[Llarry]

Ahh...the smell of fresh paint. Here's a newly restored Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat in the markings of Lieutenant (junior grade) Alex Vraciu, 1944. Vraciu served with several fighter squadrons, ending the war with 19 victories. In December 1944 he was shot down over the Philippines and fought with Filipino guerillas for a period. He stayed in the Navy after the war and ended up commanding a couple of fighter squadrons before his retirement in 1964.