Fighter Pilot

BULVERDE, Texas - Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner and Army's Mr. Inside in one of college football's most famous backfields, died Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Bulverde. He was 84. Mr. Blanchard had been in good health until recently coming down with pneumonia. "He's been strong all his life," said his daughter, Mary. A bruising fullback, Mr. Blanchard and Glenn Davis, known as Mr. Outside, helped Army win consecutive national titles in 1944 and 1945.

Baseball is the eternal game of childhood. It's a world of green grass, lengthening daylight, and dreams - and a perfect subject for children's books. In his afterword to "There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" author-illustrator Matt Tavares notes, "Ted Williams was far from perfect. He had a terrible temper. He swore too much. He threw tantrums. " Like all our heroes, Ted Williams may have had feet of clay, but he stands in a class by himself for "his unparalleled dedication to perfecting the art of hitting a baseball.

WASHINGTON — John R. Alison, a World War II fighter pilot who helped lead a daring and unprecedented Allied air invasion of Burma, now known as Myanmar, has died, a son said Wednesday. The retired Air Force major general and former Northrop Corp. executive died of natural causes Monday at his home in Washington, John R. Alison III said. He was 98. Mr. Alison’s wartime achievements included seven victories, six in the air, qualifying him as an ace, according to the Air Force Association, an independent organization in Arlington, Va., that promotes public understanding...

THE INFORMANT! **½ (HBO on Comcast ) The true story of corporate whistle-blower Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is given a bright, shallow satiric spin by director Steven Soderbergh. Damon is terrific as the delusional hero, and the movie's fun to watch, but you can tell it was a lot more fun to make, and that's a problem. (R; runs through Oct. 31) TY BURR STAR TREK: NEMESIS **½ (Showtime on Comcast) It's the 10th installment of the "Star Trek" series, but with all the crew changes, it might as well be called "Star Trek: Empty Nest.

KENNEBUNK, Maine - William Rogers, a World War II fighter pilot who served as national commander of the American Legion in 1976-77, died Wednesday at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford after suffering an abdominal aneurysm. He was 87. Mr. Rogers, the first Mainer elected to the American Legion's top national post, testified in that capacity before Congress in opposition to giving up the Panama Canal. An Auburn native who attended Syracuse University, Mr. Rogers joined the Navy when the war broke out. He began pilot training at the University of North Carolina with...

BEX, Switzerland - A Swiss pilot strapped on a jet-powered wing and leaped from a plane yesterday for the first public demonstration of the homemade device, turning figure eights and soaring high above the Alps. Yves Rossy's performance in front of the world press capped five years of training and many more years of dreaming. "This flight was absolutely excellent," the former fighter pilot and extreme sports enthusiast said after touching down on an airfield near Lake Geneva.

TUCSON -- A fighter pilot who made headlines for suing the Pentagon is about to become the Air Force's first female fighter squadron commander. Lieutenant Colonel Martha McSally, 38, takes over this summer as the new leader of the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The squadron, which has been in action in both Iraq and Afghanistan, has 27 A-10 and OA-10 attack jets and more than 60 pilots and crew members. McSally is the first active-duty female officer to lead an Air Force fighter squadron.

JERUSALEM - The son of an Israeli astronaut who died in the space shuttle Columbia disaster six years ago was killed yesterday when his F-16 warplane crashed on a routine training flight, the Israeli military said. The military identified the dead pilot as Captain Asaf Ramon, 21, son of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first and only astronaut. Ilan Ramon was one of seven crew members killed when Columbia exploded as it reentered the atmosphere in 2003, and he is a national hero in Israel.

THE INFORMANT! **½ (HBO on Comcast ) The true story of corporate whistle-blower Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is given a bright, shallow satiric spin by director Steven Soderbergh. Damon is terrific as the delusional hero, and the movie's fun to watch, but you can tell it was a lot more fun to make, and that's a problem. (R; runs through Oct. 31) TY BURR STAR TREK: NEMESIS **½ (Showtime on Comcast) It's the 10th installment of the "Star Trek" series, but with all the crew changes, it might as well be called "Star Trek: Empty Nest.

HARTFORD -- An Air Force fighter pilot who became a spokesman for sick Gulf War veterans died Thursday after a decadelong battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Retired Major Michael W. Donnelly, a South Windsor, Conn., native, was 46. He contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis during the Gulf War. His personal crusade and his 1998 memoir, "Falcon's Cry," contributed to the federal government's 2001 decision to pay medical and disability benefits to hundreds of Gulf War veterans with the disease.

Stephen C. Davenport of Jamaica Plain, a former Massachusetts senator, state representative, and Boston mayoral candidate, died Wednesday of heart failure at the Elizabeth Seton Residence in Wellesley. He was 87. "Steve was not only a great colleague, but also a champion for all Bostonians as well as a great friend," said former Boston mayor Raymond Flynn. "He will be missed by many in this town. " Born in Roslindale, Mr. Davenport was an avid baseball fan as a child and played first base on the Roslindale Royals under-16 team, which won many championships throughout...

WASHINGTON — John R. Alison, a World War II fighter pilot who helped lead a daring and unprecedented Allied air invasion of Burma, now known as Myanmar, has died, a son said Wednesday. The retired Air Force major general and former Northrop Corp. executive died of natural causes Monday at his home in Washington, John R. Alison III said. He was 98. Mr. Alison’s wartime achievements included seven victories, six in the air, qualifying him as an ace, according to the Air Force Association, an independent organization in Arlington, Va.,...

Charlie Sheen has met with executives at Live Nation Entertainment and is considering a series of stage shows, according to celebrity website RadarOnline. The concert promotion company declined to comment yesterday. CBS fired the 45-year-old star of the hit sitcom “Two and a Half Men’’ Monday after weeks of misbehavior and the actor’s public tirades against his studio bosses. Reasons for retiring Phil Collins has clarified his remarks about his recently announced retirement.

JACKSON, Miss. - Retired Air Force Colonel Jack Pitchford, a fighter pilot from Mississippi who survived seven years in the notorious Vietnamese prison camp known as the “Hanoi Hilton,’’ has died. He was 82. The Natchez, Miss., native died Wednesday after battling a brain tumor, said his brother, Jim, 64, of Baton Rouge, La. Colonel Pitchford was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and taken to Hoa Lo prison, a hellish place where many Americans, including US Senator John S. McCain and Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud’’ Day, endured brutal torture.

JERUSALEM - The son of an Israeli astronaut who died in the space shuttle Columbia disaster six years ago was killed yesterday when his F-16 warplane crashed on a routine training flight, the Israeli military said. The military identified the dead pilot as Captain Asaf Ramon, 21, son of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first and only astronaut. Ilan Ramon was one of seven crew members killed when Columbia exploded as it reentered the atmosphere in 2003, and he is a national hero in Israel.

BULVERDE, Texas - Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner and Army's Mr. Inside in one of college football's most famous backfields, died Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Bulverde. He was 84. Mr. Blanchard had been in good health until recently coming down with pneumonia. "He's been strong all his life," said his daughter, Mary. A bruising fullback, Mr. Blanchard and Glenn Davis, known as Mr. Outside, helped Army win consecutive national titles in 1944 and 1945.

Baseball is the eternal game of childhood. It's a world of green grass, lengthening daylight, and dreams - and a perfect subject for children's books. In his afterword to "There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" author-illustrator Matt Tavares notes, "Ted Williams was far from perfect. He had a terrible temper. He swore too much. He threw tantrums. " Like all our heroes, Ted Williams may have had feet of clay, but he stands in a class by himself for "his unparalleled dedication to perfecting the art of hitting a baseball.

JACKSON, Miss. - Retired Air Force Colonel Jack Pitchford, a fighter pilot from Mississippi who survived seven years in the notorious Vietnamese prison camp known as the “Hanoi Hilton,’’ has died. He was 82. The Natchez, Miss., native died Wednesday after battling a brain tumor, said his brother, Jim, 64, of Baton Rouge, La. Colonel Pitchford was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and taken to Hoa Lo prison, a hellish place where many Americans, including US Senator John S. McCain and Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud’’ Day, endured brutal torture.

JERUSALEM - Abie Nathan, the peace activist who made a dramatic solo flight to Egypt in a rattletrap single-engine plane and later founded the groundbreaking "Voice of Peace" radio station, died yesterday. He was 81. Mr. Nathan died at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the hospital said in a statement. He burst onto the world of Middle East diplomacy in 1966 with his solo flight more than a decade before Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty. Although he failed in his initial bid to talk peace with the Egyptians, his daredevil escapade won the affection of many...

BEX, Switzerland - A Swiss pilot strapped on a jet-powered wing and leaped from a plane yesterday for the first public demonstration of the homemade device, turning figure eights and soaring high above the Alps. Yves Rossy's performance in front of the world press capped five years of training and many more years of dreaming. "This flight was absolutely excellent," the former fighter pilot and extreme sports enthusiast said after touching down on an airfield near Lake Geneva.