Edwin A . Doss Edwin A . Doss ( September 14 , 1914January 7 , 1996 ) was an American fighter pilot and commander in the U . S . Air Force during World War II and Korean War . Logging more than 4 , 500 flying hours , Doss flew 573 combat hours and accrued 280 combat missions during his leadership in the South West Pacific Theatre and Korean War . For his two - year service as commander of the 35th Fighter Group during World War II , Doss was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross , Legion of Merit , and the Air Medal . He received his second Legion of Merit and the Korean Ulchi medal with a Silver Star for his assignments as commander of the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing and the 3rd Bomber Wing at Kunsan , Korea . Colonel Doss ’ s service has been cited as integral to the development of long - range fighter tactics in the South West Pacific Theater . After the Korean War , Doss held assignments including Senior Air Force Advisor to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard , Vice Commander of the 85th Air Division ( Air Defense ) at Andrews Air Force Base , and Deputy Commander of the Washington Air Defense Sector at Fort Lee , Virginia . In 1963 , Doss was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) headquarters as Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General . In 1964 , he was appointed as head of the command liaison agency to the government of France at Paris . He retired from the Air Force in 1968 . He died in 1996 at age 81 in Riverside , California . Early life and education . Doss was born in Rector , Arkansas . He later moved to Missouri where he graduated from Portageville High School in 1932 . He spent the next two years in the Civilian Conservation Corps before attending Lead Belt Junior College in Desloge , Missouri . He graduated in 1936 . Career . Early military years ( 1940 - 1941 ) . After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on December 20 , 1940 , Doss ’ s first military assignment was to the 41st squadron of the 31st Operations Group at Selfridge Field , Michigan . There , he flew an Seversky P - 35 aircraft . In April 1941 , he was appointed squadron operations officer . On April 9 , 1941 , Doss ’ s P - 35 crashed due to mechanical failure in Selfridge Field . The plane was severely damaged . World War II . In January 1942 , Doss and his squadron were deployed to Port Moresby , New Guinea in the South West Pacific Theatre . In June of that year , he was appointed Commander of the 41st Pursuit Squadron , and by 1943 , he was a major in the United States Army Air Corps . In August 1943 , Doss became commander of the 35th Fighter Group , and in November , Doss was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel . In 1944 , under Doss ' s command the 35th Fighter Group set a record for the longest fighter mission in the South West Pacific Theater . After , the 35th Fighter Group continued into the Philippines . Under Doss ' s leadership , the group held a combat score of 397 victories and was the first fighter squadron to reach the Japanese mainland . After leading the 35th Fighter Group through the South West Pacific Theater from Lae , New Guinea to Okinawa , Japan , Doss was promoted to Colonel in 1945 . Doss ’ s leadership as commander has been commended as integral to the advancement of long - range fighter tactics in the South West Pacific Theater . His strategic leadership received mention in a booklet that was published by World War II combat pilots of the South West Pacific . Korean War . In March 1953 , Doss was appointed as Commander of the 49th Fighter Wing at Kunsan , Korea , where he flew a F - 84G . As a combat commander , he led the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing and then the 3rd Bombardment Wing , both at Kunsan , through the end of the Korean War . He returned to the United States in April 1954 . Later military years ( 1954 - 1968 ) . After returning to the United States , Doss was appointed as Senior Air Force Advisor to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard . His next assignment was as Vice Commander of the 85th Air Defense Division at Andrews Air Force Base . He then served as Deputy Commander of the Washington Air Defense Sector at Fort Lee , Virginia until 1960 , when he was appointed Commander of the Bangor Air Defense Sector . While serving as Commander of the Bangor Air Defense Sector , he held the position of Commander of the Bangor North American Air Defense Sector . In 1963 , Doss was appointed Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General of the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) headquarters . He served as head of the command liaison agency to the government of France at Paris from 1964 until 1966 , and then Deputy Commander of the 25th Air Division at McChord Air Force Base until he retired from the Air Force in 1968 .