Manuel Fernandez entered the Army Air Corps in February 1943, and was commissioned second lieutenant in 1944, earning his pilot wings, but did not see conflict during WWII. However, a decade later he saw combat in the Korean War, where he served with the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron from September 1952 to May 1953. He flew 124 missions.
He became the third highest ranking American ace with 14.5, but he did it in only 9 months! When he left Korea he was the #1 American ace. The two pilots who surpassed his record took longer to do it.
Unfortunately, I could not find any video footage of Major Fernandez.
The squadron of African-American military pilots, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, flew both fighter and bomber missions in Europe during World War II. They were the first African-American military pilots since none were allowed to fly in WWI. On April 3, 1939, Congress passed Appropriations Bill Public Law 18, which contained an amendment designating funds for training African-Americans as pilots.
They trained at Moton Field and studied at Tuskegee University in Alabama. They formed the 477th Bombardment Group and the 332nd Fighter Group.
Of the 992 men trained, 335 were deployed overseas. For their contributions to the war effort, they received: Three Distinguished Unit Citations:
99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for actions over Sicily
99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes againstMonte Cassino, Italy
332d Fighter Group (and its 99th, 100th, and 301st Fighter Squadrons): 24 March 1945: for a bomber escort mission to Berlin, during which pilots of the 100th FS shot down three enemy ME-262 jets. The 302nd Fighter Squadron did not receive this award as it had been disbanded on 6 March 1945.
At least one Silver Star
96 Distinguished Flying Crosses to 95 Airmen; Captain William A. Campbell was awarded two.
