Herschel Harper "Herky" Green (July 3, 1920 – August 16, 2006) was a

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 ...

flying 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 ...

in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. Green was the leading ace of the

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

, shooting down 18 enemy aircraft and destroying 10 more on the ground. Green was born in

Mayfield, Kentucky Mayfield is a home rule–class city and the county seat of Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,017 as of the 2020 United States Census. History 19th century Mayfield is in the center of the Jackson Purchase, an eig ...

325th Fighter Group

Green flew in 1943 and 1944 in the

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and Italian campaigns with the

325th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. By the end of 1944, he had flown 100 missions and received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters,

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Memoir

He published his memoir ''Herky!: the Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace'' in 1996.Air Age Publishing June 2000 Review of ''Herky!: the Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace''
/ref> The "Checkertail" refers to the group's recognition markings. The tail of each aircraft was painted yellow with black squares. He died in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...

, aged 86.

Notes

References

* Green, Herschel H. ''Herky! The Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1996 (republished in 2000). . * McDowell, Ernest R. ''Checkertails: The 325th Fighter Group in the Second World War''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1994. . * McDowell, Ernest R. and William N. Hess. ''Checkertail Clan: The 325th Fighter Group in North Africa and Italy''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1969.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Herschel 1920 births 2006 deaths American World War II flying aces Aviators from Kentucky Military personnel from Kentucky People from Mayfield, Kentucky Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army Air Forces officers Writers from Kentucky