American Fighter Ace
“An American Fighter Ace is a fighter pilot who has served honorably in a United States military service and who has destroyed 5 or more confirmed enemy aircraft in aerial combat during a war or conflict in which American armed forces have participated.”
American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act
H.R. 685, 113th Congress
Full text:
American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act
A human target seems an unlikely candidate to win a medal for wartime achievement.
Still, Clayton Kelly Gross was among the select few American veterans to be recognized 10 days ago with a medal from Congress.
The longtime Vancouver resident and about three dozen other former military pilots attended a May 20 ceremony in the U.S. Capitol. They accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all U.S. fighter aces — pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
A year ago, Gross and three other veterans got to visit the White House to see President Obama sign the order awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to America’s fighter aces.
Only 1,447 U.S. pilots have earned that distinction during World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Fewer than 80 aces are still alive, according to their national association.
During WWII, Gross was credited with shooting down six German aircraft. When it came time to write his memoir, Gross didn’t take its title from any of his air-combat wins — which included downing a German Me-262 jet fighter.
Gross, who moved to Nevada a few weeks ago with his wife, Ramona, called the book “Live Bait.” It was a nod to one of his first missions in a new aircraft, the P-51 Mustang.
“When I was first assigned the plane, it was a chance to name it anything I wanted,” said Gross, who has recalled his 105 missions in Columbian stories and oral histories, as well as in his book.
As he headed back to his base after a mission, “I wound up with one other pilot,” Gross said. “We were flying home in mutual support. We were cruising along and he said, ‘You stay here and I’m gonna get up in the sun and maybe we can draw some action.’
“I said, ‘What the hell do you think I am? Live bait?’ “
“He says, ‘Yeah.’
“The trap didn’t work, but I guarantee you I kept my head and eyes moving to make sure I wasn’t drawing an attack,” Gross wrote.
They both laughed about it after they landed, Gross said. And the next day, that’s what Gross had his crew chief paint on the nose of his new P-51: “Live Bait.”
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