Edward Franklin Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, a

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and a member of the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

Early years

Rector, a native of

Marshall, North Carolina Marshall is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 872 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. Marshall is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Bank of Frenc ...

, graduated from

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...

in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator. He was a carrier pilot on the , based in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, when he was recruited for the

American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Nationalist government of China against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only unit to actually see combat was the 1st AVG, pop ...

, the official name of the

. The unit was formed with the financial backing of the Chinese government to help defend the

Burma Road The Burma Road () was a road linking Burma (now known as Myanmar) with southwest China. Its terminals were Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. It was built while Burma was a British colony to convey supplies to China during the Second Sino-J ...

and Chinese cities from Japanese attack before the United States entered World War II.

At war

On December 10, 1941 Rector was part of a 3 plane photo reconnaissance mission from

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. On December 20 when the

engaged in combat for the first time during a raid by Hanoi-based Japanese aircraft on the Chinese city of

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

, Rector provided the

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 , ''Mae Nam Salawin'' ( , name_etymology = , image = Sweet_View_of_Salween_River_in_Tang_Yan_Township,_Shan_State,_Myanmar.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Salween River in Shan State, Myanmar , map ...

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

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 The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

after suffering a heart attack and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Rector, Edward F (Section 66, Grave 6467)
– ANC Explorer

Awards and decorations

Notes

References

* *

External links

Including Ed Rector's 4.75 AVG air-to-air kills per Dr. Olynyk
Colonel Edward F. Rector, USAF Historical Marker
A memorial for Colonel Rector in his home town of Marshall, NC.

at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rector, Edward F. 1916 births 2001 deaths United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II American World War II flying aces Aviators from North Carolina Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Flying Tigers Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal United States Air Force colonels People from Marshall, North Carolina Military personnel from North Carolina United States Naval Aviators American expatriates in Taiwan