Thursday’s hot dead guy

Pierce McKennon

My goodness, is it hot in here, or is it just him???

Major Pierce McKennon was an American fighter pilot during World War II. Being a pilot confers automatic hotness, but this fella gets extra hotness points…he didn’t just serve in the American forces—our hero helped our Allies as well. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in early 1941, before the United States entered the war. After flying with the RCAF he became a member of the famous Eagle Squadron—a group of American pilots that flew with the Royal Air Force. Having served with both British and American air forces, he flew some of the best fighter planes of the era: the British Hurricane and Spitfire, and the American P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. Sexy!

McKennon joined the US Army Air Force in late 1942, and within two years he was one of his squadron’s aces, racking up five enemy kills over Europe. For his valiant efforts, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the French Croix de Guerre. Sadly, he was killed in 1947, in a training accident with a student pilot. Fortunately we can still appreciate his contributions to the war effort, as well as his ruggedly handsome face.