Corps Base Quantico from September 1957 to June 1958 , then served a tour at Headquarters USAF in the Pentagon . Later assigned to Tyndall Air Force Base , Florida , he was promoted to colonel in March 1961 . Assigned to the 25th Air Division at McChord Air Force Base , Washington , Garrison served on the command staff and as senior advisor to the Washington Air National Guard through the early 1960s . Vietnam War and service to retirement . In August 1965 , Garrison returned to combat for the third time in his career , becoming deputy commander for operations ( DCO ) of the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines . The 405th was a composite wing of F - 100 Super Sabre and F - 102 Delta Dagger fighters , and B - 57 Canberra bombers serving temporary duty ( TDY ) rotations in South Vietnam . Shortly after , Garrison moved up to vice commander , and on January 5 , 1966 , advanced to his first wing command . He remained in command of the 405th until August 4 , 1966 , when he was succeeded by Col . Charles Yeager . From Clark AFB , Garrison was assigned as vice commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand , in August 1966 . The following month Col . Robin Olds was made commander of the 8th TFW to invigorate its combat spirit , and together with deputy commander of operations Col . Daniel " Chappie " James and Garrison , provided one of the strongest and most experienced command triumvirates in Southeast Asia . Garrison flew the F - 4C Phantom II on 97 missions over North Vietnam and Laos , although Olds noted that Garrison never formally " checked out " ( qualified ) in the type , as a result of which he always flew with an instructor pilot in the rear seat . In describing Garrison ' s combat experience , Olds observed that Garrison flew his " 52nd combat mission on his 52nd birthday " while at Ubon . Olds also noted that by 1967 Garrison was : " . . . so nearsighted he carried about four different pairs of glasses with him . . . but by God , if you wanted a target bombed , he would hit it . He would hit it when everybody else missed . . . . He got furious with me because I wouldn ' t let him get up there among the MiGs . I told him , ' Pappy , every fighter pilot in the Air Force knows and loves you , and I am not going to be the guy that sends you up there to get your butt scragged . ' He just could not see anymore . " He finished his tour on June 5 , 1967 , turning over his vice commander ' s slot to James . Between the end of his combat tour and his retirement on March 1 , 1973 , Garrison served in a number of command slots : commanding officer of the F - 101 Voodoo - equipped 408th Fighter Group at Kingsley Field , Oregon , from July 1967 to August 1968 ; vice commander of the 26th Air Division at Adair Air Force Station , Oregon , to June 1969 ; commander of the 4780th Air Defense Wing at Perrin Air Force Base , Texas , to July 1971 ; and commanding officer of the 4661st Air Base Group at Hamilton Air Force Base , California , to his retirement . Aerial victory credits . None of Garrison ' s assigned aircraft was named or featured nose art . He scored all but the last of his 7 . 33 World War II victories in P - 47 Thunderbolts 41 - 6573 , marked VF : S , and 42 - 74663 , marked VF : H . His final kill was also the plane in which he was shot down , P - 51B 43 - 6871 , with the VF : H markings . His Korean War MiG - 15 kills were made in F - 86F 51 - 12959 , an unrecorded GunVal Project F - 86F - 2 , and F - 86F ' s 51 - 12944 and 51 - 12953 . Awards and decorations . Vermont Garrison ' s ribbons , including retroactive awards . Distinguished Service Cross citation . The President of the United States of America , under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9 , 1918 , takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant Colonel Vermont Garrison , United States Air Force , for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Pilot with the 335th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , 4th Fighter - Interceptor Wing , FIFTH Air Force , in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Korea on June 5 , 1953 . On that date , while leading a flight of four F - 86 aircraft near the Yalu River , Colonel Garrison sighted a formation of ten MIG - 15s far below . Diving down , Colonel Garrison pressed dangerously close behind the lead MIG in order that the remainder of his formation could assume attacking positions . With one long burst of his guns , Colonel Garrison caused the MIG to explode and disintegrate . Then , at great risk to his life , Colonel Garrison flew directly through the debris from the explosion , in order to attack another enemy MIG and fully exploit the tactical advantage already gained . Courageously disregarding a hail of enemy fire from behind him , and in the face of heavy odds , Colonel Garrison , after violent maneuvering , closed on the second MIG , scoring hits which caused it to explode and crash . As a result of Colonel Garrison ' s intrepidity and keen flying skill , his flight was able to engage other MIGs in the forefront of the enemy formation , successfully destroying three of them . The enemy , having lost one - half of his force in less than two minutes , and thoroughly demoralized by the heroic and telling attack of Colonel Garrison and his formation , turned and withdrew from the scene of action in defeat . Through Colonel Garrison ' s selfless courage and inspiring leadership , the tide of battle was turned and his flight was credited with the destruction of five MIGs , two of which were destroyed by Colonel Garrison .