Duanes S. (Pappy) Larson, Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetDuanes S. (Pappy) Larson
American recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross
Date of Birth: 27-Oct-1916
Date of Death: 20-Sep-2005
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio 
About Duanes S. (Pappy) Larson
- Colonel Duane S.
- "Pappy" Larson, Army Air Corp, NDANG (October 27, 1916 – September 21, 2005) was an American World War II fighter pilot veteran and the 178th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Commander of the North Dakota Air National Guard in the 1950s.
- He is considered the “original” Happy Hooligan which was the moniker of 178th.
- The Happy Hooligans was a crack Air National Guard unit that went on to win the United States Air Force’s William Tell competition in 1992 and won the Hughes Trophy in 1995.
- Pappy Duane Larson was born in Regent, North Dakota and graduated from Regent High School.
- Duane joined the U.S.
- Army Air Corps in 1941.
- Originally he was assigned a truck driver position.
- After passing the suitability test he entered the Army Air Corps pilot program and did his flight training in Selma, Alabama and P51 training at Rice, California.
- As a P5l Mustang fighter pilot and Flight Commander Duane flew 68 combat missions in the European Theater during WW II with the 8th Air Force.
- Flying out of England, he escorted B-17 bombers to Berlin, providing cover against German fighters.
- His personal moniker was “Swede” during World War II and he earned six Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
- Between 1947 and 1950, Duane helped introduced aerial spraying to North Dakota, ran a local airport in Mott, North Dakota and barnstormed local events, county fairs and air shows.
- In 1951, Duane joined the North Dakota Air National Guard and served as the 178th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Commander.
- He flew the B-25, C-45, C47, T-6, F-5 1, T-33, F-94 and F-89 for the North Dakota Air National Guard and was the squadron commander during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the 178th was activated to regular duty.
- Duane was the first Air National Guard pilot to score a direct air-to-air hit on a drone.
- There was a cartoon during the 1950s called Pappy Easter and his Happy Hooligans and the 178th Fighter Squadron began calling themselves the “Happy Hooligans” and Larson, as their commander, became “Pappy”.
- It became Pappy Larson and his Happy Hooligans and this nickname has been adopted by the entire unit and still exists.
Read more at Wikipedia