Major Joseph "Joe" J. Foss
U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), Marine Fighter Squadron 121 (VMF-121)
F4F Wildcat pilot and ace earned Medal of Honor

Background
Joseph Jacob Foss was born April 17, 1915 to parents Ole Frank Foss and Mary Esther Lacey Foss in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Nicknamed "Joe". At age 12, he saw Charles Lindbergh touring with his plane Spirit of St. Louis in Renner, South Dakota. At age 16, he and his father paid $1.50 at Black Hills Airport for a flight aboard a Ford Trimotor piloted by Clyde Ice.

In 1933, his father died and worked with his brother and mother on the family farm. Later, he saw a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft team perform acrobatics he was determined to become a pilot. During 1938 while he attended college, he saved money for private flying lessons from Roy Lanning at the Sioux Skyway Airfield.

After graduating from Washington High School, he enrolled in University of South Dakota class of 1939 and studied business administration. In college, he and other students established flying courses and by the time he graduated had flown 100 hours and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and played sports including boxing, track and was a guard on the football team.

Wartime History
In 1939, Foss enlisted in the U.S. Army, South Dakota National Guard 147th Field Artillery Regiment with the rank of private. In 1940 he hitchhiked to Minneapolis to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves, in order to join the Naval Aviation Cadet program to become a Naval Aviator, earned his wings. At age 27, assigned to the in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-06774. Considered too old to be a pilot, he was sent to the Navy School of Photography then assigned to Marine Photographic Squadron 1 (VMO-1) at NAS North Island but requested to be transfered to fighters. Next, assigned to Marine Fighter Squadron 121 (VMF-121) as executive officer and learned to fly the F4F Wildcat and married his high school sweetheart, June Shakstad.

On October 9, 1942 the squadron's twenty F4F-4 Wildcats took off from USS Copahee (CVE-12) on a ferry flight to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal to relieve Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223) and the next day begin flying combat missions. On October 13, 1942 flew his first combat mission and claimed a Zero shot down but was damaged by other Zeros and landed with a dead engine, no flaps and minimum control.

On October 25, 1942 took off in the morning took off piloting F4F Wildcat 03533 on a mission to intercept a Japanese air raid and claimed two Zeros shot down. Later in the afternoon, took off again piloting F4F Wildcat 03444 and claimed three Zeros shot down.

On November 7, 1942 took off piloting F4F Wildcat 02147 as one of twenty-one F4F Wildcats from VMF-121 escorting a formation of SBD Dauntless from VMSB-132, TBF Avengers from VT-8 and P-39 Airacobras from 67th Fighter Squadron (67th FS) armed with bombs against a "Tokyo Express" convoy of eleven destroyers. Approaching the convoy, the Wildcats engage the air cover including six A6M2-N Rufes from 802 Kōkūtai (802 Air Group) and four F1M2 Petes from Kamikawa Maru and are joined by the P-39s after they jettison their bombs. During the air combat, Foss claims a Rufe and two Petes but was shot down by the rear gunner of the floatplane and landed in the sea off Malaita. Using his parachute to remain afloat, at dusk locals aboard a canoe rescues him. The next day, a PBY Catalina arrived and flew him back to Guadalcanal. In total, the U.S. fighters claim ten Petes shot down (five by the Wildcats and five by the P-39s). In fact, only one Pete is lost.

Aerial Victory Claims
Foss was officially credited with 26 aerial victories. His aerial victory claims include:

Victory	Date	Location	Aircraft	Notes on claim
1	10/13/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	First aerial victory claim.
2	10/14/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Second aerial victory claim.
3	10/18/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Third aerial victory claim.
4	10/18/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Fourth aerial victory claim
5	10/18/42	Guadalcanal	G4M1 Betty	Fifth aerial victory claim, became an "ace".
6	10/20/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Sixth aerial victory claim.
7	10/20/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Seventh aerial victory claim.
8	10/23/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Eighth aerial victory claim.
9	10/23/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Ninth aerial victory claim.
10	10/23/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Tenth aerial victory claim.
11	10/23/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Eleventh aerial victory claim.
12	10/25/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Twelfth aerial victory claim.
13	10/25/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Thirteenth aerial victory claim.
14	10/25/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Fourteenth aerial victory claim.
15	10/25/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Fifteenth aerial victory claim.
16	10/25/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Sixteenth aerial victory claim.
17	11/07/42	Guadalcanal	A6M2-N Rufe	Seventeenth aerial victory claim.
18	11/07/42	Guadalcanal	F1M2 Pete	Eighteenth aerial victory claim.
19	11/07/42	Guadalcanal	F1M2 Pete	Nineteenth aerial victory claim.
20	11/12/42	Guadalcanal	Twin Engine Bomber	Twentieth aerial victory claim.
21	11/12/42	Guadalcanal	Twin Engine Bomber	Twenty-first aerial victory claim.
22	11/12/42	Guadalcanal	A6M Zero	Twenty-second aerial victory claim.
23	11/15/42	Guadalcanal	F1M2 Pete	Twenty-third aerial victory claim.
24	1/15/43	Vella Lavella	A6M Zero	Twenty-fourth aerial victory claim.
25	1/15/43	Vella Lavella	A6M Zero	Twenty-fifth aerial victory claim.
26	1/15/43	Vella Lavella	A6M Zero	Twenty-sixth aerial victory claim.

Medal of Honor
Foss earned the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Air Medal with two gold stars.

Postwar
In December 1945 relieved from active duty and remained in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) until 1947. During 1946 appointed to the South Dakota Air National Guard with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to establish it in the state and was actively involved with flying including flying a P-51 Mustang in their demonstration team. During the Korean War called up for active duty with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) with the rank of Colonel served as the director of Operations and Training for the Central Air Defense Command and later was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

Foss entered politics and was elected to South Dakota legislature as a Republican. In 1955 elected as South Dakota's youngest governor at age 39. During 1958 ran for U.S. House of Representatives but lost to Democrat George McGovern. In 1962 returned to politics and ran for U.S. Senate but lost to Joseph H. Bottum.

During 2001, founded the Jose Foss Institute with his second wife Didi.

Memorials
On January 1, 2003 passed away at age 87 in Scottsdale, Arizona. On January 21, 2003 he was is buried at Arlington National Cemetery at section 7A, grave 162.

References
Lloyd Fuller Diary, November 7-8, 1942
(Left) "November 7, 1942... 11 Jap destroyers came in. 35 F4F's, 8 P39's, 15 SBD's, 3TBF's, 3 B17's sank all of them. Lost: 4 F4F's, No. 50 & Captain Foss. "Miss Irene" was shot down with 7 Japs to her credit in an evening raid on Jap task force."
(Right) "November 8, 1942 Rained all day. No air raids. Did nothing all day. Capt. Foss returned. His plane fell into the ocean and he had to swim back to land. Capt. Foss shot down 3 Japs before going down, making his total 18 Japs."
Lloyd Fuller Diary, November 11-12, 1942
(Right) "November 12, 1943 Today at 11:00 Tojo sent 22 bombers and Zeros over to bomb our ships in harbor & our airfield. We let only 1 Zero go home to tell the story. Capt. Foss got 3 more, making him a total of 21 planes shot down. Score 21-2: us."
Congressional Medal of Honor Society - Joseph Jacob Foss
Arlington National Cemetery ANC Explorer - Joseph Jacob Foss (grave photos)
FindAGrave - Joseph Jacob Foss (photo, grave photos)
LIFE Magazine June 7, 1943 (cover)
Joe Foss, Flying Marine (1943) by Joe Foss as told to Walter Simmons
A Proud American, The Autobiography of Joe Foss (1992) by Joe Foss with Donna Wild Foss
Stars & Bars (1995) pages 69-70 (VMF-121), 276-277 (Foss Joseph Jacob)
Joe Foss Institute (EIN: 86-1026421) via WayBack Machine June 9, 2021
"The Center for Political Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University and civic education nonprofit the Joe Foss Institute have entered a collaboration agreement to continue the expansion of civic education in schools nationwide. The agreement, effective Nov. 1 [2019?], integrates the Joe Foss Institute’s robust civic education resources into the Center for Political Thought and Leadership, which advances research in American political thought and supports civic education inside and outside the classroom."

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