Edward Ireland, a former Army Air Forces pilot, last week took hold, for the first time, of the Distinguished Flying Cross that he won for his heroic service in the skies over Europe during World War II. Fox News 4 of Kansas City reported at its Web site Dec. 6 that Ireland was formally presented with the DFC during a ceremony that same day at Whiteman AFB, Mo. “We had a really close-knit group and had experienced a lot of things together,” said Ireland. “And to the crew, I feel like I have done my thing. I did it for them,” he said. According to the news report, Ireland flew 30 missions during the war and was the only man in his squadron to survive the conflict. Although he was recognized with the DFC after the war, he never actually received it prior to now.
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.