Edward grew up in nearby Elida, where his extended family had dairy farms. Fascinated by flight, he joined the civilian pilot training program, which was creating a pool of prospective military pilots as war loomed. “We went up there and found out what the Navy stuff was all about and they said, ‘Hey, we’ll take you this afternoon,’” Admiral Feightner said. Lieutenant Commander O’Hare nicknamed him Whitey as a little joke, since he turned deep red instead of tanning in the Hawaiian sun. He was known as Whitey Feightner thereafter.

Source: New York Times April 04, 2020 14:03 UTC