Chesley Peterson was the first American fighter pilot to win both the Distinguished Service Cross and Britain’s Distinguished Service Order. He flew more than 130 combat missions and became an ace by downing nine German airplanes. But did you know he was dismissed by the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1939 after it found out he forged his birth certificate and was too young to fly! Lucky for the Allies, the Royal Air Force recruited him back into service.
