![]() This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission. In 1995, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.ĭo you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service. For his service, he received many medals, including a Distinguished Service Cross with a one oak leaf cluster, a Silver Star, a Distinguished Flying Cross with seven oak leaf clusters, a Bronze Star, an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and a British Distinguished Flying Cross. Gentile was posthumously promoted to major. The aircraft’s engine flamed out, and he and a passenger were killed in the crash. 28, 1951, he was testing a T-33 Shooting Star near Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Later, he studied military sciences at the University of Maryland. He joined the Air Force as a captain in 1947 and was assigned as a test pilot and instructor at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. Dwight Eisenhower described him as a “one-man air force.”Īfter wrecking while performing stunts for photographers, Gentile was sent back to the United States to sell war bonds. ![]() The three victories scored three days later brought his record to 30. ![]() Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I record of 26 kills. Gentile scored 15.5 victories between March 3 and April 8. ![]() John Godfrey, Gentile dominated the skies of Europe in spring 1944. After receiving a promotion to captain, he became a flight commander, trading in his Thunderbolt for a P-51 Mustang that he nicknamed the “Shangri-La.” With his wingman Capt. During this time, he flew a P-47 Thunderbolt, scoring 4.33 victories with the aircraft. In January 1943, Gentile was promoted to first lieutenant. A month later, his unit was transferred to the 336th Squadron in the Army Air Forces’ 4th Fighter Group where he was commissioned a second lieutenant. Flying a Supermarine Spitfire, he scored his first two victories on Aug. Upon arrival in Britain, he was assigned to the 133 Eagle Squadron, which was comprised of American volunteers. Instead, Gentile joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in the summer 1941 and later the Royal Air Force in Britain to fight. The Army Air Corps required two years of college experience to serve as a pilot. One report suggested that he flew under a city bridge with “…less than three feet total clearance…”Īfter Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Gentile wanted to join the military. Gentile often flew the aircraft above the houses of Piqua, performing stunts and displaying his skills. ![]() He bought his own aircraft for $300 but was cheated by the seller and never received it, so his father bought him an Aerosport biplane for $450. As a teenager, he took flying lessons and flew for the first time on his own. Growing up, the young boy was captivated by aviation and regularly asked his father to take him to a nearby Weaver Aircraft Company factory to look at the aircraft. Gentile was born in December 1920 in Piqua, Ohio. Gentile, one of the most decorated American fighter pilots during World War II.ĭominic “Don” S. Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Air Forces and Air Force Veteran Dominic “Don” S. ![]()
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