Eddie Rickenbacker
War Hero
American flying ace who was also a celebrity race car driver, airline executive, and presidential advisor.
He was considered too old to fly combat missions in World War I, but he proved his doubters wrong by scoring 26 war-time kills.
He bought Eastern Airlines during the inter-war period and negotiated air mail routes with the federal government, bringing his airline to national prominence.
He was born in Ohio to Swiss immigrant parents.
He flew a World War II mission to aid General Douglas MacArthur. His plane went down en route to the General, but Rickenbacker and some of his crew survived.