In 1927, when Joseph Foss was 11 years old, he saw Charles Lindbergh and his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, when the famous pilot stopped in Sioux Falls, North Dakota. Foss told his dad, “I’m going to be bigger than Lindbergh someday.” A few years later, Foss took his first airplane ride with his father and South Dakota’s celebrity pilot Clyde Ice. These events confirmed Foss’s dream — to become a fighter pilot in the US Armed Forces.
Growing up on his family’s farm during the Great Depression, Foss learned the values of hard work, grit, and tenacity while also developing a passionate love of the outdoors. He became a skilled hunter and talented marksman but held tight to his dream of flying military aircraft one day. As a teenager, Foss did his best to balance studying, working odd jobs, and running the family farm after his father was electrocuted. When his younger brother took over the farm, Foss attended the University of South Dakota, where he took a Civil Aeronautics Authority course and earned 100 flying hours.
In 1939, Foss joined the South Dakota National Guard. After graduating in 1940, Foss hitchhiked 300 miles to Minnesota to enlist in the US Marine Corps Reserve. He was one of two men who received an assignment to inactive duty. Shortly after, he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet program to become an officer. In 1941, he earned his wings and prepared for a combat assignment.
Because Foss was 26 years old, his supervisors felt he was too old for combat and wanted to keep him based in the States as a flying instructor. But Foss was determined to see combat and repeatedly requested the opportunity to prove his worth as a fighter pilot. Eventually, he received an assignment to a squad based in San Diego, California. But Foss wouldn’t see any action until New Year’s Day in 1942 after he became the executive officer of Marine Fighter Squadron 121 (VMF-121), which flew Grumman F4F Wildcats. Foss’s first — and historic — deployment was to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific.
The Pacific Theater
In October 1942, Foss finally experienced combat while stationed at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Almost daily, Foss led his squad in some of the most serious, intensive combat American fighter pilots had seen in the Pacific Theater. His squad became known as “Foss’s Flying Circus” due to their close-range fighting style, daring aerial acrobatics, and sharp weaponry skills. On October 18th, 1942, the group shot down three enemy Zeros. Together, Foss and his airmen would shoot down 72 enemy aircraft around Guadalcanal by February 1943.
Foss fit the image of a glamorous and accomplished American fighter pilot — both in appearance and acumen. With his dark hair and clean-shaven face, he resembled a Hollywood actor, complete with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. Beyond his good looks, Foss was a natural fighter pilot who shot down numerous enemy aircraft on his own. On his fourth day of combat, October 13th, Foss shot down his first-ever enemy plane, a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, in his first dogfight. After 12 days — barely two weeks on assignment — he had already taken down 16 enemy planes. By October 25, 1942, Foss achieved status as a Marine Corps “ace in a day” pilot by shooting down five Japanese planes.
With missions nearly every day, Foss shot down 26 Japanese aircraft in three months, which tied him for the American record with World War I fighter pilot and fellow Medal of Honor Recipient, Eddie Rickenbacker. For his immense bravery, fearless determination, and record-tying number of kills, Foss received the Medal of Honor in May 1943.
Serving America’s Citizens
Foss received a hero’s welcome when he returned to the States and was featured on the cover of Life magazine wearing his Medal. After the war, Foss joined the South Dakota National Guard and transitioned to civilian life by opening a flight school in Sioux Falls. In 1955, Foss was elected as the youngest governor of South Dakota and served two terms. Some of his major accomplishments as governor were repealing state laws that discriminated against American Indians, expanding highway construction projects, improving university facilities, and creating recreational areas on Missouri River lakes.
Following his second term, Foss served as the commissioner of the American Football League from 1959 to 1966. He hosted The American Sportsman show on ABC, which showed Foss and his friends as they fished and hunted internationally. Foss served two terms as president of the National Rifle Association and was featured on a 1990 cover of Time magazine holding one of his prized revolvers. He was a major supporter of several charities, including Easter Seals and Campus Crusade for Christ.
After complications from a stroke, Foss passed away on January 1, 2003. His legacy, his courageous commitment, and his determination continue to inspire American pilots to this day.