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Joe Foss

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (April 17, 1915-January 1, 2003)
    Born in Sioux City, South Dakota
    Marine Corps fighter pilot
    Shot down 26 Japanese airplanes and won the Congressional Medal of Honor and Distinguished Flying Cross for service over Guadalcanal during WWII
    Served in the Korean War as a flight instructor
    Helped found South Dakota's Air National Guard
    Served two terms in South Dakota's legislature and one term as its governor during the 50s
    First commissioner of the American Football League (1958-66)
    Hosted TV series 'American Sportsman' (1964-67) and 'The Outdoorsman: Joe Foss' (1967-74)
    Consultant for Microsoft for Combat Simulator Z
    Author of 'Joe Foss: Flying Marine' and 'Top Guns'
    BS in Business Administration from University of South Dakota

Why he might be annoying:

    When he left the military, he went into politics.
    He once worked as a used car salesman.
    After serving on Guadalcanal, where he achieved all of his victories in aerial combat, he contracted malaria and never served in combat again.
    He served in the Marine Corps during WWII becoming a major, joined the South Dakota Air National Guard after the war attaining the rank of Brigadier General, was called to active duty with the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict as a colonel.
    Greg 'Pappy' Boyington is considered the all time Marine Corps fighter ace with 28 kills, despite winning six of those kills (only two confirmed) while serving with the Flying Tigers in China, and not Foss.
    He was in a fraternity in college.

Why he might not be annoying:

    All 26 of his 'kills' were scored in less than four months over Guadalcanal and included a kill during his first combat mission.
    He shot down four deadly Japanese Zeros in a single battle!
    He took over his family's farm during the Depression in 1933 at age 18 when his father died.
    He worked his way through college and paid for civilian flight school out of his own pocket.
    He refused to allow a film to be made of his heroics because the producer insisted on inserting a stupid fictional love story into the film.
    When Marines call you a hero, you're a hero.
    He was a dedicated family man.
    He fought for our Second Amendment rights as the National Rifle Association's president (1988-90).
    He had a flawless reputation for honesty while serving in politics.
    In 2002 at the age of 86, while being searched by airport security, he had his keychain (which had a defused bullet on it) and penknife taken away from him (he was allowed to mail them home) and had his Medal of Honor examined on suspicion of being a weapon because of its five pointed star shape.

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 19 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 83 Votes: 42.17% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 20 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 17 Votes: 5.88% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1122 Votes: 52.05% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 124 Votes: 56.45% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 258 Votes: 48.45% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 226 Votes: 49.12% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 150 Votes: 37.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 212 Votes: 48.11% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 93 Votes: 56.99% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 26 Votes: 30.77% Annoying