World War II air ace, b. near Poplar. He attended Superior State Teachers College, but left in 1941 to volunteer as a flying cadet. Commissioned a second lieutenant, he arrived in Australia, Sept., 1942, as a fighter pilot, and was promoted to the rank of captain in Aug., 1943. By the fall of 1943, having shot down a record number of 28 Japanese planes, he was sent to the U.S. for a rest, and at his own request attended gunnery school. In 1944 he was assigned to noncombat work in New Guinea as a gunnery instructor, insisted on flying additional combat missions, and shot down 12 more enemy planes to bring his total to 40, with 9 more planes probably destroyed. He was promoted to the rank of major in Apr., 1944, and won 26 decorations to become one of our most decorated war heroes. On Dec. 7, 1944, General MacArthur personally decorated him with the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Philippines. Other decorations included the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal. He became an army test pilot and was killed in the crash of a P-80 Shooting Star in California. Superior Evening Telegram, Aug. 7, 1945, Sept. 28, 1951, May 20, 1955; Wis. Mag. Hist., 30; H. R. Austin, Wis. Story [Milwaukee, 1948j; R. I. Bong Correspondence.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Richard I. Bong Papers for details.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]