Major "Dick" Bong

"America's Ace of Aces"

It was here that Major Richard I. Bong was born, received his education, and grew to manhood. After attending Superior State College where he received his first pilot training, he joined the U. S. Army Air Corps on May 29, 1941. Assigned to the New Guinea combat theater of operations on September 5, 1942, he quickly proved his mastery in the air by shooting down two enemy aircraft in his first air battle. By destroying a total of forty enemy aircraft in air combat, he became America's leading air ace of all time. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by a grateful government and winner of many other military decorations, he lost his life testing a jet plane in August 1945 and lies buried nearby.

Erected 1957

"Major "Dick" Bong." The Hi-Line and the Yellowstone Trail: To Glacier Park and Back Again. 1 Sept. 2004. Lacus Veris. 10 May. 2024 <http://www.lacusveris.com/The Hi-Line and the Yellowstone Trail/The Bois Brule/Marker: Major "Dick" Bong, Poplar, WI 2004-07-26 01.31.40.shtml>. Last modified 6 Oct. 2015. Served 4828 times between 17 May. 2010 and 10 May. 2024. Contact mailto:CRhode@LacusVeris.com?subject=LacusVeris.