James E . Swett James Elms Swett ( June 15 , 1920 – January 18 , 2009 ) was a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace during World War II . He was awarded the United States ' highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for actions while a division flight leader in VMF - 221 over Guadalcanal on April 7 , 1943 . Subsequently he downed a total of 15 . 5 enemy aircraft during the war , earning eight Distinguished Flying Cross es and four Air Medals . Biography . Born on June 15 , 1920 in Seattle , Washington , James E . Swett graduated from San Mateo High School , San Mateo , California , and enrolled at the College of San Mateo in 1939 . He earned a private pilot ’ s license , which amounted to 450 more hours of flying than he received during his Navy flight training . He enlisted in the U . S . Naval Reserve as a seaman second class on August 26 , 1941 , and started flight training in September . Service in World War II . In early 1942 , he completed flight training and finished in the top ten percent of his class . He was given the option to choose between a commission in the Marine Corps or the Navy , and he chose the Marine Corps . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant at NAS Corpus Christi , Texas , on April 1 , 1942 . He continued his advanced flight training , first at Quantico , Virginia , then Lake Michigan , became carrier qualified aboard the , and finally received his wings at San Diego , California . In December , 1942 , he shipped out to the Southwest Pacific , and when he arrived at Guadalcanal and was assigned to VMF - 221 , which was part of Marine Air Group 12 . Medal of Honor action . On April 7 , 1943 , on his first combat mission , Swett both became an ace and acted with such " conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty " that he would be awarded the Medal of Honor . His first mission was as a division leader on a combat air patrol over the Russell Islands early on the morning of April 7 in expectation of a large Japanese air attack . Landing to refuel , the four - plane division of F4F Wildcat s he was leading was scrambled after other aircraft reported 150 planes approaching Ironbottom Sound , and intercepted a large formation of Japan ese Aichi D3A dive bomber s ( Allied code name : " Val " ) attacking Tulagi harbor . When the fight became a general melee , Swett pursued three Vals diving on the harbor . After shooting down two , and while taken under fire from the rear gunner of the third , the left wing of his F4F was holed by U . S . antiaircraft fire directed at the Japanese . Despite this , he shot down the third Val and turned toward a second formation of six Vals leaving the area . Swett repeatedly attacked the line of dive bombers , downing each in turn with short bursts . He brought down four and was attacking a fifth when his ammunition was depleted and he had his cockpit shot up by return fire . Wounded , he decided to ditch his damaged fighter off the coast of Florida Island , after it became clear that his oil cooler had been hit and he would not make it back to base . After a few seconds of further flight , his engine seized , and despite initially being trapped in his cockpit , Swett extricated himself and was subsequently rescued in Tulagi harbor after crash - landing his Wildcat . This feat made the 22 - year - old Marine aviator an ace on his first combat mission . Further combat service . After a short stay in a Naval hospital , Swett returned to Guadalcanal and learned that Admiral Marc Mitscher had nominated him for the Medal of Honor . After a short rest in Australia , Swett checked out in the Vought F4U Corsair to which VMF - 221 was converting and moved to a new base in the Russells . Promoted to captain , Swett covered the Rendova landings on June 30 , 1943 , adding two Mitsubishi G4M " Betty " medium bombers to his score and sharing the downing of a Mitsubishi A6M " Zero " . Eleven days later , near the island of New Georgia , Swett knocked down two more Bettys . Seeing his wingman ' s Corsair under attack , he also shot down a Zero . However , he failed to see a second Zero and was himself shot down . He was rescued by indigenous tribal members in a canoe and traveled by ten - man canoe for several hours to an Australian coast watcher ' s location . A PBY flying boat returned Swett to the Russells . In October 1943 , over the major Japanese airbase at Kahili , Bougainville , Swett added one confirmed Zero and one probable , but lost his wingman . In November , he added to his list of kills 2 more Vals and a possible Kawasaki Ki - 61 Tony , a new Japanese fighter . On December 11 , Swett returned to the United States on a Dutch motor ship , arriving in San Francisco on New Year ' s Eve . After less than 24 hours , he shipped out to San Diego , where he was granted 30 - days leave and married Lois Anderson , his longtime sweetheart . Swett was then transferred to NAS Santa Barbara , California , where he worked up a newly manned VMF 221 in the Corsair . Now carrier - qualified and assigned to the , Swett flew two strikes over Japan and then supported the landings at Iwo Jima and the operations on Okinawa . On May 11 , 1945 , he shot down a Yokosuka D4Y Judy kamikaze he described as a " sitting duck " . Swett watched from the air as the " Bunker Hill " was struck by two kamikazes , causing such damage that he was forced to land on another carrier . Swett later returned to the States and was assigned to MCAS El Toro , California , where he began to train for Operation Olympic , the invasion of Japan . At war ' s end , VMF 221 was second in aerial victories among Marines Corps squadrons with 185 enemy planes downed . Swett ' s combat record includes 103 combat missions , 15 . 5 confirmed victories and four probables . He earned two Purple Heart s , eight Distinguished Flying Cross es , and the Medal of Honor . Post - war service . Swett commanded VMF - 141 flying Corsairs at NAS Alameda , California , following the end of World War II . After the onset of the Korean War his squadron was deployed to Korea , but he was left behind because the Navy thought putting a Medal of Honor recipient in combat was too risky . Swett left active duty and continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve , retiring in 1970 in the rank of colonel . He worked in his father ' s company in San Francisco , making marine pumps and turbines . In 1960 , after his father ' s death , Swett took over the company and ran it for 23 years , before passing it on to his son . In retirement , he became a frequent speaker at schools , where he shared his strong feelings about the values of respect and responsibility . In 2006 , Swett ' s Medal of Honor action was recreated using computer graphics for The History Channel series " Dogfights " and Swett himself provided commentary . The episode first aired on November 24 , 2006 . Swett moved to Redding , California in 2007 where he died , January 18 , 2009 , in a Redding hospital from heart failure after a lengthy illness . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to FIRST LIEUTENANT JAMES E . SWETT UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE for service as set forth in the following CITATION : / S / FRANKLIN D . ROOSEVELT