Roy Marlin Voris

This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message )

Often called a "fighter pilot's fighter pilot" and ranked with other better-known American military aviation greats such as

Voris was born in

It is therefore no surprise that in 1941 the twenty-two-year-old Voris answered the call of a recruiting poster and enlisted in the Navy. He related the story in an April, 2004 interview: "When the war clouds were rolling in, I was living in San Francisco. I walked past a big recruitment sign that said 'Fly Navy' with a pilot looking off into the wild blue yonder standing on the wing of the plane." Voris passed a series of exams and was called to duty in Oakland a month later. Voris entered the Navy's flight training program, and was still in flight school when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor.

He received his commission, was promoted to the rank of

Aboard the Hornet, Voris saw action in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of Tarawa, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea (the so-called "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" wherein over 300 Japanese aircraft were shot down by American fliers, who enjoyed a more than 12-to-1 kill-to-loss ratio in one day). It is during these engagements in the Pacific War that he earned "fighter ace" status, recording a total of eight confirmed fighter-to-fighter kills.

I shot down my first Japanese Zero at Guadalcanal. But I didn't see one coming up behind me and I got shot up and knocked out of the sky. I didn't bail out—they'll shoot you out of your parachute and if you go into the water the sharks will eat you. I was full of shrapnel wounds and had a dead stick—I'd lost the engine—but I got back to Guadalcanal. I was a lucky boy.

Voris rejoined the Enterprise and

After the War's end, Voris (now holding the rank of lieutenant commander) was assigned as Chief Instructor for advanced tactics at the Naval Advanced Training Command (NATC) at Naval Air Station Daytona Beach, Florida.

In 1946,

On June 15 Voris led a trio of Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats, specially modified to reduce weight and painted sea blue with gold leaf trim, through their inaugural 15-minute-long performance at the Southern Air Show at Jacksonville, Florida's Craig Field. The group, known simply as the "Navy Flight Exhibition Team", thrilled spectators with low-flying maneuvers performed in tight formations, and (according to Voris) by "...keeping something in front of the crowds at all times. My objective was to beat the Army Air Corps. If we did that, we'd get all the other side issues. I felt that if we weren't the best, it would be my naval career." The Blue Angels' first public demonstration also netted the team its first trophy, which sits on display at the team's current home in Naval Air Station Pensacola.

The team soon became known worldwide for its spectacular aerobatic stunts. During a trip to the "

In the Summer of 1947, Voris was attached to the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. (where he spent the next two years); he also married his high school sweetheart, Thea. From June 9, 1949 to January 20, 1950 Lt. Cdr. Voris led VF-113, the Stingers, home ported at Naval Air Station San Diego. The Blue Angels were officially recommissioned in October, 1951, and Voris was again tasked with assembling the flight team (he was the first of only two commanding officers to lead the group twice).

Voris returned to re-form and lead the Blue Angels, this time flying the combat-proven

Despite losing almost all control of his aircraft resulting from its nearly severed tail section, Voris miraculously managed to land safely; tragically, the pilot who hit the water died. The team was back in the air two weeks later. Voris stayed with the team until December 1952, when he was selected to take command of Satan's Kittens aboard the USS Princeton (CV-37). He was considered by the Blue Angels to be the "father" of the team right up until his death.

After his second tour with the "Blues", Voris rounded out his career by going on to skipper VF-191, and (after being promoted to the rank of commander) Attack Carrier Air Group 5 (CAG-5) aboard the USS Ranger (CVA-61). Voris retired at the rank of captain in 1963.

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Captain Voris went to work for the Grumman Corporation in

On October 10, 2005 a memorial service was held at the Fort Ord Main Chapel in the town of Seaside, California. Immediately thereafter, full military honors (which included a 21-gun salute and the traditional folding and presentation of the American flag) followed. The service ended with a six-plane missing man formation flyover by the Blue Angels. "Butch Voris' contributions to naval aviation and the nation's history were epic", said Cdr. Steve Foley, flight leader and commanding officer of the 2005 Blue Angels. "Concluding his memorial service with a fly-by the 2005 Blue Angel team will be a highlight of not only this season, but our careers as naval aviators as well. It truly reinforces our responsibility to preserve the legacy and ideals Boss Voris bestowed upon us 59 years ago. Said Lt. Garrett Kasper, public spokesman for the Blue Angels, "It is our team's honor to conduct a flyby, as our final salute to Captain Voris, and the most fitting way we can pay our respects to the Voris family."

To this day, in living tribute to their founder, The Blue Angels fly the tightest formations of any aerial demonstration teams, while executing precise maneuvers with a mere 18 inches wingtip-to-canopy separation.

• "We got paid sooner than the other guys, 'cause they expected you to die. We always said, 'you gotta kid about this stuff."
• "It's the precision and perceived daring and high risk that you see in the team. We come down to ground level so people can see the types of maneuvers fighters do in combat. I think the public deserves to see what their taxes are paying for."
• "You fly as close together as a couple of feet...every once in a while you do a little bump and so forth. People ask me, 'How close do they fly?' and I'll say if we hit each other, it's too close and if we don't, we're too far apart."

• List of people from California
• List of people from Los Angeles

• (2005). "The First Blue Angel." Miramar 50th Air Show Special Commemorative Program 18.
• (2005). "The Blue Angels History." Miramar 50th Air Show Special Commemorative Program 22.
• Blue Angels Timeline (1946–1980) accessed November 10, 2005.
• "First Blue: Monterey resident Butch Voris formed the nation's most-loved aviation team" article by Brett Wilbur in the April 1, 2004 edition of the Monterey County Weekly — accessed October 16, 2005.
• "Grumman and the Blue Angels" article by William C. Barto at the Grumman Memorial Park official website — accessed October 15, 2005.
• "Mission into Darkness" article by Clyde L. Bronn in the Fall, 2003 issue of Wings of Gold, a publication of the Association of Naval Aviation — accessed October 15, 2005.
• "The 'Great Marianas Turkey Shoot' Stymied Operation A-Go" article by David F. Winkler in the June, 2004 issue of Sea Power Magazine, the monthly journal of the Navy League of the United States — accessed October 18, 2005.
• The VA-113 Stingers official website — accessed November 30, 2005.
• VF-191 Squadron History official website — accessed November 30, 2005.

• Wilcox, Robert K. (2004). First Blue : The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels. St. Martin's Press, New York.
  ISBN 0-312-32249-6
  .

• First Blue Angel official website.
• Explore the Navy: Blue Angels official website.
• U.S. Navy Blue Angels Alumni Association official website.
• CAG-5 Cdr. R.M. "Butch" Voris article from the January, 1959 Issue of Naval Aviation News.
• California International Air Show, Salinas official website.
• Gathering of Eagles official website.