Page 6 - DFCS News Magazine Spring 2013

“I want to stay out here,” he insisted.
“You’re crazy!” his commanding officer replied.
Once again, the Navy ignored Laird’s wishes. But it did give him something special, a medal that unites fliers across all branches of the armed services with its singular recognition of aerial ex- cellence. The Distinguished Flying Cross.
The Society
Created by an act of Congress in 1926, the DFC is a four-bladed propeller symbolizing flight superimposed on a bronze cross symbolizing sacrifice. It hangs from a ribbon of red, white and blue.
One of the first recipients was Charles Lindbergh, for flying solo across the Atlantic in May 1927. His plane, “The Spirit of St. Lou- is,” was built in San Diego.
Creators of the DFC, remembering the dogfight derring-do of World War I aces, always envisioned it would be awarded not just to aviation pioneers, but also to combat giants. World War II gave them the avenue.
Rudy Matz, who lives now in Poway, earned three crosses, one for shooting down four Japanese planes in a single day during 1944’s Battle of the Philippine Sea. Steve Pisanos, a Rancho Ber- nardo resident, shot down 10 German planes — making him a double ace — and has five DFCs.
Their stories are among dozens featured in a recent book, “On Heroic Wings,” co-authored by Cal State San Marcos professor Laura Wendling and published by the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, which is based in San Diego.
“Like any medal, the DFC really illuminates individuals who have gone above and beyond,” Wendling said. “What I realized very quickly in talking to them is how humble they are. Their families have this medal lying in a drawer and they have no idea what it stands for — that it honors people who made a difference in the history of the world.”
The society was created in the 1990s when a two-time cross recipient, Al Ciurczak, could not locate any organization dedi- cated to the medal. Like a lot of veterans, the pilots didn’t talk much about their service, and nobody kept track of the hon- orees. Even today, no one is quite sure how many of the med- als have been awarded over the years.
Gradually, a database is being built up. The records are kept, appropriately enough, in an office next to Lindbergh Field. The society maintains a website, dfcsociety.net, hosts regular confer- ences and publishes a magazine.
“The kids today, a lot of them don’t know what these people did,” said Chuck Sweeney, the society president and a three- time DFC recipient from the Vietnam War. “This is a way to make sure the stories survive.”
Wrinkled hands
Laird’s 30-year Navy career took him from Pacific atolls to Bruns- wick, Maine. San Diego was a frequent stop, too, and his family settled in Coronado in 1958. Laird and his wife, Lorraine, raised three children here. Their oldest, Diane, died of cancer 25 years ago. Another daughter, Andrea, teaches recreation at Califor- nia State University, East Bay. A son, Michael, is a golf pro in Memphis.
A year before retiring from the Navy, Laird burned through 60 days by logging 164 hours over Hawaii. Working as a stunt pilot, he led Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor — for the film “Tora!
Spring 2013 Issue Page 6
Tora! Tora!”
“I was the leader of a Japanese dive-bomber squadron,” said Laird. “It was a lot of fun. And the movie was better than most flying movies — at least they had real airplanes flying.”
After retiring with the rank of commander, Laird repaired aircraft components, managed Coronado’s golf course and led the Tail- hook Society. Although present at the infamous Tailhook con- vention that resulted in dozens of accusations of sexual harass- ment against retired and active-duty officers, Laird was not impli- cated in the scandal.
Still involved in the group, he started its educational foundation. Last year, the society announced that members’ dependents would be eligible for a new scholarship, one named in Laird’s honor.
Laird is still slim and sharp, but age has taken its toll. He had a heart attack three years ago, and macular degeneration ob- structs his vision. But sitting at home, the old pilot uses his wrin- kled hands to re-create the details of aerial battles fought nearly seven decades ago. He remembers every twist and turn, every loop and dive.
The war “unified us to where just about everybody was on the same page,” he said. “There was only one main thing — that was to win the war.”
If this ushered in the era of the aircraft carrier, confirming San Diego’s central role in naval aviation, that doesn’t bother Dean “Diz” Laird.
I need help with the “DFCS News” publication. If you have experi- ence in writing articles, please e-mail me with ideas and sugges-
tions. Please submit all articles via email in MSWord or similar format. If you cannot use a computer or word-processing program ...ask a fam- ily member to help you.
Please volunteer, even if you do not have experience but would like to see your DFC story in print, send me your 500 - 1500 word article that you feel our members would enjoy.
Michael O’Neil, Editor editor@dfcsociety.com