American Fighter Aces We Have Lost

A look back at American Fighter Aces lost to us in recent years. We salute you, and thank you for your service.

2023

George N. Kirk passed away January 13, 2023.

Lester Gray passed away December 16, 2023.

 

2022

Dean S. “Diz” Laird passed away August 10, 2022.

Dean Caswell passed away September 21, 2022.

 

2021

Donald L. Quigley passed away March 13, 2021.

John T. “Mike” Wolf passed away March 26, 2021.

Charles G. “Chick” Cleveland passed away May 22, 2021.

Stephen J. Bonner, Jr. passed away September 19, 2021

 

2020

James L. Brooks passed away March 12, 2020.

Edward L. “Whitey” Feightner passed away April 1, 2020.

Abner M. Aust, Jr. passed away June 16, 2020

Ralph H. Wandrey passed away June 25, 2020.

Ralston M. Pound, Jr. passed away October 5, 2020.

Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager passed away December 7, 2020.

 

2019

James F. “Lou” Luma passed away February 4, 2019.

Richard H. “Dick” Fleischer passed away April 14, 2019.

Clarence A. “Spike” Borley passed away July 9, 2019.

Jack Lenox, Jr. passed away August 14, 2019.

Henry “Hank” Buttlemann passed away September 16, 2019.

Tilman E. “Tilly” Pool passed away November 15, 2019.

Lester L. Arasmith passed away December 25, 2019.

 

2018

Fred L. “Buck” Dungan passed away January 2, 2018.

George P. Novotny passed away January 7, 2018.

Charles E. “Billy” Watts passed away January 12, 2018.

Victor N. Cabas passed away August 26, 2018.

Frank L. Gailer, Jr. passed away September 6, 2018.

John A. Zink passed away Sepember 16, 2018.

David C. Wilhelm passed away October 26, 2018.

Bruce W. Williams passed away December 17, 2018.

 

2017

Daniel J. Driscoll passed away January 11, 2017.

Charles D. Hauver passed away March 19, 2017.

Luther D. Prater passed away April 1, 2017.

Frank E. McCauley passed away June 1, 2017.

Lawrence A. Clark passed away July 8, 2017.

Willis E. “Bill” Hardy passed away September 15, 2017.

Lynn F. Jones passed away September 27, 2017.

James E. Duffy passed away November 25, 2017.

Kenneth B. Lake passed away December 5, 2017.

Billy G. Edens passed away December 10, 2017.

James F. Low passed away December 14, 2017.

 

2016

Dale F. Spencer passed away January 2, 2016.

Charles R. Fischette passed away January 3, 2016.

Clayton K. “Kelly” Gross passed away January 10, 2016.

William H. “Bill” Westcott passed away February 25, 2016.

Leroy W. Robinson  passed away March 27, 2016.

William R. “Bob” Maxwell passed away March 30, 2016.

Arthur C. Fielder passed away May 11, 2016.

Spiros N. Pisanos passed away June 6, 2016.

Cecil G. Foster passed away July 5, 2016.

William R. Beyer passed away August 8, 2016.

Meriwell W. Vineyard passed away August 17, 2016.

Jeremiah J. O’Keefe III passed away August 23, 2016.

Leslie C. Smith passed away September 2, 2016.

Raymond M. Bank passed away October 8, 2016.

John B. Lawler, Sr. passed away October 28, 2016.

Robert C. Milliken passed away December 26, 2016.

George G. Loving passed away December 31, 2016.

 

2015

Richard S. “Dick” Becker passed away January 5, 2015.

Darrell G. Welch passed away January 13, 2015.

Robert A. Karr passed away January 17, 2015.

Robert A. Clark passed away January 21, 2015

Alexander Vraciu passed away January 29, 2015.

George I. Ruddell passed away February 27, 2015.

Donald J. Strait passed away March 30, 2015.

Arthur F. Jeffrey passed away April 18, 2015.

Richard L. “Dick” Bertelson passed away May 2, 2015.

Alden P. Rigby passed away May 3, 2015.

Lee V. Grosshuesch passed away May 7, 2015.

Robert L. “Bob” Fash passed away June 14, 2015.

Joseph D. McGraw passed away July 24, 2015.

Phillip L. Kirkwood passed away August 5, 2015.

Frederick R. “Fritz” Payne passed away August 6, 2015.

Fred F. Ohr passed away September 6, 2015.

James G. Percy passed away September 16, 2015.

Winton W. “Bones” Marshall passed away September 19, 2015.

David F. Thwaites passed away December 15, 2015.

2014

William F. Shaeffer passed away January 5, 2014.

Franklin W. Troup passed away January 15, 2014.

John T. “Ted” Crosby passed away January 24, 2014.

John D. Stokes passed away January 15, 2014.

James B. Tapp passed away January 31, 2014.

Charles H. Haverland passed away March 9, 2014.

Joel B. Paris III passed away March 9, 2014.

Eugene R. Hanks passed away March 13, 2014.

Felix M. Rogers passed away April 23, 2014.

James H. Kasler passed away April 24, 2014.

James A. “Goody” Goodson passed away May 1, 2014.

Frank C. “Sack” Hearrell Jr. passed away July 24, 2014.

Clyde B. East passed away July 30, 2014.

Daniel A. Carmichael Jr. passed away July 31, 2014.

William H. Allen passed away August 17, 2014.

Barrie S. Davis passed away August 19, 2014.

Leonard R. Reeves passed away September 4, 2014.

Henry Meigs III passed away November 28, 2014.

Alwin M. Juchheim passed away November 29, 2014.

Benjamin C. Amsden passed away December 10, 2014.

 

2013

 

William J. Cullerton, 89, passed away January 2013. He was born on June , 1923, in Chicago, Illinois.

 

Ken Jernstedt Sr., 95, passed away February 4, 2013. He was born on July 20, 1917, in Carlton, Oregon.

 

Edward G. Wendorf, 90, passed away February 10, 2013 at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in San Diego. He was born on February 22, 1922, in West, Texas.

 

Dolphin D. Overton III, 88, passed away March 25, 2013. He was born on April 2, 1927, in Georgetown, South Carolina.

 

Joseph M. Forster, 93, passed away April 18, 2013. He was born on October 25, 1919 in Gainesville, Florida.

 

John W. Bolyard passed away in 2013, in Pensacola, Florida. He was born on July 2, 1921, in West Virginia.

 

Urban L. Drew, 89, passed away April 3, 2013 in Vista, California. He was born March 21, 1924 in Detroit, MI.

 

2012

 

Frank A. Hill, 92, passed away January 5, 2012 in Birnamwood, Wisconsin. Frank was born in March 1919, in Nyack, New York.

 

Warren Skon, 92, passed away January 19, 2012 at his home in McLean, VA. Warren was born October 1919, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

James B. Morehead, 95, died March 11, 2012 in Petaluma, California. Jim was born on August 16, 1916, in Washington, Oklahoma.

 

Donald E. Hillman, 93, passed away March 16, 2012 at Park Shore Presbyterian Home in Seattle, Washington. He was born on September 23, 1916, in Seattle, Washington.

 

Donald S. Bryan, 90, of Adel, Georgia passed away May 15, 2012. Donald was born on August 15, 1921 in Hollister, California.

 

William E. Davis III, 91, passed away in Santa Barbara, California May 22, 2012. Robert was born March 1, 1921.

 

Bill Harris, 96, died on May 23, 2012 at his home in Midland, Oregon. Bill was born June 16, 1916 in Strathmore, California.

 

Robert C. Curtis, 90, of Lexington, Massachusetts passed away May 26, 2012. Robert was born in Syracuse, New York on January 3, 1918.

 

Fred E. Gutt, 92, passed away on June 30, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Fred was born October 10, 1919 in Kronstant (Brasov), Romania.

 

Lowell K. Brueland, 94, passed away July 2, 2012 in Westminster, South Carolina. He was born on March 11, 1918 in Callender, Iowa.

 

Robert E. Woody, 92, passed away August 7, 2012 in Rockledge, Florida. Robert was born August 22, 1919 in Hollins, Virginia.

 

William W. Momyer, 95, passed away August 10, 2012 in Merritt Island, Florida. He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma September 23, 1916.

 

Franklin Rose Jr., 90, passed away August 19, 2012 in Springfield, Virginia. Franklin was born in Oakland, California on January 29, 1923.

 

Stanley O. Andrews, 91, passed away September 7, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on October 7, 1920.

 

Frederick C. Blesse, 91, passed away October 31, 2012 in Melbourne, Florida. “Boots” was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1921.

 

Donald M. Cummings, 93, died on November 9, 2012 in Redlands, California. Don was born in Clayton, New York, on January 17, 1919.

 

Ralph S. Parr, 88, passed away December 7, 2012 in New Braunfels, Texas. Ralph was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on July 1, 1924.

 

Past years

 

Donald H. Bochkay, 64, passed away January 1981 in San Anselmo, California. He was born September 19, 1916 in Ashtabula, Ohio.