First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and The Creation of The Blue Angels
- Book Review,
by Robert K. Wilcox
From Publishers Weekly
Opening with a graphic account of a mid-air collision, this bio of Voris, who founded the Navy’s famed aerial acrobatic team, gets the job done, but without the group’s pluck and aplomb. Before the founding, Voris flew two combat tours as a fighter pilot in the South Pacific, from 1942 to 1944. Among the numerous descriptions of his wartime experiences, the book includes accounts of his first landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier, his first aerial combat and his participation in the aerial melee known as "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"—in which 300 hundred Japanese planes were shot down. Wilcox (Black Aces High) presents vivid interviews with Voris himself about this period ("This voice... came on the radio and said ‘Shut up and die like a man.’ ...That’s the kind of attitude people had... Shut up. We got our own fight to deal with..."). In April 1946, Voris was tapped, as part of a Navy postwar public relations campaign, to form the Navy’s flight exhibition team—The Blue Angels. A landing gear collapse upon landing, the use of a captured Japanese Zero fighter for simulated aerial dogfights, and the death of one of his wartime comrades who crashed into the ground during air show acrobatics are all covered, along with the recruitment and the development of acrobatic maneuvers. Relinquishing command of the Blue Angels in 1947, Voris did stints in Korea, with the re-formed Angels, and later worked for Grumman and NASA. His mid-century pilot’s life comes through loud and clear here, as does the Navy’s internal workings—and those marvelous planes.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Ray Marlin "Butch" Voris joined the U. S. Navy during preparations for World War II. He became a fighter pilot who fought in three campaigns and ended as an ace with eight kills. After the war, when Admiral Nimitz proposed the precision flying team that became the Blue Angels, Voris served twice as its leader. During the second stint, which followed a tour of duty in Korea, he survived a disastrous midair collision to retire as a captain. His service to his country wasn't over, however, for he went to work for Grumman aircraft on the development of the F-14 Tomcat and the lunar lander, and his career ended at NASA. Wilcox is a master of aviation history, research, and the declarative sentence. Employing those attainments, he has produced a solid, readable biography of an outstanding member of the group of junior officers who were on WWII's front lines and gave further service after the war without receiving the honors they deserved. In the case of Butch Voris, consider that lack remedied. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
The Remarkable Story of a True Hero of American Aviation
The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels are the most famous flight demonstration team in the world. While millions of aviation enthusiasts see their shows every year, the story of the man who formed the squadron has never been told. He is Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris, a World War II Ace and one of only two aviators ever to command the Blue Angels twice.
First Blue details the epic journey of an unassuming man whose strong character and desire to fly launched him into a life of drama, heroism, and accomplishment unique in his field. Because he wanted to serve his country during World War II, a young Butch Voris found himself flying fighter planes as part of the pitifully prepared and outmanned front in the early stages of the Pacific theater. He was nearly killed there but went on to be a leader in one of the most fearsome naval air squadrons in the Pacific. As a pilot, Butch is unquestionably in the same class as more recognized aviator heroes such as Chuck Yeager and Pappy Boyington.
While his World War II experience alone could comprise a book, Butch may be best known for his efforts in the creation of the naval air demonstration team, the Blue Angels. After the war, Voris was personally chosen by Admiral Nimitz to start the Blue Angels and to lead them, first in prop planes and later in jets. The story of his efforts is as exciting as it is inspirational, and it's told here in meticulous detail and with great humor. Today the Blue Angels still follow traditions established by Butch.
Butch's involvement in military flight didn't end with the Blue Angels; he became a major player in the development of the F-14 Tomcat and NASA's Lunar Explorer Module for Grumman. Butch dedicated his life to his work, and here, finally, is the remarkable, untold account of this true American aviation pioneer and hero: a man whose life had unparalleled influence on naval aviation and whose legacy continues to inspire millions of Americans each year.
About the Author
Robert Wilcox is a former air force information officer and the author of Wings of Fury, Scream of Eagles, and other books. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife where he also writes television and movie scripts.
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