Nickname(s) Ed Education Catawba College Years of service 1939–62 Battles and wars World War II | Battles/wars World War II Rank Colonel Name Edward Rector | |
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Born September 28, 1916
Marshall, North Carolina ( 1916-09-28 ) Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Navy
United States Air Force Commands held 76th Fighter Squadron
23rd Fighter Group Died April 26, 2001, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., United States Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States Awards Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Order of the Cloud and Banner | ||
Edward "Ed" F. Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a Colonel in the United States Air Force, a fighter ace, and a member of the Flying Tigers.
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Early years
Rector, a native of Marshall, North Carolina, graduated from Catawba College in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator. He was a carrier pilot on the USS Ranger, based in Norfolk, when he was recruited for the American Volunteer Group, the official name of the Flying Tigers. The unit was formed with the financial backing of the Chinese government to help defend the Burma Road and Chinese cities from Japanese attack before the United States entered the war.
At war
On December 10, 1941 Rector was part of a 3 plane photo reconnaissance mission from Rangoon to Bangkok. On December 20 when the Flying Tigers engaged in combat for the first time during a raid by Hanoi-based Japanese aircraft on the Chinese city of Kunming. Ed provided the AVG with its first aerial victory and would later record the last in a long list of 23rd Fighter Group air-to-air kills. In May 1942, he played a critical role in locating and attacking Japanese military columns attempting a push into China at the Salween River Gorge. This allowed the Chinese time to blow up a key bridge across the river, and the Japanese subsequently retreated into Burma. Rector was credited with having destroyed 10.5 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat during the war.
Later years
Rector retired from the United States Air Force in 1962 as a Colonel and had a second career in the aviation industry as a consultant in India, North Africa, and Europe. He died April 26, 2001, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after suffering a heart attack and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.