American Fighter Aces Association Oral Interviews

The American Fighter Aces Association (AFAA) Oral Interviews consists of oral histories with approximately 120 fighter aces and several non-aces, including relatives of aces, other military pilots, and military historians, recorded from the 1960s through the 1990s. It also contains several recorded events connected to fighter pilots, such as reunions and goodwill meetings, plus some assorted commercial recordings related to military aviation. The interviews, events, and commercial recordings are recorded on a total of 123 audio reels, 91 audiocassettes, four microcassettes, two data cartridges, and one compact disc. The original audio recordings are physically organized by media type. The finding aid is organized into three series: Interviews, Events, and Other Recordings. The interviews are further divided into two subseries: individual interviews, which are listed alphabetically by last name of subject, and group interviews, which feature multiple interviewees who were either interviewed collectively or in brief one-on-one sessions during military reunions.

The interviews on audio reels (approximately 121) were primarily conducted by Eugene A. Valencia, with occasional assistance from John Florea and others, on behalf of the AFAA during the mid to late 1960s. After Valencia passed away in 1972, one of his sons, Jerry, transcribed some of the interviews and compiled them into a book, Knights of the Sky, released in 1980. The interviews on audiocassettes (approximately 87) were conducted by or created on behalf of historian Eric M. Hammel during the late 1980s to late 1990s. In many instances, interviewees recorded their own oral histories at Hammel's request and sent the tapes to Hammel. Other oral histories were conducted directly by Hammel via in-person interviews or over the telephone. Hammel collected these interviews for various book projects about the fighter aces and some of them are featured in his The American Aces Speak series.

Most of the interviews focus on the interviewees' military service during either World War I or World War II, but a few also discuss their involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Military training and personal background are also discussed. Please note that some of the interviews contain offensive comments, such as racial slurs or impersonations, and graphic descriptions of wartime violence.

The Events series consists of recordings made during a BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) fighter pilots reunion, circa 1970, and a goodwill meeting between the AFAA and Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots’ Association in May 1961. The recordings feature highlights from the events, such as speeches and discussions between pilots about their service.

A few assorted recordings, such as Champlin Aircraft Museum radio commercials and commercially-produced radio documentaries about military aviation, are gathered under the Other Recordings series at the end of the collection.

As part of digitization and processing, transcripts were created of the oral interviews and events, but not for the materials in the Other Recordings series.