James Hagerstrom (January 14, 1921 – June 25, 1994) was a fighter ace of the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) in World War II and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in the Korean War. He is one of seven American pilots to have achieved ace status in two different wars. Hagerstrom joined the USAAF in 1941, and fought in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. There he shot down six Japanese aircraft, including four in one morning. After the war, he joined the Texas Air National Guard and participated in several air races. By 1950 he was in command of the 111th Fighter- Bomber Squadron, which was deployed to Korea during the Korean War. He transferred to the USAF and flew an F-86 Sabre jet in "MiG Alley", the area around the northern border of North Korea with China, destroying 8.5 Chinese, Soviet, and North Korean MiG-15s. In 1965, he served in several command roles during the Vietnam War while flying 30 combat missions. Hagerstrom died in Shreveport of stomach cancer in 1994.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_P._Hagerstrom

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1933:

The England cricket team employed bodyline tactics against Australia during a Test match at the Adelaide Oval, the peak of a major controversy in the sport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyline

1943:

Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, and Henri Giraud met in Casablanca to plan the Allies' European strategy for the next phase of World War II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_Conference

1953:

Josip Broz Tito was inaugurated as the first president of Yugoslavia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Broz_Tito

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

darkly: 1. With a dark appearance. 2. Faintly seen in the dark. 3. (figuratively) In a morbid manner; morbidly, sinisterly. 4. (figuratively) Mysteriously; forebodingly, ominously. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/darkly

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.… Donald John Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.   --The United States House of Representatives https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/United_States_Congress