Joseph Jacob "Joe" Foss (April 17, 1915 – January 1, 2003) was an American politician, an "ace" fighter pilot, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor in 1943. April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

Born of Norwegian ancestry on a farm near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Foss grew up in a farmhouse without electricity. When he was 12, he visited a local airfield to see Charles Lindbergh on tour with his airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Four years later, he and his father paid $1.50 apiece to take their first airplane ride. Photo of the waterfall in Sioux Falls Panoramic winter shot of the falls at Falls Park Sioux Falls (pronounced ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. ... State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Official languages English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds (R) Senators Tim Johnson (D) John Thune (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 17th 199,905 km² 1. ... Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), known as Lucky Lindy and The Lone Eagle , was a pioneering United States aviator famous for piloting the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. ... Illustration of the The Spirit of St. ...

In 1933, upon the death of his father, young Foss took over the running of the family farm, but the crops and stock were destroyed by dust storms over the next two years. He worked at a service station to pay for books and college tuition, and flight lessons. By 1940, armed with a pilot's license and a degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, he enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet program. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The University of South Dakota is a public university in South Dakota, founded in 1862 by the State of South Dakota, although classes were not held until 1882. ...

Upon completing pilot training Foss served as a flight instructor at Pensacola, Florida. Eager for combat, he qualified in Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats, and in October 1942 he entered the Guadalcanal as executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 121 (VMF-121). On combat missions he led an eight-plane element that became known as the Flying Circus. He shot down a Japanese Zero on October 13, but his own plane was hit and, with a dead engine and three more Zeros on his tail, he landed at full speed with a dead engine, no flaps and minimal control on the American runway at Guadalcanal, barely missing a grove of palm trees. This article is about the inland city of Pensacola. ... The Battle of Guadalcanal was one of the most important battles of World War II. The assault on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal by the Allied navies and 16,000 United States troops on 7 August 1942, was the first offensive by US land forces in the Pacific Campaign. ... Monty Pythons Flying Circus is a famous British comedy TV show. ... Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52 The Mitsubishi A6M was a light-weight carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ...

By the time Foss left Guadalcanal in January 1943, his Flying Circus had shot down 72 Japanese airplanes, including 26 credited to him. As America's "ace of aces" he received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony in 1943, and appeared on the cover of Life magazine. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ...

A postwar attempt to film a story of Foss's life, starring John Wayne, fell through when Foss refused to allow the producers to add a fictitious love story. John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), nicknamed Duke, was an American film actor whose career began in silent movies in the 1920s. ...

After the war, Foss capitalized on his name recognition by opening a charter flying service and flight instruction school. He later became a car salesman. He also organized the South Dakota Air National Guard and commanded the Guard's 175th Fighter Squadron, eventually reaching the rank of Brigadier General. State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Official languages English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds (R) Senators Tim Johnson (D) John Thune (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 17th 199,905 km² 1. ... Shield of the United States Air National Guard In the U.S. military, the Air National Guard (ANG), as part of the National Guard, is the organized militia of a particular U.S. state and is a reserve component of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), too. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

Foss served two years in the South Dakota legislature and, beginning in 1955, as Governor of South Dakota. During his tenure as governor, he accompanied Tom Brokaw, then a South Dakota High School student and Governor of South Dakota Boys State, to New York City for a joint appearance on a TV game show. Later, Brokaw would feature Foss prominantly in his book about WW II vets, The Greatest Generation. In 1959, after losing election to the House of Representatives to George McGovern, he became commissioner of the new American Football League. He oversaw the emergence of the league as the genesis of modern professional football, then stepped aside as commissioner in 1966, two months before the NFL agreed to merge with the AFL. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Governors of South Dakota Arthur C. Mellette Republican 1889-1893 Charles H. Sheldon Republican 1893-1897 Andrew E. Lee Populist 1897-1901 Charles N. Herreid Republican 1901-1905 Samuel H. Elrod Republican 1905-1907 Coe I. Crawford Republican 1907-1909 Robert S. Vessey Republican 1909-1913 Frank M. Byrne Republican... Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (born February 6, 1940) is a television journalist and the former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. ... High school is the name used for the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan (Republic of China), the United Kingdom and the United States. ... Boys State and Girls State are summertime programs geared towards leadership and citizenship training sponsored by the American Legion for High School students between their junior and senior years. ... The construction of the Empire State Building, 1930. ... A game show is a radio or television program, involving members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States. ... George McGovern. ... AFL logo The American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... AFL logo The American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. ...

Foss' many charities included the Easter Seals campaign, Campus Crusade for Christ, and an Arizona program for disadvantaged youths.

Foss hosted ABC television's The American Sportsman from 1964 to 1967, and hosted a syndicated program, The Outsdoorsman: Joe Foss from 1967 to 1974. He also served as President of the National Rifle Association from 1988 to 1990, and appeared on the cover of Time Magazine wearing a Stetson hat and holding a revolver. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is a television and radio network in the United States. ... The American Sportsman was a television series on ABC which presented filmed highlights of hunting and/or fishing trips involving the programs hosts and celebrities. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a 501(c)(4) group for the protection of gun rights in the United States. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... The Stetson Cavalry Hat For the university, see Stetson University. ...

On January 11, 2002, Foss, then in his mid-80s, gained renewed fame when he was stopped at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport because he was carrying his Medal of Honor (which has pointed edges), along with a cleary marked dummy-bullet keychain and a small knife (with MOH insignia) on his way to giving a speech to a class at the United States Military Academy at West Point [1]. The subsequent delay and lack of recognition of the award, together with his age, highlighted the ridiculous lengths to which political correctness had reached. The story later attained urban-legend status before it was held as true by snopes.com, a popular "last word" on such claims. January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX) in Phoenix is Arizonas main international airport, one of the largest aviation facilities in the American Southwest and one of the top ten busiest airports in the country. ... The United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, or simply USMA, is a U.S. service academy and former Army fort. ... The Urban Legends Reference Pages (also known as snopes. ...

Foss died in January 2003 following a severe stroke six months previously. His name and patriotic activities are perpetuated in the Foss Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona.

See also

• American Football League players, coaches and contributors

The following is a list of players that played for the 1960-1969 American Football League. ...

External link

• Joe Foss Bio on acepilots.com