CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Coastal Bend hero has passed away.
Veteran George Kirk was a World War II fighter pilot who trained at NAS-Corpus Christi. He earned two distinguished flying crosses during his service and shot down seven Japanese Zeros while flying off the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill from Iwo Jima to the Philippines.
As American forces fought their way across the Pacific, he was there flying the F6F Hellcat fighter.
"You have to remember, we were 22 years old and they gave us the best airplane that had ever been developed up to that point," Kirk told 3NEWS at his 100th birthday. "It was just one hell of a good time."
He was 101 years old. Our condolences to his family and friends.
