DICK BONG

The photo shows a diecast model in 48 scale of a P-38L that Dick flew during his second pacific tour. He did not have a great deal of confidence in his long range ability as an aerial gunner so he preferred to get in close enough that he could not miss before opening fire. He sometimes flew through fire and debris and once suffered an actual collision that was scored as a probable kill. During advanced pilot training in the AT-6 Texan Dick Bong was instructed and certified by Captain Barry Goldwater. Goldwater would eventually become a general in the Arizona Air Guard, a long time Arizona Senator and Presidential Candidate in the 1964 election.