Notable Personalities
Born, Raised, or Became Famous in Lake, Porter Counties Indiana
and Surrounding Illinois Communities. |
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Alexander Vraciu
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Born in East Chicago, Indiana on November 2, 1918. |
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 Alexander Vraciu was one of the Navy's top fighter aces in the Pacfic during WW II. With Wells Fargo in the 1970s he was a top trust offcer, leading the way in personal banking relationships.
Vraciu, born and raised in Indiana, joined the U. S. Navy just before Pearl Harbor and quickly qualifed as a carrier combat pilot. In 1943, over Wake Island, fying wingman to “Butch” O'Hare, he shot down his first plane. Vraciu's biggest day was June 19, 1944, during the “Marianas Turkey-Shoot” where he shot down six Japanese dive-bombers in only eight minutes. By the end of the War he had a score of 19 downed enemy planes, making him the fourth-ranked Navy ace. |
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| If you know of a notable personality that is not on this list, who was born or raised in Lake , Porter Counties Indiana or Surrounding Illinois Communities please feel free to e-mail your suggestions to: ljackson@lakeco.lib.in.us |
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