Alex Vraciu | World War II pilot, 96
Alex Vraciu, 96, a fighter pilot who became one of the Navy's top flying aces during World War II, once downing six Japanese planes in eight minutes during a battle dubbed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, died Jan. 29 in West Sacramento, Calif. He had Alzheimer's disease, said his son Robert Vraciu.
Alex Vraciu, 96, a fighter pilot who became one of the Navy's top flying aces during World War II, once downing six Japanese planes in eight minutes during a battle dubbed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, died Jan. 29 in West Sacramento, Calif. He had Alzheimer's disease, said his son Robert Vraciu.
Mr. Vraciu was credited with destroying 19 Japanese planes in the air and 21 on the ground - ranking for several months as the Navy's top fighter ace.
His most noted exploit came June 19, 1944, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The U.S. assault on the Mariana Islands was underway, and Mr. Vraciu had already distinguished himself in the Pacific by shooting down a dozen enemy planes.
As he put it, he "had a job to do: Clear the sky."
The Indiana-born son of Romanian immigrants was awarded the Navy Cross, the highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor.
After World War II, he was a Navy test pilot, among other assignments, and commanded a unit of fighter pilots. He retired from the Navy in 1964 with the rank of commander and later was a trust officer with Wells Fargo Bank. - Washington Post