At least by 1942.

When I was digging up the info on the guy in my other thread, I ran across this Medal of Honor citation. Try to fathom this one afternoon in this man's life, at age 28, much less the rest of the war.



MEDAL OF HONOR - NAVY/MARINE CORPS (MOH)
Rank: Lieutenant
Unit: Fighting Squadron 3, U.S. Navy
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy.
Born: 13 March 1914, St. Louis, Mo.
Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo.
Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross with 1 gold star.

Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in aerial combat, at grave risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, as section leader and pilot of Fighting Squadron 3 on 20 February 1942. Having lost the assistance of his teammates, Lt. O'Hare interposed his plane between his ship and an advancing enemy formation of 9 attacking twin-engine heavy bombers. Without hesitation, alone and unaided, he repeatedly attacked this enemy formation, at close range in the face of intense combined machinegun and cannon fire. Despite this concentrated opposition, Lt. O'Hare, by his gallant and courageous action, his extremely skillful marksmanship in making the most of every shot of his limited amount of ammunition, shot down 5 enemy bombers and severely damaged a sixth before they reached the bomb release point. As a result of his gallant action--one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation--he undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage.

 

for sure.
Reading that gives me goose bumps.

 

What a stud... A Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and two DFCs... WOW. The amazing part is that he lived to tell about it. I wish the President, Congress, and the military would award an MoH that is NOT posthumous. The award doesn't require the serviceman's death.

 

The good old days of air combat. I'd love to see a James Cameron movie about this time period.