Future Medal of Honor Holder David McCampbell Waves his LSO paddles

Future Medal of Honor recipient David McCampbell waves his Landing Signal Officer (LSO) paddles while giving flight path guidance to an approaching aircraft on the USS Wasp (CV-7), probably in the North Atlantic during June 1942. The carrier was lost to a Japanese submarine on September 15, 1942. McCampbell became an “ace in a day” on June 19, 1944, during the “Marianas Turkey Shoot,” and then set a U.S. combat record on October 24, 1944, when he shot down nine Japanese aircraft in a single engagement, earning him the Medal of Honor.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-K-687
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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