Charles Lindbergh with the hat on
Sadly, too few Americans knew then, or are aware even today, of the combat courage of Charles Augustus Lindbergh.
Lindbergh flew every combat mission with VMF-115 from the date of his arrival until the unit was sent home on June 1. He arrived a celebrity to the young Marines on Emirau, but became an admired friend, not for what he'd done twenty years before but for his courage and dedication in this new war.
During his visit to Foss and VMF-115 a photographer snapped a photograph of Charlie and Foss, which was promptly printed in Parade magazine, finally advertising to the world the man's presence in the war zone. (Lindbergh's Pacific mission had been sanctioned by the Navy without the knowledge or assent of the President.)
Major Foss was suddenly deluged with letters, hundreds of them, from citizens on the home front who had seen that photo. Most of the letters admonished Foss for associating with "bad company" and advised him to avoid Charles Lindbergh.
Foss was furious, as were the other men that flew missions with Charlie, and as a unit they undertook to answer each and every one of more than 700 such letters. Foss himself pulled no punches in his own replies, stating: "Lindbergh's out here fighting a war at his own expense while YOU'RE at home!"
