From the AP wire
Former World War II ace Foss, past South Dakota governor, hospitalized after aneurysm
Eds: SUBS 2nd graf with evening condition. ADDS 6th graf bgng ’In 1984..’ to add Foss in Avation Hall of Fame.
AP Photo WXS101
BEAVERTON, Mich. (AP) — Retired U.S. Marine Maj. Joseph J. Foss, a top World War II flying ace who served as governor of South Dakota and the first commissioner of the American Football League, was in critical condition Wednesday after suffering an apparent aneurysm.
Foss, 87, also a past president of the National Rifle Association, was in critical condition Wednesday evening at Covenant Medical Center Cooper in Saginaw, hospital spokesman Christine Bergman said.
He was visiting Beaverton when he suffered an apparent aneurysm Monday night. He was in town to support his great-nephew, who had applied to attend the U.S. Military Academy, and to speak at Beaverton High School Tuesday.
Foss, a fighter pilot in the South Pacific, was believed to be the first to break the 1918 aerial record of Eddie Rickenbacker, who shot down 25 German planes during World War I.
He led a Marine Air Force unit known as Joe’s Flying Circus, which shot down 72 Japanese planes. Foss, who destroyed 26 of those planes, was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart.
In 1984, Foss was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.
Foss returned to active duty as a colonel in the Air Force during the Korean War, becoming director of operations for the Central Air Defense Force. Later, he helped organize the Air National Guard in South Dakota and retired from the guard as a brigadier general.
Foss served as governor of his home state from 1954 to 1958, was commissioner of the American Football League from 1960 to 1966, and was president of the National Rifle Association from 1988 to 1990. He also hosted two television sportsmen’s shows, „The American Sportsman“ and „The Outdoorsman: Joe Foss.“
AP-ES-10-09-02 2249EDT
