Blake Hall
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good heart-pounding, tear-jerking WWII film that isn’t “Saving Private Ryan.” After digging through history, we’ve found an American military hero who deserves to be immortalized on the big screen: Major Richard Ira Bong, the United States’ highest scoring aerial ace of WWII.
1) The Name of a Hero
Ace of Aces. Bing Bong. Dick Bong. With nicknames like these, you can just tell that this man was destined for greatness from the very start.
2) Scrappy Training Montage
Even the most humble hero earns his chops somewhere. Major Bong’s training exploits provide plenty of material for a feature film. In one 1942 incident, Bong flew a P-38 through the streets of San Francisco, looping around the Golden Gate Bridge and blowing the underwear off one woman’s clothes line. Bong was temporarily grounded for his conduct, though his superior officer fondly wrote, “We needed kids like this lad.”
3) Intense Aerial Combat
When it came to combat, Major Bong was his own worst critic. Believing his accuracy to be poor, Bong ensured that he was as close to enemy aircraft as possible before firing a single bullet. The result was extremely close-range air fights. Bong flew in 200 missions and accumulated 40 confirmed kills, which at the time was a national record.
4) Romance and Reward
A war story would be nothing without a little romance and pageantry. Bong famously attached the headshot of his girlfriend Marge to the nose of his Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. After the war, Bong married his lady love and received the Medal of Honor from General Douglass MacArthur.
5) Tragic, Untimely Death
A mere six months after getting married, Major Bong died test piloting a P-80 Shooting Star in California. His death made headlines across the country, and even made the front page alongside the bombing of Hiroshima.
Come on, Hollywood. Cast Chris Pratt and make this movie already.