His father was a wealthy businessman, murdered by Al Capone's gang.  He was a young Naval pilot, barely two years out of flight school.  His ship was the aircraft carrier Lexington,   steaming towards the Japanese shipping base at Rabaul.  It was early in World War II and things weren't going well for the Americans.

The rest of his squadron had faced the first wave of enemy bombers seeking to destroy the Lexington.  Now, only one plane besides his own remained.   The other Wildcat's guns had jammed, leaving him alone with only 300 rounds of ammunition to face a second wave.

It what would later be called "the most daring...single action in the history of combat aviation," he placed his lone Wildcat between the enemy formation and his ship, shooting down five enemy and buying time for other American aircraft to arrive.  Single-handedly he saved his ship, his comrades, and gave our Nation one of World War II's first heroes.  Eighteen months later in the first night-fighter operations near the Gilbert Islands, he disappeared into the darkness and into American history.