A Proud American: The Autobiography of Joe Foss

by Foss, Paul McCarthy (Illustrator), Donna Foss

Flying over Guadalcanal in the fall and winter of 1942-43, Joe Foss rewrote the aerial combat record books by becoming the first American to match legendary World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker's twenty-six victories, a feat that earned him the Medal of Honor.Remarkably, this high-scoring ace almost never made it into combat. Considered "too old" at twenty-seven, this superb aerial marksman had been retained in the States as an instructor pilot. Unfortunately for the opposing Japanese pilots, Joe wrangled his way to the Southwest Pacific where he got the most out of his rugged F4F Wildcat.

Genres: History, World War II, Autobiography

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Mark Mortensen]

The resume of Joe Foss portrays a highly accomplished man from the lot known as the “Greatest Generation”. He grew up on a rural farm in South Dakota and as a youth he envisioned a life full of aviation. When America entered WWII, Foss a highly skilled Marine Corps fighter pilot with a gift of 20-10 vision, wove his way to a primitive combat base at Guadalcanal where as a leader in the sky above he surpassed the victories of WWI “Ace of Aces” Eddie Rickenbacker and in the process he was bestowed with the Medal of Honor for bravery.

I found his friendship with his personal hero, famed aviator Charles Augustus Lindberg, to be very revealing. Leading up to America’s involvement in WWII Lindberg favored isolationism, but according to Foss his friend “Charlie” was also a WWII patriot, who as a civilian combat aviator downed an enemy fighter plane only to be told his services were against regulation. President Roosevelt as commander-in-chief severely blackballed Lindberg issuing a warning to all companies that they would automatically lose all government contracts if they hired him.

Following the war Foss’s Type “A” personality drove him to become a two-term Governor of South Dakota, the first commissioner of the American Football League, the featured television host of “The American Sportsman” and the “Outdoorsman” along with president of the National Rifle Association, yet his self-proclaimed greatest accomplishment was finally finding Jesus Christ as his savior.

[Chuck]

The story of a man who enjoyed an amazing career. A Marine Ace from the earliest days of the battle of Guadalcanal to a successful business man, one time 2 term Gov of South Dakota, the head of the American Football League at it's beginning who helped drive the merger with the NFL and multiple innovations in the game. A life time avid hunter, he would be the original host of the American Sportsman and the President of the NRA.

Book was actually written by his wife and certainly presents this amazing member of the Greatest Generation in a mostly favorable light. OTOH, you ain't bragging if you can do it and Joe Foss certainly live a full and rewarding life.

Always looking forward in life, always serving the greater good and always making this better with every role.

[Alex Shaikh]

A Proud American: The Autobiography of Joe Foss is more than just an autobiography—it’s an inspiration. It’s a story of true heroism, patriotism, and the kind of values that define America at its core.

For me, this book was a reminder of the blessings of freedom, the power of resilience, and the importance of living with integrity. Joe Foss’s life has inspired me to reflect on my own role as an American, and how I can honor the legacy of those who came before me by contributing to the country I love.

Reading this book has strengthened my sense of pride in being an American, and it has reaffirmed my commitment to living a life guided by purpose, humility, and service to others—just like Joe Foss did.

[Beth]

I really enjoyed the first half of this book which had to do with Joes beginning and Guadalcanal. That was exciting stuff. I didn’t like all the name dropping, I get it, he was famous but there were a lot of parts of this book that could have been skipped and condensed if so many names weren’t thrown around. Anyway, I also skipped the football stuff because that doesn’t interest me, but the first half was really good.

[Gary Santos]

Whew . . . you can make 10 movies about this guy's life.

[Robert]

Won the Medal of Honor as a fighter pilot, was the Governor of South Dakota, helped start the American Football League and he tells a pretty good story