Edward Franklin Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, a

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and a member of the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

Early years

Rector, a native of

Marshall, North Carolina Marshall is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 777 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 872 in 2010 United States census, 2010. It is the county seat of Madison County. History During ...

, graduated from

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...

in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator. He was a carrier pilot on the , based in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, when he was recruited for the

American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were Military volunteer, volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Kuomintang, Nationalist government of China against Empire of Japan, Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only ...

, the official name of the

. The unit was formed with the financial backing of the Chinese government to help defend the

Burma Road The Burma Road () was a road linking Burma (now known as Myanmar) with southwest China. Its terminals were Lashio, Burma, in the south and Kunming, China, the capital of Yunnan province in the north. It was built in 1937–1938 while Burm ...

and Chinese cities from Japanese attack before the United States entered World War II.

At war

On December 10, 1941, Rector was part of a three-plane photo reconnaissance mission from

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. On December 20 when the

engaged in combat for the first time during a raid by Hanoi-based Japanese aircraft on the Chinese city of

Kunming Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...

, Rector provided the

with its first aerial victory and would later record the last in a long list of

23rd Fighter Group The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United ...

air-to-air kills. In May 1942, he played a critical role in locating and attacking Japanese military columns attempting a push into China at the

Salween River The Salween is a Southeast Asian river, about long, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau south into the Andaman Sea. The Salween flows primarily within southwest China and eastern Myanmar, with a short section forming the border of Myanmar and Tha ...

Gorge. This allowed the Chinese time to blow up a key bridge across the river, and the Japanese subsequently retreated into Burma. Rector was credited with having destroyed 10.5 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat during the war.

Later years

Rector retired from the United States Air Force in 1962 as a

and had a second career in the aviation industry as a consultant in India, North Africa, and Europe. He died April 26, 2001, at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

after suffering a heart attack and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Burial Detail: Rector, Edward F (Section 66, Grave 6467)
– ANC Explorer

Awards and decorations

Notes

References

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External links

Including Ed Rector's 4.75 AVG air-to-air kills per Dr. Olynyk
Colonel Edward F. Rector, USAF Historical Marker
A memorial for Colonel Rector in his home town of Marshall, NC.

at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rector, Edward F. 1916 births 2001 deaths United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II American World War II flying aces Aviators from North Carolina Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Flying Tigers pilots Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal United States Air Force colonels People from Marshall, North Carolina Military personnel from North Carolina United States Naval Aviators American expatriates in Taiwan