Big Jim seems like a favorite amongst VF-17 fans, he's the image of what a pilot with from the Jolly Rogers should look like. He finished the war with 5.5 kills and shot down the first Ki-61 "Tony" in the South Pacific Islands which was also his first full victory. In that engagement on November 11, 1943 he looked up saw boxed wings and thought it was the Hellcats, only to look down and see they were below him. "It was the whole Japanese force coming in from Rabaul and Buka toward the carries". Big Jim radioed the C.I.C. on the Bunker Hill and told them "hold theirs hats because all spam was about to hit the fan!" He and Danny Cunningham managed to get above the strike and the Tony went into a 30 degree dive from 20,000 to 10,000 ft, they were able to overtake him rapidly at which the Tony went into a 45 degree dive to 200 ft. Big Jim opened up fire at 300 ft and the Ki-61 exploded just above the water.
He tallied 2.5 Zekes, his final kills on January 27, 1944 to become an ace. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Gold Stars and an Air Medal with six Gold Stars upon his arrival home. He served in the Navy till he retired in 1969 as a Commander and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal.
Streig's plane is the only one we can confirm had the red outline around the insignia, that came from his own mouth and has been reiterated by his son. Pictures of his plane the outline is much more muted than the others photoed with it, along with a photo of the plane stateside on a barge that it's clearly not blue. I don't know how or why his manged to fly until march 1944 with it red, maybe he liked it and know one wanted to be the one to change it.
bigjim1 by
whitemanLS1, on Flickr
bigjim by
whitemanLS1, on Flickr