William P. Driscoll

William P. Driscoll
June 1972 - Lieutenant (JG) William P. Driscoll (right) and Lieutenant Randall H. Cunningham in a ceremony honoring them, the Navy's only Vietnam War air "Aces"
Nickname(s)	"Willy Irish"
Born	March 5, 1947 (age 70)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Rank	Commander
Unit	VF-96 "Fighting Falcons" VF-124 "Gunfighters"
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Navy Cross Silver Star (2) Purple Heart

William P. "Willy Irish" Driscoll (born March 5, 1947) is a retired Commander in the United States Navy. A Naval Flight Officer (NFO), Driscoll and his aircrewmate, Naval Aviator Duke Cunningham, became flying aces during the Vietnam War, the only naval aircrew to do so (along with three United States Air Force pilots), and they remain the Navy's most recently minted aces. Driscoll received the service's second-highest decoration, the Navy Cross, for his role in a 1972 dogfight with North Vietnamese MiGs.

Driscoll was born March 5, 1947, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stonehill College, North Easton, Massachusetts in 1968, and a Master of Science degree in Systems Management from University of Southern California in 1978.

In 1968, Driscoll graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School and received his commission as an Ensign (ENS) in the Naval Reserve. After initial flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, he completed advanced flight training at Naval Air Station Glynco, Georgia, and received his Naval Flight Officer wings in 1970. He was selected to fly the F-4 Phantom II as a Radar Intercept Officer (RIO). He was assigned to Fighter Squadron 121 (VF-121) at NAS Miramar, California, for fleet replacement squadron training in the F-4J, then to Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96) The Fighting Falcons, also based at NAS Miramar. As a lieutenant junior grade (LTJG), he served as a RIO with his primary pilot, Lieutenant Randy "Duke" Cunningham. They became the Navy's only two flying aces during the Vietnam War while VF-96 was embarked on a Western Pacific deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation.