<p>John Wolf, 94, of Hansville flew the Hellcat in World War II in the Pacific theatre. He is being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at a reception in Washington D.C.. He is holding scrapbook book with a photo of himself in the cockpit of the plane. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN</p>

SHARE photos by Larry Steagall/Kitsap sun John Wolf, 94, of Hansville flew the Hellcat in World War II in the Pacific theater. He is being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at a reception May 20 in Washington, D.C. He has a sweeping view from his Hansville neighborhood. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN ABOVE: John Wolf, 94, of Hansville flew the Hellcat in World War II in the Pacific theater. He is being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at a reception May 20 in Washington D.C. This is his log book with some Japanese plane kills. LEFT: John Wolf, 94, of Hansville flew the Hellcat in World War II in the Pacific theater. He is being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at a reception May 20 in Washington D.C. He has a sweeping view from his Hansville neighborhood. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN John Wolf, 94, of Hansville flew the Hellcat in World War II in the Pacific theater. He is being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at a reception May 20 in Washington D.C. He was sent a telegram about the birth of his daughter when he was active in the theater. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

By Terri Gleich

HANSVILLE — Fighter pilot John "Mike" Wolf shot down seven Japanese aircraft during World War II, but he almost didn’t make it into flight school.

Determined to enlist after the shock of Pearl Harbor, the 20-year-old had already been rejected by the Coast Guard for being too skinny when he set his sights on naval aviation.

His mom didn’t think the Navy would take him because he wore glasses. But Wolf left his spectacles at home when he went for his physical. An absent-minded doctor did the rest.

Wolf was about to get his eyes tested when the doctor was called away. “When he came back, he said, ‘Didn’t I already examine your eyes?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir,’” the Hansville retiree recounted. “They never checked my eyes, and I didn’t wear glasses for four years. I was able to see well enough to get the plane off the ground.”

He did more than that. Wolf excelled during 1,100 hours of flying as part of the legendary VF-2 Rippers, a squadron that boasted a record 25 aces by war’s end. Aces are pilots credited with destroying at least five enemy aircraft.

“It had never happened before, and it won’t again,” said Wolf, 94, noting the changing nature of modern combat.

As the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches, American fighter aces are being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their pivotal role in fighting wars from World War I through Vietnam.

The honor is coming at a critical time, said J.D. Wyneken, administrative director of the American Fighter Aces Association housed at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

Only 73 of the country’s 1,500 aces are alive. Most served during World War II and are in their 90s. “Three years ago, there were double that number,” Wyneken said. “We’re losing two a month. This honor is a big deal for that reason.”

About 35 of the aces, including Wolf, are expected to attend a May 20 ceremony in the U.S. Capitol with congressional leaders and a VIP reception at the National Air and Space Museum. The gold medal, which is being awarded to the aces as a group, will be presented to the Smithsonian and could eventually be displayed at the Museum of Flight. Each living ace will get a bronze replica.

“I felt honored and appreciated that they’re recognizing people who did this job,” said Wolf, who earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and nine Air Medals during the war.

The Museum of Flight is covering the transportation, meal and lodging costs for the aces to ensure that as many as possible can attend what will probably be the last major gathering of the heroic group.

“These are among the best pilots in all of human history,” Wyneken said. “This is a final thank you. A final recognition.”

Along with his wife, Carol, 17 of Wolf’s family members are making the trip to Washington, D.C., including four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

One of the great-grandchildren, 16-year-old Rachel Singleton, recently studied World War II at Kingston High School without knowing that the family patriarch played an important role.

“I’m really excited he’s getting honored for this because if he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have realized how special it was.”

For daughter Diane Quayle, who was born while Wolf was serving in the Pacific, the award symbolizes a life well-spent. “He’s being rewarded for his outstanding service to our country, but it’s also about being able to endure the war, have it be a part of who you are, but go on to lead an admirable life and not be defined by it.”

After he was discharged, Wolf returned to his native Long Beach, Calif., and had a career as a financial planner.

Admiration for Wolf’s role in the war goes well beyond his immediate family. He gets letters from all over the world seeking his autograph and responds with a signed photo of himself as a young pilot in flight gear, standing next to his Grumman Hellcat.

When Wolf entered the war, he said, “The Japanese were kicking the heck out of us in aviation activities.”

During the next 3 ½ years, he witnessed a shift as the Japanese lost experienced fighter pilots and increasingly turned to kamikazes trained to crash into ships rather than engage one-on-one in dogfights.

Wolf’s wife documented his war years in a detailed scrapbook. One special memento is a piece of silk torn from a Japanese parachute in June 1944. Wolf had shot down three planes near the Mariana Islands and was out of ammunition when he saw buddy H.B. Duff Jr. bail out. A parachuting Japanese pilot was coming down almost on top of him, so a quick-thinking Wolf flew through the top of the enemy’s chute. Duff was captured by the Japanese, however, and killed.

About 25 percent of Wolf’s squadron was lost during the war, he said, many to mechanical failure and navigation errors.

Wolf’s initiative also was evident during a nighttime attack on the Japanese fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The pilot took off but was forced to return to the carrier with an oil-covered windshield when a seal broke in his propeller.

Knowing that pilots who were low on fuel were going down in dark seas 50 to 75 miles away, Wolf introduced himself to the captain and asked whether it would be a good idea to retrieve rubber boats from the planes still aboard the carrier, inflate them and throw them overboard to mark the spot for daylight search and rescue. The captain agreed and Wolf set to work.

Fifteen planes from his squadron were missing after the battle, but all of the pilots were recovered. “After a week or so, we got back every single one of our guys.”

Wolf doesn’t know whether any of those survivors will be at the D.C. event, but if they are, he looks forward to reminiscing about an era of aerial combat that will never be seen again.