Joe Foss Flying Marine (Annotated)

Book excerpt: US Marine Joe Foss was the hottest ace in World War II. He led the Flying Circus, an elite group of eight fighter pilots with a reputation for aggressive close-in fighter tactics and uncanny gunnery skills. In October 1942, Foss and his Circus were sent into the heat of battle at Guadalcanal. His spectacular success there earned Foss a presidential citation from Roosevelt: "His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal." In his book, Foss explains how he became a pilot, why he, and men like him, chose to fight the war in the air, and what it was like to engage in helter-skelter dogfights with the dexterous Japanese Zero pilots of World War II.