Ace of Aces: Remembering the Daring Legacy of Major Richard “Dick” Bong, by Mike O’Connor

Long before he became a legend in the skies, Richard Ira Bong was a quiet boy on a dairy farm in the northern woods of Poplar, Wisconsin. He was the eldest of nine children, raised with strong values, rural grit, and a fascination with flight. As fate would have it, one passing mail plane—flying over his hometown while President Calvin Coolidge vacationed nearby—would ignite a passion that would shape military aviation history.

In Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story, author Mike O’Connor revisits the extraordinary life of America’s highest-scoring fighter ace. First published in 1985, the biography was hailed as the most accurate and comprehensive portrayal of Bong’s achievements—and now, in this updated edition, O’Connor expands the story even further with newly uncovered photographs and fresh historical insights.

Major Dick Bong joined the Army Air Corps in May 1941, just months before Pearl Harbor pulled the United States into World War II. He trained as a fighter pilot and was soon stationed near San Francisco, where he fell in love with the sleek and powerful Lockheed P-38 Lightning—a twin-boomed aircraft that would become his weapon of choice and his legacy’s silhouette.

Flying missions in the Pacific Theater, Bong’s courage and precision in aerial combat were nothing short of breathtaking. By the war’s end, he had destroyed 40 Japanese aircraft, earning him the title of America’s "Ace of Aces." He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and multiple Silver Stars and Distinguished Flying Crosses.

But O’Connor’s book isn’t just about Bong’s kill count. It’s about the man behind the legend—his Midwest humility, his devotion to his family and fiancée, and his quiet struggle with the weight of war. Bong didn’t relish the fame. He was known to be modest, even shy. He never considered himself a hero—just someone doing his duty.

Tragically, Bong’s life was cut short not in combat, but in a test flight accident in 1945, on the very day the world heard news of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. His death was a blow to a nation that had come to see him as a symbol of wartime courage and sacrifice.

Through detailed research and respectful storytelling, Ace of Aces offers readers an intimate look at an American icon whose story, while often overshadowed by grander wartime narratives, still soars above the clouds of history.

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To purchase this book, email Mike O’Connor. moconnor@dwave.net

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