Wall Street Journal
A Patriot Passes
Joe Foss, who died Wednesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., had quite a life. As a Marine Corps pilot in World War II, he shot down 26 enemy planes in four months, winning a medal of honor. In 1955 he became governor of South Dakota, but his political career ended when he lost a House race to another World War II pilot, George McGovern. He had many careers after that, though: He spent six years as the first commissioner of the American Football League. He hosted two television programs in the '60s and '70s, "The American Sportsman" on ABC and the syndicated "The Outdoorsman: Joe Foss." He served as president of the National Rifle Association from 1988 to 1990, and in 2001 he established a nonprofit organization "to build an understanding of freedom, its cost and patriotism in school-age children," the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Times' obit doesn't, however, mention the incident that most recently put Foss in the news: As we noted last year, Foss was hassled by America West Airlines' security staff when he tried to board a plane while carrying his Medal of Honor.
Foss was 87; may he rest in peace.
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