The Chicago nightclub circuit of the 1930s knew Lou Reynolds as a handsome glib master of ceremonies who used to wow the customers with his own parody of My Blue Heaven. Lou Reynolds' real name was Louis Sebille, and that was the name he used during World War II when he flew 68 combat missions as a Marauder pilot, wound up with major's leaves and a chest full of medals.
After the war, Lou Sebille spent some time as a commercial airline pilot, finally decided to return to the Air Force as a career officer. He was again made a major and sent to a base in southern Japan. There, Lou Sebille rose to command of a Mustang squadron, used to like to lounge around his squadron's Quonset hut and talk about fighting and dying. "If you have to die," he used to say, "then take some of the enemy with you."
One day early last month, Lou Sebille was leading his squadron of Mustangs in a strike over Hamchang, Korea. A young captain from Texas was flying wing for him. Near Hamchang, the captain and Lou Sebille made a strafing pass at a cluster of Communist vehicles on the road below.
When the planes pulled out of the run, the captain noticed that Lou Sebille's plane was trailing smoke. He called Lou on the radio three times before he got an answer. Then Lou said simply: "I'm hit." The captain thought Lou was just talking about his plane; later, he realized that Lou had meant that he himself had been wounded, probably mortally. The captain suggested that Lou try to make it back to a U.S. emergency landing strip a few miles away.
Said Lou: "No, I'll never make it. I'm going back and get that bastard."
Then Squadron Leader Louis Sebille wheeled his Mustang around in the Korean sky, and bore down for the kill. With him he took himself, his plane, and a whole truckload of the enemy.