From there, his kill tally rose in twos and threes. On July 5, 1944, he stood atop the victory list in Europe with 28 kills, matching Richard Bong’s mark in the Pacific (later, Bong would be recognized as America’s top ace in all of World War II). But shooting down enemy fighters wasn’t his mission.

Air Education and Training Command is preparing to teach instructor pilots on the T-7 and revamping its flying syllabus for the fifth-gen trainer.

Air Force chief of staff nominee Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve could be considered for their own CCA squadrons.