Medal of Honor: Joseph Jacob Foss, World War II, October 9 to November 19, 1942; January 15 and 25, 1943

Name: Joseph Jacob Foss
Rank: Captain
War: World War II
Date of Action: October 9 to November 19, 1942; January 15 and 25, 1943
Unit: Marine Fighting Squadron 121 (VMF-121), 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
Entered Service At: South Dakota
Born: April 17, 1915, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Summary of Action
The tropical skies above Guadalcanal in late 1942 were filled with death. Outnumbered, undersupplied, and outgunned, Marine aviators of VMF-121 scrambled daily from Henderson Field—“Cactus”—to face the relentless stream of Japanese Zeros and bombers intent on crushing the thin American line in the Solomon Islands. At the heart of that defense was Captain Joe Foss, a farm boy from South Dakota whose ferocity in the cockpit would make him the Marine Corps’ first ace of World War II.
Between October 9 and November 19, 1942, Foss flew mission after mission in his Grumman F4F Wildcat, often intercepting waves of enemy aircraft alone or with just a handful of fellow pilots. His cool precision and fearless aggression brought down 23 enemy planes in that period, often within sight of the palm-fringed beaches where Marines fought below. On January 15, 1943, he added three more kills to his record—and ten days later, he led eight Wildcats and four Army P-38s against a massive incoming formation, breaking up the attack before a single enemy bomb could fall on Guadalcanal.
By the end of his tour, Joe Foss had equaled the score of America’s great World War I ace, Eddie Rickenbacker. He had done it not from the safety of high-altitude formations, but in close, brutal dogfights fought at treetop height over enemy-held waters. His leadership and fighting spirit kept Henderson Field alive—and with it, the tenuous hold of the Allies in the Pacific.

Medal of Honor Citation
FOSS, JOSEPH JACOB
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Over Guadalcanal, 9 October to 19 November 1942, 15 and 25 January 1943. Entered service at: South Dakota. Born: 17 April 1915, Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Citation: For outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at Guadalcanal. Engaging in almost daily combat with the enemy from 9 October to 19 November 1942, Capt. Foss personally shot down 23 Japanese planes and damaged others so severely that their destruction was extremely probable. In addition, during this period, he successfully led a large number of escort missions, skillfully covering reconnaissance, bombing, and photographic planes as well as surface craft. On 15 January 1943, he added 3 more enemy planes to his already brilliant successes for a record of aerial combat achievement unsurpassed in this war. Boldly searching out an approaching enemy force on 25 January, Capt. Foss led his 8 F4F Marine planes and 4 Army P38’s into action and, undaunted by tremendously superior numbers, intercepted and struck with such force that 4 Japanese fighters were shot down and the bombers were turned back without releasing a single bomb. His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal.