William P . Driscoll William " Willy Irish " Driscoll ( born March 5 , 1947 ) is a retired Commander in the United States Navy and a Naval Flight Officer who received the Navy Cross during the Vietnam War for his role in an aerial dogfight with North Vietnam ese MiGs . He and Naval Aviator , Randy " Duke " Cunningham became the Navy ' s only two flying ace s during the Vietnam War . Early life . Driscoll was born in 1947 and received a BA in Economics from Stonehill College , North Easton , Massachusetts in 1968 and a MS in System Management from University of Southern California in 1978 . Military career . Driscoll joined the Naval Reserve in 1968 , graduating from Aviation Officer Candidate School and receiving his commission as an Ensign ( ENS ) . After initial flight training at NAS Pensacola , Florida , he completed advanced flight training at NAS Glynco , Georgia and received his Naval Flight Officer wings in 1970 . Selected to fly the F - 4 Phantom II as a Radar Intercept Officer ( RIO ) , he reported to Fighter Squadron 121 ( VF - 121 ) at NAS Miramar , California for fleet replacement squadron training in the F - 4J . Following completion of training at VF - 121 , he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 96 ( VF - 96 ) " The Fighting Falcons " , also home based at NAS Miramar . Promoted to Lieutenant , junior grade ( LTJG ) , he served as a RIO with his primary pilot , Lieutenant " Duke " Cunningham . They became the Navy ' s only two flying ace s during the Vietnam War while VF - 96 was embarked on a Western Pacific deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS " Constellation " Having previously achieved two aerial kills on two separate missions , their third , fourth and fifth kills occurred during a single day , May 10 , 1972 . Having bombed their intended ground target , Cunningham and Driscoll engaged North Vietnamese MiGs . After shooting down two MiG - 17 s , they became separated from the other aircraft in their strike package . The pair headed for the coast where they spotted a lone North Vietnamese MiG - 17 . This final engagement was to become one of the most celebrated aerial dogfights in the war . Driscoll was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on May 10 , 1972 when he shot down three of the sixteen MiG interceptors that converged on a bomber convoy of USAF B - 52 Stratofortress es attacking a railyard in Hai Duong – his fighter was then hit by a missile , and he managed to help the pilot bring their stricken aircraft to the Gulf of Tonkin . When their F - 4 was no longer flayable , both ejected and awaited their rescue . During the course of the war Driscoll was promoted to Lieutenant ( LT ) and was awarded the Navy Cross , two Silver Star s , a Purple Heart , ten Air Medal s , and was nominated for the Medal of Honor . Later life . Driscoll later became an instructor at the U . S . Naval Fighter Weapons School ( TOPGUN ) followed by his transition to the F - 14 Tomcat and assignment as an instructor at Fighter Squadron 124 ( VF - 124 ) , the F - 14 Fleet Replacement Squadron for the Pacific Fleet at NAS Miramar ( now MCAS Miramar ) , in San Diego , California . He separated from active duty in 1982 , but remained in the U . S . Naval Reserve , flying the F - 4 Phantom II and later the F - 14 Tomcat in a Naval Air Reserve fighter squadron at NAS Miramar , eventually retiring with the rank of Commander ( O - 5 ) . He currently works in real estate in San Diego County , though he continues to serve as a consultant on military aviation issues .