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Distinguished Flying Cross

Rocky Gannon, Decorated WWII Fighter Pilot From Ocean City, Dies At 99 Rocky Gannon, Decorated WWII Fighter Pilot From Ocean City, Dies At 99
Rocky Gannon, Decorated WWII Fighter Pilot From Ocean City, Dies At 99 An Ocean City native who was a decorated fighter pilot and World War II veteran has died. Roland "Rocky" Gannon "passed quietly and peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by family" on Tuesday, June 4, according to his obituary. He was 99 years old. Gannon was born on a kitchen table in a house without electricity or running water in Palermo, NJ on Sunday, Mar. 8, 1925. He was the youngest of five children. At 17, Gannon left for Army Air Corps pilot training on the morning of his junior prom in 1943. "For the next year he took college courses and completed several different aviation sc…
American Hero Aviator Chuck Yeager Dies At 97 American Hero Aviator Chuck Yeager Dies At 97
American Hero Aviator Chuck Yeager Dies At 97 He was born in an Appalachian hollow and went on to become a real-life American hero who was considered the country's greatest pilot. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager, the World War II fighter ace who displayed “the right stuff” when he became the first aviator to break the sound barrier nearly three quarters of a century ago, died Monday night in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 97. “My life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9 pm ET,” his widow, Victoria, tweeted. “An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest pilot & a legacy of strength, adventure” N…
Elite 'Night Stalker' Soldier From NJ Among 2 Killed In Black Hawk Helicopter Accident Elite 'Night Stalker' Soldier From NJ Among 2 Killed In Black Hawk Helicopter Accident
Elite 'Night Stalker' Soldier From NJ Among 2 Killed In Black Hawk Helicopter Accident A helicopter mechanic from New Jersey was one of two soldiers on an elite nighttime special operations unit killed in a California crash. Staff Sgt. Vincent Marketta, 33, of Brick, and Sgt. Tyler Shelton, 22, of San Bernardino, CA, were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in a training exercise off the coast of San Diego, according to the U.S. Army. Both Marketta and Shelton were assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). Known as the "Night Stalkers," these soldiers are recognized for their proficiency in nighttime operations. Three other soldi…