"I had used up every bit of my ammunition. And I turned away, and at this point the Zeros found me." (Video interview, 17:11).

Samuel B. Folsom

Samuel Folsom in flight gear [n.d.] War: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953 Branch: Marine Corps Unit: VMF-121 (Marine Fighter Squadron); VMF(N)-533 (Marine Night Fighter Squadron) Service Location: Pacific Theater; Korea; Japan; Norway; United States; Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Enewetak Atoll (Marshall Islands) Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

Though he spent two years at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy training as a Merchant Marine, his enthusiasm for flying eventually brought Samuel Folsom to flight training and a commission with the Marine Corps. Dispatched overseas with very little flight time under his belt, and without any experience flying at altitude, his first combat missions were white-knuckle affairs. As part of famed Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-121, he experienced a number of close calls and memorable actions that took place during his missions to shoot down the enemy’s "Betty" planes. The Guadalcanal campaign was the beginning of a notable military career for Folsom, including (among many roles) stints as the Executive Officer for night fighter squadrons during World War II and Korea, as a test pilot for the Navy, as the Fleet Air Readiness Officer in the Office of Naval Operations in Washington, and as the Assistant Naval Attaché to Norway.