Roy Marlin Voris, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Roy Marlin Voris

Recipient of the Purple Heart medal

Date of Birth: 19-Sep-1919

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Death: 10-Aug-2005

Profession: military officer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Captain Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris (September 19, 1919 – August 10, 2005) was an aviator in the United States Navy, a World War II flying ace, and the founder of the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels.
During his 22-year naval career Voris flew everything from biplanes to modern jets, and afterward was instrumental in the development of the Navy's F-14 Tomcat strike fighter and NASA's Apollo Lunar Module (LM), both produced by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation. Often called a "fighter pilot's fighter pilot" and ranked with other better-known American military aviation greats such as Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and Chuck Yeager, Voris was a big man with close-cropped hair, known for his even-temperedness and coolness in the cockpit.
Owing to his superb piloting skills, he survived numerous accidents and emergency situations.
Voris was nearly killed by a Japanese Zero that attacked his aircraft during the defense of Guadalcanal in what he later described as his first "real" dog fight (which earned him a Purple Heart).