Don Gentile was the only son of Italian immigrants born in Piqua, Ohio on December 6, 1920. His fascination with flying made him a licensed pilot at Seventeen. Lacking two years of college required to join the U.S. military, he instead headed for England in 1941 and became a member of the RAF and later transferred to the USAF. He soon surpassed his fellow Ohioan Eddie Rickenbacker to become the highest scoring fighter pilot in American history. The USAF decided to remove him from harms way and sent him home after flying 350 combat hours in 182 sorties and the leading ace. He was assigned to Wright Field in Dayton as a test pilot. After surviving all the Germans could muster, he was killed in a simple crash of a jet trainer while testing near Andrews AFB, Maryland.