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[[Image:James Swett.jpg|thumb|right|Colonel James Swett, USMCR]]

[[Image:James Swett.jpg|thumb|right|Colonel James Swett, USMCR]]

'''James E. Swett''' was a fighter pilot and ace in the [[United States Marine Corps|US Marines]] in [[World War II]].  He earned the [[Medal of Honor]] for heroism on his very first combat mission, and finished the war with fifteen and a half aerial victories.

'''James Elms Swett''' was a fighter pilot and ace in the [[United States Marine Corps|US Marines]] in [[World War II]].  He earned the [[Medal of Honor]] for heroism on his very first combat mission, and finished the war with fifteen and a half aerial victories.

Swett was born on June 15, 1920, in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]], and attended college in San Mateo, [[California]], before enlisting in the Naval Reserves in August 1941.<ref>[http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/Swett_JE.htm Who’s Who in the Marine Corps]</ref>  He became an aviation cadet and earned his wings as a Marine Corps aviator in April 1942, being assigned soon after to VMF-221, the “Fighting Falcons”.  The unit, equipped with F4F Wildcat fighters, arrived at [[Guadalcanal]] on March 16, 1943.  By this time in the war, Guadalcanal and some surrounding islands had been secured, but most of the rest of the [[Solomon Islands]] chain was still occupied by the Japanese.  Swett had his baptism of fire three weeks later.  Having finished a morning patrol on April 7, he was sent up again in the afternoon after coastwatchers spotted a large group of Japanese planes headed straight for the Marine base.  The group turned out to be 67 [[Aichi D3A|Val dive bombers]] escorted by 110 [[Mitsubishi Zero|Zero fighters]].  When they came into visual range, Swett’s fellow flyer, John “Smiley” Burnett from VMF-214, was heard to say, “Holy Christ!  There’s millions of ‘em.”<ref name="MyFirstRef">''Semper Fi in the Sky:  The Marine Air Battles of World War II'', by Gerald Astor, Presidio Press, 2005</ref>  Meeting the Japanese were 76 Marine, Navy, and Army fighters.

Swett was born on June 15, 1920, in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]], and attended college in San Mateo, [[California]], before enlisting in the Naval Reserves in August 1941.<ref>[http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/Swett_JE.htm Who’s Who in the Marine Corps]</ref>  He became an aviation cadet and earned his wings as a Marine Corps aviator in April 1942, being assigned soon after to VMF-221, the “Fighting Falcons”.  The unit, equipped with F4F Wildcat fighters, arrived at [[Guadalcanal]] on March 16, 1943.  By this time in the war, Guadalcanal and some surrounding islands had been secured, but most of the rest of the [[Solomon Islands]] chain was still occupied by the Japanese.  Swett had his baptism of fire three weeks later.  Having finished a morning patrol on April 7, he was sent up again in the afternoon after coastwatchers spotted a large group of Japanese planes headed straight for the Marine base.  The group turned out to be 67 [[Aichi D3A|Val dive bombers]] escorted by 110 [[Mitsubishi Zero|Zero fighters]].  When they came into visual range, Swett’s fellow flyer, John “Smiley” Burnett from VMF-214, was heard to say, “Holy Christ!  There’s millions of ‘em.”<ref name="MyFirstRef">''Semper Fi in the Sky:  The Marine Air Battles of World War II'', by Gerald Astor, Presidio Press, 2005</ref>  Meeting the Japanese were 76 Marine, Navy, and Army fighters.