First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels

by Robert K. Wilcox

Book Overview

The remarkable story of a true American hero--part Rocket Boys, part military history, part The Right Stuff. This is the story of Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris, the man who created and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312322496
• ISBN13: 9780312322496
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

An excellent history of the early Blue Angels

The book is well written and the author has done an excellent job of describing the man and his work.

"Take charge. Go do it."

First Blue is a sterling biography of one of the best known and most admired Naval aviators of the 20th century--Butch Voris, who not only started the Blue Angels after WW II, but restarted them after the interruption of the Korean War. In detailing Butch's career from his aerial combat in the Pacific to his service with NASA and the space program, Wilcox shows us a man of unflagging courage, devotion to his craft and his country, and constant pursuit of perfection in the performance of his duties. In incident after incident, Butch's character emerges dramatically--the character accurately understated in a 1943 fitness report by his first skipper, Jimmy Flatley: "He has a very strong personality." His perfectionism saved the lives of his flying teammates, as well as his own life, many times over. The hair-raising air show disaster Wilcox opens the book with is only the first of a series of near-death experiences for Butch. As zealous in implementing good ideas of others as in pursuing his own innovations, he improved on almost every aspect of Navy practices and procedures he came in contact with, including the squadron-basing system for the Pacific fleet and methods of choosing and developing the best aircraft for the Navy's needs. Wilcox is especially informative on the politics that cause turkeys like the F7U Cutlass to be purchased by the Defense Department--but rejected by Butch for the Blue Angels. And he reveals how Butch's detective work was instrumental in exposing the dishonesty in General Dynamics' development of the F111B fighter, crediting Butch with "raising the F-14 [Tomcat] from the F111B's ashes." A vivid encounter with Defense Secretary Robert McNamara helps us understand how a brilliant business leader can disastrously mislead the government and the armed forces. Honesty and loyalty were rarely, if ever, in conflict for Butch. He repeatedly risked his reputation and career for the sake of both. Wilcox often reveals Butch's motivations through his own words: "Every time you are put to a test and survive, you learn something more. I think it was just my nature. Take charge. Go do it. I'm a great believer in that. It's my basic instinct." First Blue is as informative on the technicalities of flying a hot fighter plane as it is on military-industrial politics. Wilcox's description of the difficulty of landing a prop-driven fighter on a pitching aircraft carrier deck is the best I've read, and for an encore he vividly shows us how doing it in a jet fighter is even trickier. Wilcox also includes countless nuggets like how Butch got his name, how he had an unexpected chat with Winston Churchill after the war, and how he saved the fledgling Tailhook Association from the risks of south-of-the-border partying. Butch Voris will forever be inseparable from the Blue Angels, the foremost precision flight team in the world, but this book shows convincingly that his contributions to America's superiority in the air a

Interesting Time, Interesting Person

In March of 1941, Butch Voris joined the Navy as a pilot trainee. This was a time of peace. But before his training ended, it was no longer peace time. The country and soon Butch Voris was at war. The planes they flew were Wildcats, not exactly the best machines to use up against Zeros. Not to many of the early fliers survived the war, but in spite of a number of close calls Butch did. After the war Butch was personally selected by Admiral Nimitz to set up a demonstration team to attract people to join the Navy. He did, it was called the Blue Angels. Before too long, another little situation came up called Korea. After that Butch went back to the Blue Angels, the only person ever to command it twice. Butch Voris eventually left the navy and went ot work for Grumman, being involved in the development of the F-14. The book is well written, and covers an interesting period of an interesting person's life.

A Great Tale of a Great American

Robert Wilcox deserves high praise for chronicling the untold tale of a true American hero, Butch Voris, in "First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels." In a comprehensive but lively narrative, Wilcox traces Voris' remarkable story from his southern California early childhood through hair-raising aerial battles in WWII's Pacific theatre, to Commander Voris' founding of the Navy's elite Blue Angels. Wilcox's history of the Pacific War from the perspective of our fighter pilots on the carriers Enterprise and Hornet was particularly gripping, especially the critically important battles of Guadalcanal and Guam. Those not intimately familiar with the history of the War with Japan in the Pacific may be surprised at how woefully out manned and outgunned the US fleet was, especially following the crippling attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet the incredible odds surmounted by the US forces testify to the valor and bravery of pilots like Voris and his peers who, only a matter of months prior, were merely young and untrained American civilians. Yet while Voris' combat missions during WWII provide more than enough content for a complete book, this was only the prelude to the story of the Blue Angels. In short, for the Naval history buff, "First Blue" is an indispensable addition to the library. But more importantly, in the troubled times in which we live, the story of Butch Voris is a true inspiration and beacon of bright light - the epic of a great American patriot who, through humility and quite accomplishment, embodies all that we should hold dear in our leaders and our heroes.

The First Blue Angel

The Navy's Blue Angels are ambassadors of American ingenuity, prowess and accomplishment in the air. They are the premiere flight demonstration team in the world and proud symbol of not only Naval Aviation, but the entire US Navy. Their aerial acrobatics thrill million of spectators every year. Their show is always a major highlight of Commissioning Week at Annapolis. Nobody knows reliably how many people were influenced to join the Navy by the Blue Angels, but it is a considerable number. How did they start? How have they endured for 58 years since their founding in 1946? What basic tenets underpin their success? This, and much more, is the subject of a new book, "First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels" by Bob Wilcox. This Book should appeal to anyone who has felt the thrill of aviation in their veins while watching a Blue Angels air show. It should also appeal to a broader audience. With a great story to tell, Wilcox has crafted a stirring naval action narrative that often reads like an adventure novel-covering Voris' entire life. The story ranges from heroic, tragic, humorous to absurd, but is always spellbinding. Today Butch Voris is one of approximately 70 inductees in the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor in Pensacola, Fl. When he was selected to start the Navy Flight Demonstration Team, he was only a 26 year old, Pacific veteran and ace, a fighter pilot passing along the hard lessons learned in WWII by teaching tactics at NAS Jacksonville. With the war over, the Navy, worried about recruitment, decided they needed something special to attract positive attention for recruiting purposes. The years before the war had seen military flight demonstration teams come and go. There was trepidation about starting another because the nation was reaping a peace dividend and Congress might see an air show enterprise as superfluous. The Navy decided to go ahead anyway. Voris was told to take his startup practices out over the Everglades so that if there were any crashes, only the alligators would know. Resources were initially limited to those on hand in the training command. What magic has carried the Blue Angels from these humble beginnings to world renown? How did a newly minted LCDR, a product of the NavCad Program, with only two years of college education, come to be selected as the first leader of the Blues.? "First Blue" succinctly covers the events that shaped Voris in the crucible of the Pacific War and prepared him, after little more than five years Navy service, to create the Blue Angels and the Blue Angel culture of success. After seeing a naval aviation recruiting poster, he started his career in early 1941. By fall 1942, he was on the Enterprise in some of the darkest days of the Pacific War. He participated in several of the Naval Actions in the Battle for Guadalcanal. Voris also flew to Guadacanal, became part of the vaunted "Cactus Air Force," shot down his first Japanese