A member of the famed World War II Flying Tigers, John Richard Rossi died April 17 of complications from pneumonia at age 92, according to an April 28 report in the Los Angeles Times. Rossi joined the Navy in 1939, earning wings in 1940 and serving as a flight instructor. He resigned his commission and signed up for the American Volunteer Group in China, reportedly downing six Japanese aircraft.
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
