William Patrick "Willy Irish" Driscoll
(born March 5, 1947) is a retired
commander in the
United States Navy and a
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
. Driscoll, a
Naval Flight Officer, and aircrewmate
Duke Cunningham
Randall Harold "Duke" Cunningham (born December 8, 1941) is a former American politician, decorated Vietnam War veteran, fighter ace, and ex-felon. Cunningham served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's ...
, a
Naval Aviator, were their service's only
aces of the Vietnam War.
They remain the Navy's most recently minted aces.
Driscoll received the service's second-highest decoration, the
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
, for his role in a 1972
dogfight with
North Vietnamese
MiGs
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
.
Early life and education
Driscoll was born March 5, 1947, and received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in
Economics from
Stonehill College
Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that ...
in North
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area.
Easton is governed by an elected Select Board. Open Town Meeting acts as the legislative branc ...
, in 1968, and a
Master of Science degree in
Systems Management
Systems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including (and commonly in practice) computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications. The ...
from
University of Southern California in 1978.
Naval career
In 1968, Driscoll graduated from
Aviation Officer Candidate School and received his commission as an
Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be differ ...
(ENS) in the Naval Reserve. After initial flight training at
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, Florida, he completed advanced flight training at
Naval Air Station Glynco, Georgia, and received his Naval Flight Officer wings in 1970. He was assigned to the
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...
as a Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), part of the two-man aircrews that had been developed to employ the
air-to-air missile
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
s that had become the primary weapons of aerial combat. He was assigned to Fighter Squadron 121 (VF-121) at
NAS Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
, California, for fleet replacement squadron training in the F-4J, then to
Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96) ''The Fighting Falcons'', also based at NAS Miramar. As a lieutenant junior grade (LTJG), he served as a RIO with his primary pilot, Lieutenant Randy "Duke" Cunningham. They became the Navy's only two
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
s during the
Vietnam War while VF-96 was embarked on a Western Pacific deployment aboard the aircraft carrier
USS ''Constellation''.
Cunningham and Driscoll made their first two kills on separate missions. Their third, fourth, and fifth kills occurred during a single day: May 10, 1972. The engagement became one of the most celebrated aerial dogfights in the war. After they bombed their intended ground target, they engaged 16 MiG interceptors that converged on a bomber convoy of
USAF Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
es attacking a railyard in
Hải Dương
Hải Dương () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Hải Dương, an industrialized province in the Hanoi Capital Region and the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. The city is at the midpoint between the capital Hanoi and major port H ...
.
Cunningham shot down two
MiG-17s, and became separated from the other aircraft in their strike package. The pair headed for the coast, where they spotted and shot down a lone North Vietnamese MiG-17. Their fighter was then hit by a missile, and they ejected over the
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...
and were rescued. Driscoll was awarded the
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
for his actions.
During the war, Driscoll was promoted to lieutenant. Besides the Navy Cross, he was awarded two
Silver Stars,
a
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
,
and ten
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
s.
He was also nominated for the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...
.
He flew 170
combat missions in total and accumulated over 3,300 flying hours in
jet aircraft
A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines.
Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, jet ...
and 500 carrier landings.
WillyDriscoll.com, accessed 30 November 2018
Driscoll later became an instructor at the U.S. Naval Fighter Weapons School (
TOPGUN
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (SFTI program), more popularly known as Top Gun (stylized as TOPGUN), teaches fighter and strike tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, w ...
). He then shifted to the
F-14 Tomcat and became an instructor at Fighter Squadron 124 (
VF-124), the F-14 Fleet Replacement Squadron for the Pacific Fleet at NAS Miramar (now
MCAS Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
), in
San Diego,
California. He left active duty in 1982, but remained in the
United States Navy Reserve, flying the F-4 Phantom II and later the F-14 Tomcat in a Naval Air Reserve fighter squadron at NAS Miramar, eventually retiring with the rank of
commander (O-5).
He has remained an air combat consultant at TOPGUN, and has spoken to all 107 graduating TOPGUN classes.
WillyDriscoll.com, accessed 30 November 2018
Post-military career
Driscoll works in real estate in
San Diego,
though he continues to serve as a consultant and public speaker focusing on military aviation issues.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driscoll, William P.
1947 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Boston
Businesspeople from San Diego
Military personnel from Massachusetts
Stonehill College alumni
University of Southern California alumni
United States Naval Flight Officers
Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Navy officers
United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War
American Vietnam War flying aces
United States Navy reservists