FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame Remembers Richard Bong
to Mark 70th Anniversary of Bong receiving the Medal of Honor
Ontonagon, MI - September 29, 2014 – The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (WAHF) is honoring the accomplishments of Richard Ira Bong, America’s Ace of Aces, in 2014. Bong, a native of Poplar, Wisconsin, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in December 1944 “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in the Southwest Pacific area from 10 October to 15 November 1944.”
In collaboration with the Richard I. Bong Veteran’s Historical Center, Superior, Wisconsin, the celebration of Bong’s achievements include presentations by WAHF speakers at various sites throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. His accomplishments will be conveyed by a multimedia presentation, four-panel Bong exhibit, model of the Lockheed P-38 aircraft he flew, and distribution of limited edition Bong trading cards.
John Dorcey of the WAHF will be visiting Ontonagon on October 16, 2014. Dorcey will be doing a presentation for students at the Ontonagon Area Schools during the afternoon and will be the featured speaker at the Ontonagon County Historical Society dinner meeting that evening. The Historical Society dinner and presentation are open to the public and reservations can be made by calling Dean Juntunen at 883-3650. The OCHS meeting will be held at the Algomah Honey House in Greenland, MI beginning at 6:30 pm
Richard I. Bong’s Lockheed P-38 aircraft has a special connection to Ontonagon’s own aviation history. Major Julien Schuster, a well known aviator in his own right, had enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in 1939 and was stationed at Wright-Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio. His specialty was trouble-shooting of airplane problems. Schuster was sent, on special assignment, to the Pacific to determine why all of the new P-38 Lockheed Lightnings had been grounded with supercharger problems. The P-38 was the only airplane in the US arsenal that could out-climb and out-dive the Japanese Zero, the main fighter plane employed by the forces of the Empire of Japan.
Literally working at the edge of the jungle, Schuster worked out a change in design and managed to make the necessary modifications to the P-38s to get them in the air. The Schuster modifications were incorporated in future production of the Lockheed pursuit plane which became one of the hottest aircraft in WWII. For his work on the P-38, Schuster received a field promotion to Major and General George Kenny, Allied Commander of Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific from 1942-45, personally pinned the oak leafs on Schuster’s uniform.
The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame has inducted more than 115 men and women since 1985. Its mission is to collect and preserve the history of aviation in Wisconsin, recognize those who made that history, inform others of it, and promote aviation education for future generations. The Ontonagon County Historical Society is very happy that the WAHF has agreed to bring the program honoring Richard I. Bong to their monthly dinner at the Algomah Honey House and to the students of the Ontonagon Area Schools.
###
Dick Bong, Poplar’s Ace
2014 marks the 70th anniversary of Richard I. Bong receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Bong, a Wisconsin native, was one of just 16 Wisconsin MOH recipients during World War II. Join John Dorcey, aviation historian and board member of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, as he shares more fascinating, little-known facts about America’s Ace of Aces and the Medal of Honor at the Ontonagon County Historical Society meeting on October 16, 2014. The dinner meeting will be held at the Algomah Honey House in Greenland, MI beginning at 6:30 pm. For reservations, please contact Dean Juntunen at
883-3650.
(I have e-mailed a separate pamphlet with various pictures to use with the above caption. If those are not useful, Bong’s photo is readily available on line)