Dolphin D . Overton Dolphin D . Overton III ( 2 April 1926 - 25 March 2013 ) is a former United States Air Force aviator who became a flying ace during the Korean War . Overton ' s controversial tour in Korea led to his being removed from combat and denied his medals and victory credits , but he was subsequently reinstated with these . Born in Andrews , South Carolina , Overton took an early interest in flying , and attended The Citadel for a year before enlisting in the United States Navy briefly during World War II . Afterward , Overton graduated from West Point and began a career flying the F - 84 Thunderjet . In 1952 , Overton volunteered to fly in the Korean War and flew 102 missions in an F - 84 before transferring to the 16th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron and flying the F - 86 Sabre . During a four - day time period in early 1953 , Overton claimed five MiG - 15 victories in MiG alley , certifying him as a flying ace . However , he was subsequently returned to the United States in shame after commanders charged him with insubordination for crossing the Yalu River into Manchuria for his victories . Subsequent research and debate has pointed to Overton as a scapegoat for an informal policy of US pilots regularly violating the Yalu River border into China , and that the US military discredited Overton as a way to prevent an international incident . Overton was finally given the medals he had earned in the war — including a Distinguished Service Cross and four Silver Star Medal s — in 2009 . Biography . Dolphin D . Overton was born on 2 April 1926 in Andrews , South Carolina . He was interested in flying from an early age , and as a boy he flew with his father . He became an avid reader of stories from World War I flying aces . At age 16 , Overton was flying solo in a Piper J - 3 Cub . Overton graduated from high school and began college at The Citadel in Charleston , South Carolina in 1943 , at the age of 16 , but one year later he dropped out in an attempt to enlist in the United States Navy . Overton attempted to become a naval aviator in 1945 but there was little demand for additional aviators at the time , as the war was nearing its end . After being discharged from the Navy , Overton earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy , graduating in 1949 and being commissioned as a second lieutenant . Overton became one of 92 graduates to join the newly - formed United States Air Force . In 1950 , Overton earned his aviator wings after a year of training at Williams Air Force Base in Phoenix , Arizona , alongside Ivan Kincheloe , who would later also become a flying ace in Korea . Air Force career . Overton ' s first assignment was with the 31st Fighter Group at Turner Air Force Base in Albany , Georgia , commanded by David C . Schilling , and flying the F - 84 Thunderjet , a fighter - bomber . Shortly after the beginning of this assignment , Overton nearly died in a training incident . On his third flight in the F - 84 , as he tried to set a record for completing an obstacle course in the shortest time , he was involved in a major crash . The crash threatened to end his career , but Schilling , determined to prevent Overton from being discharged , gave him extra assignments to keep him in the military . Overton flew F - 84s with the 31st Fighter Group . He was a part of the first major trans - Atlantic deployment of F - 84s to the United Kingdom in late 1950 . He volunteered for deployment to South Korea to serve in the Korean War in 1951 . First Korean War tour . In February 1952 , Overton joined the 8th Fighter - Bomber Squadron , 49th Fighter - Bomber Wing . As many of the other pilots deploying with Overton were from the Air National Guard , Overton was the most experienced jet aircraft pilot among them . Because of this , he was made a flight leader and the assistant Operations Officer of the squadron . The unit flew out of Taegu ( K - 2 ) and its missions consisted primarily of close air support and interdiction missions in support of United Nations ground forces . In this time , Overton also took assignments as a forward air controller and directed air support missions to troops on the front lines . Overton spent some of this time on the to assist US Navy pilots with their own close air support doctrine . On 15 June 1952 , Overton led a bombing raid over Pyongyang to destroy a series of targets near the Pyongyang Air Base . The targets had been unsuccessfully bombed earlier by a similar strike force , but Overton ' s group was successful in destroying almost all of the targets while none of his aircraft took major damage from the 48 antiaircraft and 100 automatic weapons , and without harming the many nearby UN prisoner of war concentrations . On 28 June 1952 , the squadron was ordered to attack a convoy of Chinese vehicles . Overton , leading a group of 24 F - 84s , directed attacks on the convoy despite taking intense anti - aircraft fire himself , and the aircraft destroyed 150 vehicles . Though the circumstances in the event were lost in subsequent actions , Overton would later be decorated for this achievement . On 4 July , Overton was on a mission near Sakchu , leading a group of 37 F - 84s on an attack mission against the North Korean Military Academy when they were attacked by almost 200 MiG - 15s in the largest engagement of the war . In spite of the intense fire , Overton ' s group took no losses , and the results of the engagement , as well as Overton ' s heroism were cause for subsequent decoration . With this unit , Overton flew 102 combat missions over the course of a 6 - month tour . It concluded in August 1952 . Second Korean War tour . At the end of his first tour , Overton volunteered for a second tour in Korea in a fighter unit . For this tour , Overton joined the 16th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , 51st Fighter - Interceptor Wing at Suwon Air Base . For the first several weeks in this assignment , Overton saw little action . He flew 40 missions into MiG alley without making contact with any Soviet , Chinese or North Korean pilots . He flew an F - 86 Sabre , tail number 50 - 631 , nicknamed " Dolph ' s Devil " and " Angel in Disguise " . During this time , Overton was known to sit in his bases ' chapel in silence for extended periods of time , not praying , to calm his nerves . He also began to grow a mustache , though he professes not to be superstitious . Overton would continue to grow this mustache until immediately before his final flight , when he shaved it off . He also believed any number with a three in it , including the number 13 , was lucky . Overton was described by fellow pilots as being a " smart and serious professional . " He visited a radar site in his spare time to memorize the flight patterns of the Soviet and Chinese fliers . By the end of January 1953 , Overton had learned the MiG patrol and landing patterns . He had made contact with MiGs several times but had not been successful at shooting any down . This changed on 21 January when Overton began successfully downing aircraft north of the Yalu River . Over the course of four days and four missions , he downed five Soviet aircraft ; two on 21 January and one each on 22 and 23 January . Overton himself expressed surprise at how successful his strategy was , noting he was never discovered until it was too late , and he considered the victories relatively easy . He downed his fifth and final Soviet pilot on 24 January 1953 , his 49th mission of the tour . This meant he attained ace status in the shortest time of any pilot in the war . He became an ace on the same day as Harold E . Fischer , and the two were the 24th and 25th US aces in the war . Overton ' s streak was briefly billed as the " hottest streak in jet fighting history , " and for a few days he was characterized as a hero by " Stars and Stripes " . During a mission which occurred on a disputed date , either 23 January or 25 January , Overton and his squadron commander , ace Edwin L . Heller flew north of the Yalu River in search of MiG formations . Heller and Overton both shot down aircraft , some sources say this was one of Overton ' s first five victories , while others say they were his sixth and seventh , for which he never received credit , but Heller was struck by a MiG and crashed . He was either 60 or 150 miles north of the Yalu River line , so a rescue attempt was not made . This was later seen as one of the reasons Overton was singled out for reprimand for crossing the Yalu River . Most sources attribute Overton with only five victories . Reprimand and resignation . The next morning , 25 January , Overton was summoned to the office of his wing commander , Colonel John W . Mitchell . There , Colonel David C . Jones of the Fifth Air Force command staff determined he had crossed the Yalu river into China for each of his five victories . Violating Chinese airspace was officially prohibited . The next day Mitchell told him he was being grounded and sent home , and " made clear that he was not going home a hero . " The 16th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron was grounded for 10 days . Overton was told he would not be given the decorations he had earned in Korea , including the awards from his previous tour which had not yet been written up . Overton had twice been pinned with a Distinguished Flying Cross personally by Fifth Air Force commander Lieutenant General Glenn O . Barcus , and he had been considered for several Silver Star Medal s . Overton was also given a bad efficiency report which characterized him as insubordinate . Overton lost his temporary rank of captain . The military delayed official recognition of his credits and ace status until December 1953 . He became one of 40 US aces during the war . Overton resigned his commission before the war ended . Subsequent analysis has indicated Overton may have been treated unfairly for these actions , becoming a scapegoat for the actions of many other pilots in the war . No new policies had been released warning about crossing the Chinese border , and no pilots before Overton had been punished for doing so . Overton himself expressed frustration at the move , as he had been the rearmost pilot in the formation that crossed the Yalu River on 24 January , and Mitchell himself had been known to cross the border and condoned the action . Fellow ace and unit member Francis Gabreski challenged the move , claiming that US pilots were outnumbered and it was the only way to maintain air superiority . It was later revealed that Swiss observers to the peace talks at Panmunjon were traveling through Manchuria on foot when they spotted a UN - Soviet dogfight and lodged a complaint , prompting an investigation which eventually indicted Overton . The move was seen as an effort by the US military to prevent an international incident by not acknowledging that US pilots had violated Chinese airspace . Debate remains as to whether or not these airspace violations were a necessity , as US pilots were able to maintain air superiority despite being outnumbered in the war , and Chinese and Soviet pilots , who could have launched similar strikes on UN ships at sea and on targets in Japan did not do so . Still , many missions into Chinese airspace were authorized during the war . Informally , it was known that US pilots regularly violated the rule in a rush to down MiGs . Subsequent life . Following his resignation , Overton had no contact with the military . This continued for several decades until Overton reconnected with fellow West Point graduate Lieutenant General Charles G . Cleveland , and he discovered the Air Force had established Air Force Review Boards Agency to review incidents and determine if individuals had been unfairly denied medals . In the meantime , Overton became a successful businessman , owning and operating several companies . Overton continued flying as a hobby after the military . He built a personal aviation library with 10 , 000 books , and began collecting and restoring aircraft . By 1999 , Overton had acquired and restored over 90 aircraft , donating most to museums and institutions around the United States and abroad . Among this collection are several more Piper Cubs and Ford Trimotor aircraft , which he flew regularly for leisure . He was also active in the development of a state aviation museum for North Carolina . The Carolinas Aviation Museum , established in 1992 , named its library for Overton . Overton was exonerated 25 years later when he was deemed eligible to receive two Distinguished Flying Crosses and four Silver Star Medals . However , records relating to Overton ' s actions were destroyed in the 1973 National Archives Fire and the awarding of his decorations was delayed . Some sources later whitewashed the controversy by claiming Overton was on his final four missions in Korea when he became an ace , and that he was scheduled to be returned to the United States after the missions anyway . The US Air Force maintained that Overton had been denied his medals due to " clerical omissions . " The Air Force , in its citations for Overton ' s medals , claimed the actions took place at Insadong and Uiju , instead of acknowledging Overton had claimed the victories in Chinese airspace . Overton was honored by the Gathering of Eagles program of the Air Force Air Command and Staff College twice , once in 1999 and again in 2008 . On 18 September 2009 , Overton was further presented with the Distinguished Service Cross by Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz , who in a speech noted that Overton had been " not properly recognized " for the 28 June 1952 bombing run . Overton would also finally be presented with his Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star Medals , 57 years after the actions . It followed a six - month appeal process initiated by Overton . Overton currently resides in North Carolina with his wife , Sue . The couple had five children and 10 grandchildren . Aerial victory credits . From numerous visits to radar stations before his flights , Overton memorized where and how the Soviet pilots landed as well as how long they stayed airborne . He then told radar men at Cho - do Airport to inform him when Soviet pilots took off , allowing him to ambush them . Using this information , Overton would fly in a racetrack pattern between the MiGs landing zones and the sun , preventing them from spotting him as they made their landing approaches . Overton would then fall in behind the formations of Soviet fighters as they began their landings , shooting them down with minimal resistance . All of his subsequent victories were described as " parallel intercepts , non - deflection shots from close range without using the radar ranging feature on the Sabre ' s gunsight . " Most sources agree Overton had five victories . However , there is a dispute as to whether this number is higher , thanks to the disputed account of one mission . A few sources claim Overton flew one final mission on 25 January 1953 and shot down two more MiG - 15s which he never received credit for . Other sources attest that this mission — the same in which Edwin Heller was shot down — took place 23 January and Overton shot down only one aircraft during the flight . Awards and decorations . Overton was decorated numerous times during his Korean War tour , however many of these awards and medals were rescinded following his controversial removal from the country . Additionally , his records were among the 16 to 18 million which were destroyed in the 1973 National Archives fire . Most of Overton ' s decorations were restored following his 2009 appeal . What follows is an incomplete list of awards confirmed to have been awarded to Overton during his service .