Captain Ron Gift.
Here is a famous picture of Ron Gift from Life Magazine during World War II.
I drove over the bridge to do an interview with Ron Gift for the Veterans History Project for the Library of Congress. Ron Gift served as a torpedo squadron leader in the South Pacific during WWII. I interviewed Ron at his home at Covenant Shores in Mercer Island, WA. Ron is a great guy. His son recently wrote a great book about the life and times of Ronald Gift. Ron served as a pilot in the US Navy in the South Pacific during World War II as a torpedo squadron leader. Ron earned the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war Ron served all over the world in the Navy, including Commander of a Jet Squadron, Staff at NORAD, and teaching others about flying. Ron told me some incredible stories of how his squadron landed back on the carriers at night with only a few gallons of fuel left and hardly any way to see what they were doing.
Ron's interview was so interesting, so compelling, that I wish everyone could see it. We have volunteered to shoot 100 free interviews of Veterans from World War II for the Veterans History Project for the Library of Congress. To learn more about the Veterans History Project, go to www.loc.gov/vets