Joe Foss

[Typhoon1244]

Are there any post Vietnam aces?

It's not easy to become an ace anymore. Conflicts donlt last very long, and most of the people we fight don't have that many airplanes to begin with!

Unless I'm mistaken, the definition of "ace" changed between W.W. I and W.W. II. Didn't it used to be ten kills, then went down to five? Maybe we should do it again to take into account changes in technology and politics: anybody who shoots down more than one airplane in the same conflict is an ace.

 

[Salty Dog]

I just read the story on this not too long ago but can't find it now. I think the definition changed back in WWI because the word came from being the record holder. The record at that point was 4 so the next "record" was 5. Obviously the next "Ace" would have to be six, but shortly (still in WWI) the conventional wisdom settled on 5. Doesn't matter where or when, just every 5 kills makes you an Ace, Double Ace, etc.