1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,030 mhm . They called him a one Man Air 2 00:00:04,030 --> 00:00:07,170 Force Boyd , Buzz Wagner . 3 00:00:07,180 --> 00:00:09,810 The first case of the U . S . Army Air 4 00:00:09,810 --> 00:00:11,380 Force . 5 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:20,420 It was nicknamed Buzz because he get 6 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:22,364 buzzed the camouflage off a hanger 7 00:00:23,140 --> 00:00:25,620 during the war with Japanese zeros on 8 00:00:25,620 --> 00:00:27,731 his tail . He once flew laps around a 9 00:00:27,731 --> 00:00:30,540 volcano until he came up behind them . 10 00:00:30,550 --> 00:00:33,180 Small town hero of World War two from 11 00:00:33,180 --> 00:00:35,350 nanny glow high school in pennsylvania 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,340 Who looked like a movie star and flew 13 00:00:38,340 --> 00:00:41,130 like a killer . He'd almost received a 14 00:00:41,130 --> 00:00:43,074 degree in Aeronautical Engineering 15 00:00:43,074 --> 00:00:45,530 before he dropped out to enlist . He 16 00:00:45,530 --> 00:00:48,740 got his wings in 1938 . Just three 17 00:00:48,740 --> 00:00:50,296 years before Pearl Harbor . 18 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,460 The morning of december 7th , 1941 was 19 00:00:56,460 --> 00:00:58,516 the early hours of december 8th . In 20 00:00:58,516 --> 00:01:00,682 the Philippines where first Lieutenant 21 00:01:00,682 --> 00:01:02,849 Buzz Wagner commanded the 17th pursuit 22 00:01:02,849 --> 00:01:05,580 on the island of luzon . They've been 23 00:01:05,580 --> 00:01:07,802 on alert for months that war with Japan 24 00:01:07,802 --> 00:01:10,090 was imminent . Closer it got to 25 00:01:10,090 --> 00:01:12,034 december 8th , the more they found 26 00:01:12,034 --> 00:01:14,034 themselves sleeping on the wings of 27 00:01:14,034 --> 00:01:17,820 airplanes . Waiting in the hours 28 00:01:17,820 --> 00:01:19,987 after the attack on Pearl Harbor , The 29 00:01:19,987 --> 00:01:22,209 squadrons were in the air on high alert 30 00:01:22,740 --> 00:01:24,907 weather had delayed the arrival of the 31 00:01:24,907 --> 00:01:27,800 Japanese attack on Tucson And as bad 32 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,911 luck would have it . They caught most 33 00:01:29,911 --> 00:01:31,856 of our B-17 fighters on the ground 34 00:01:31,856 --> 00:01:35,760 refueling . The attack was devastating . 35 00:01:36,140 --> 00:01:38,680 Our forces were cut in half and back 36 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,580 home . Our country was in shock . Buzz 37 00:01:42,580 --> 00:01:44,802 Wagner's actions over the next few days 38 00:01:44,802 --> 00:01:46,747 would become the stuff of legend . 39 00:01:46,747 --> 00:01:50,110 Flying into enemy fire Solo missions in 40 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,350 dog fights where he was outnumbered 5-1 41 00:01:52,740 --> 00:01:54,960 strafing runs on Japanese airfields , 42 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,040 Buzz was an engineer . He knew what 43 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,260 zero was capable of , and he knew what 44 00:02:00,260 --> 00:02:03,420 his own plane was capable of . The 45 00:02:03,420 --> 00:02:05,880 zeros had no idea what Buzz Wagner was 46 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,590 capable of . He was performing 47 00:02:08,590 --> 00:02:10,757 maneuvers , then you see in movies and 48 00:02:10,757 --> 00:02:13,740 air shows now and he was doing it in 49 00:02:13,740 --> 00:02:17,400 combat On December 16 he 50 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,670 recorded his 5th aerial kill Only nine 51 00:02:20,670 --> 00:02:24,370 days into the world . Buzz Wagner was 52 00:02:24,370 --> 00:02:27,980 now officially an ace . He rarely spoke 53 00:02:27,980 --> 00:02:30,200 of his exploits . He didn't drink much 54 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,880 and he was a bad poker player in his 55 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,990 life . He was calm , collected , 56 00:02:35,050 --> 00:02:38,370 methodical , quiet spoken in the 57 00:02:38,370 --> 00:02:40,370 cockpit . He was death from above . 58 00:02:41,140 --> 00:02:43,307 Between his confirmed kills in the air 59 00:02:43,307 --> 00:02:45,584 and his strafing runs on the airfields . 60 00:02:45,584 --> 00:02:47,307 He destroyed between 15 and 50 61 00:02:47,307 --> 00:02:49,529 warplanes in those dark , chaotic first 62 00:02:49,529 --> 00:02:52,240 days of the war . Yeah , he became more 63 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,900 than a hero back home for an angry , 64 00:02:54,910 --> 00:02:57,240 grieving , devastated nation , he 65 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,570 became America's Hope , a symbol that 66 00:02:59,570 --> 00:03:01,710 we were fighting back kids on their 67 00:03:01,710 --> 00:03:03,766 rooftops pretended to be Buzz Wagner 68 00:03:03,766 --> 00:03:06,490 fighter ace . There were trading cards 69 00:03:06,490 --> 00:03:08,690 and comic books , articles in life 70 00:03:08,690 --> 00:03:12,460 magazine legends are born at the 71 00:03:12,470 --> 00:03:15,330 crossroads of history and destiny . He 72 00:03:15,330 --> 00:03:17,690 was the hero . We needed the right 73 00:03:17,690 --> 00:03:20,290 person in the right place at the right 74 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:23,500 time . Mhm . Buzz was wounded after a 75 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:25,444 20 millimeter shell burst over his 76 00:03:25,444 --> 00:03:27,940 cowing , shattering his canopy . He 77 00:03:27,940 --> 00:03:30,107 made it back to base with splinters of 78 00:03:30,107 --> 00:03:32,810 plexi glass in his eye . He recorded 79 00:03:32,820 --> 00:03:35,042 three more kills before being sent home 80 00:03:35,042 --> 00:03:37,264 to lead designs on new fighter aircraft 81 00:03:37,340 --> 00:03:40,360 Until November 29 , 1942 . 82 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,450 Mhm . On a routine flight from England 83 00:03:44,450 --> 00:03:46,506 Field in florida to Maxwell field in 84 00:03:46,506 --> 00:03:50,180 Alabama , his plane disappeared , The 85 00:03:50,180 --> 00:03:52,291 wreckage was discovered weeks later . 86 00:03:52,291 --> 00:03:54,820 How this brilliant pilot in the same P 87 00:03:54,820 --> 00:03:57,060 40 he flew during the war went down 88 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,040 remains a mystery . Buzz Wagner's 89 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:02,762 funeral was attended by 10s of 90 00:04:02,762 --> 00:04:05,710 thousands . He had earned his wings in 91 00:04:05,710 --> 00:04:09,680 1938 and in four short years he 92 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,560 was gone four years 93 00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:17,084 and those four years , Buzz Wagner 94 00:04:17,084 --> 00:04:19,029 received the Distinguished Service 95 00:04:19,029 --> 00:04:21,307 Cross . The Distinguished Flying Cross , 96 00:04:21,307 --> 00:04:23,418 a Purple heart , became the first and 97 00:04:23,418 --> 00:04:25,730 youngest ace of the Army Air Forces had 98 00:04:25,740 --> 00:04:28,260 two schools named after , was promoted 99 00:04:28,260 --> 00:04:30,860 to lieutenant colonel at the age of 26 100 00:04:32,550 --> 00:04:34,772 and in between all that managed to lift 101 00:04:34,772 --> 00:04:36,060 an entire country . 102 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,020 What will you 103 00:04:41,020 --> 00:04:44,770 do with four years Or 20 ? 104 00:04:44,780 --> 00:04:48,750 When we ask ourselves where 105 00:04:48,750 --> 00:04:51,660 our country's heroes , we look to you . 106 00:04:52,140 --> 00:04:54,196 None of us know when our moment will 107 00:04:54,196 --> 00:04:56,850 come , but moments don't make heroes . 108 00:04:57,340 --> 00:05:01,060 Moments simply reveal them every day . 109 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:04,590 Be the airmen we expect when your 110 00:05:04,590 --> 00:05:08,290 moment comes , be the hero , we 111 00:05:08,290 --> 00:05:11,460 need 112 00:05:13,540 --> 00:05:14,950 name High Airman .