John S . Loisel Colonel John Simon Loisel ( May 21 , 1920 – January 20 , 2010 ) was an American air ace , credited with having shot down 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II . Loisel was born in Coeur d ' Alene , Idaho and joined the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) in 1941 . By age 25 , Loisel had spent more time in combat than any other American pilot in World War II , with over three years in the Pacific . Serving in the Pacific he quickly distinguished himself by first becoming an ace after achieving five kills in just a two - month period , and then becoming a double ace . He became a career Air Force officer . Loisel commanded Fighter Groups in both World War II and Korea , along with several peacetime commands . He retired from the Air Force as a colonel . Following his military career , Loisel taught high school physics for 15 years in the Plano Independent School District , Plano , Texas . He died of natural causes at age 89 in 2010 in Plano . Early life . Loisel was born in Coeur d ' Alene , Idaho on May 21 , 1920 and moved with his family to Norfolk , Nebraska by 1922 . His parents , Simon M . and Lucille Loisel were first - generation Americans of French - Canadian parents . The elder Loisel worked as a commercial traveler in the lumber industry . Simon Loisel did well enough to keep a live - in servant and to reside in an expensive house for the time . Prior to John being born , Lucille Loisel had been employed as a teacher at a Catholic school in Coeur d ' Alene . John Loisel was the eldest child , with six younger brothers and two sisters . After graduating from high school , Loisel attended Wayne State Teacher ' s College , Nebraska ( now Wayne State College ) and the University of Nebraska from 1938 to 1941 . He then entered the USAAF for flight training at Mather Field , California on March 10 , 1941 and received his pilot wings on October 31 , 1941 . Military career . World War II . Upon receiving his wings and a commission as a second lieutenant , Loisel was initially posted for duties as a flight instructor while waiting for assignment . He was then posted to a unit in the Philippine Islands . When he was en route by ship , he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . In late - 1941 he was assigned as a Bell P - 39 Airacobra fighter pilot with the 36th Fighter Squadron , 8th Fighter Group , based in New Guinea . By June 1943 , he had flown 83 combat missions in both the P - 39D and the P - 400 versions . Loisel was then selected as cadre for the newly formed 432nd Fighter Squadron , 475th Fighter Group , the first Lockheed P - 38 Lightning fighter group formed in the USAAF . Once assigned to the 432nd Fighter Squadron , Loisel began to quickly show his abilities once he started flying an aircraft that could compete with the top - line Japanese fighters . Flying a P - 38H , serial no . 42 - 66682 , named the " Screaming Kid " , he shot down five Japanese fighters within his first two months of flying in the P - 38s and earned a promotion to captain . On August 21 , 1943 , while escorting USAAF bombers near Wewak , New Guinea , he shot down two Kawasaki Ki - 61 " Tony " fighters , his first two victories . Less than a month later , on September 22 , 1943 , he claimed a Mitsubishi A6M " Zero " fighter near Finschafen , New Guinea . Slightly less than two months later Loisel obtained " ace " status by downing two more Zeroes near Oro Bay , New Guinea . In December , 1943 , he picked up two more kills , a Zero on the 15th and another Zero on the 21st , during the build - up for the landings at Cape Gloucester . Loisel picked up his eighth victory on January 23 , 1944 over a Zero . On April 3 , 1944 , while escorting Douglas A - 20 Havoc bombers near Hollandia , New Guinea , he shot down a Nakajima Ki - 43 " Oscar " fighter and a Mitsubishi A6M3 " Hamp " fighter over Lake Sentani , giving him his ninth and tenth kills and making him a double ace . On January 22 , 1944 , he assumed command of the 432nd Fighter Squadron . This unit was tasked with striking targets in New Guinea and the Indonesian Spice Islands to support General Douglas MacArthur ' s return to the Philippines . In August 1944 , Loisel returned to the United States as a major . In January 1945 , Loisel returned to the 475th Fighter Group as the Operations Officer . After his return to combat following his assignment in the United States , Loisel had his eleventh and final aerial victory on March 28 , 1945 , when he shot down a Nakajima Ki - 84 " Frank " fighter near Tree Island , Indochina ( Vietnam ) . On May 15 , 1945 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and on July 15 , 1945 he became the Commanding Officer of the 475th Fighter Group . He relinquished command on April 18 , 1946 and returned to the United States . He had , by the age of 25 , become a lieutenant colonel , a fighter group commander , and earned the Silver Star . His assignment to the Pacific Theatre of Operations for over three years was longer than any other American fighter pilot served in combat , and he flew more than 875 hours in combat . Loisel was the fourth leading ace in the 475th Fighter Group , flying with notable aces Thomas McGuire ( 38 kills ) , Charles MacDonald ( 27 kills ) and Daniel T . Roberts , Jr . ( 15 kills ) . He was known for his aggressiveness , instructing his pilots to " Head for the main body of the enemy – disregard stragglers . . . [ and ] plow into the largest bunch you see . " Korea . On return to the United States in 1946 , he married Rachel ' Rae ' Hultman and re - enrolled at the University of Nebraska to earn his bachelor ' s degree in physics , graduating in 1949 . Beginning in May , 1947 , he served as the commanding officer of the 63rd Fighter Squadron ( an Air Defense – Interceptor unit ) , based at Selfridge Air Force Base , Michigan , where he led the transition of the unit to the Lockheed P - 80 Shooting Star jet fighter . After a staff tour at Headquarters , Air Defense Command , Loisel returned to combat in Korea in May 1953 , having been promoted to full colonel on December 1 , 1951 . Once there , Loisel commanded the 474th Fighter Bomber Group , flying the Republic F - 84 Thunderjet fighter . He flew an additional 22 combat missions . One of the subordinate squadrons under his command ( the 429th Fighter Bomber Squadron ) set an Air Force record for the number of combat sorties flown ( 80 in one day ) in June 1953 and the 474th Fighter Bomber Group set a Fifth Air Force record of 254 sorties on that same day . Post - war career . Following the Korean War , Loisel had assignments that included tours as the Commander , 83rd Fighter Group and Deputy Commander , 4th Tactical Fighter Wing . In 1970 , having achieved the rank of colonel , over 5 , 500 flying hours , and 323 combat missions , he retired from the Air Force . Later life . Following his retirement from the Air Force , Loisel attended North Texas State University ( now the University of North Texas ) , obtaining his master ' s degree in physics in 1972 . Loisel then taught physics at Plano Senior High School in Plano , Texas from 1972 to 1985 . Loisel was an " avid golfer " and a member of the American Fighter Aces Association . Loisel was married to Rae Loisel for 63 years . They had a son , John S . Loisel , Jr . , and a daughter , Susan Bryan . He died of natural causes on January 20 , 2010 in Plano , Texas and is buried at the Dallas - Fort Worth National Cemetery . He is survived by his wife , daughter , and two sisters , Mary Margaret Pappas and Anne Schueth . His son John , Jr . and his brothers predeceased him .