SD Governor Joe Foss Created “Red Devils” Flying Team in 1948

by Duke Doering

     On July 2 in 1948 the South Dakota Air National Guard had an organized aerial precision flying team, the “Red Devils”. The team was created by Joe Foss, with Foss, Justin Berger, Bill Downey, and Bob Reid as its original members (left to right in photo).  They practiced precision flying and gained a reputation of excellence that extended across the United States.

     The “Red Devils” were extended invitations to perform throughout the nation.  The team’s performance at 85 air shows in 1948 further exposed the American public to precision flying and the beauty of air power.

     In 1949 the “Red Devils” performed at the Sioux Falls airfield with live ordnance being demonstrated. The event was described by General Justin Berger as one, “When rockets went off there were loud explosions, so it was kind of a crowd pleaser.”   The “Red Devils” flew the F-51D Mustang aircraft.

     Note:  USMC BAR-gunner Dallas Blomquist of Piedmont remembers Joe Foss on Guadalcanal in 1942, when he traded a captured Japanese sword for a quart of whiskey.  “Medal of Honor aviator Joe Foss was the officer with the whiskey.”  Foss went on to become governor of South Dakota. Blomquist also recalls the Navajo code talkers who were part of his unit, as well as his battalion commander Chesty Puller.