Ace!: Autobiography of a Fighter Pilot, World War II

Paisley flew 172 missions in the European theater, shooting down nine German planes before his 21st birthday, and his account of that phase of his life (written with his wife) is interesting. But even more appealing and well written are his reminiscences of growing up in Oregon during the Depression, concocting hilarious mischief with his pals, discovering girls and cars (Paisley was a serious hot-rodder) and working in logging camps until he joined the Army Air Corps in 1942. After the war Paisley became the youngest-ever bar owner in Oregon; Curley's Roseway Tavern was a big moneymaker until it was flooded out of business. He then bought a 55-foot ketch and took to the high seas until a storm put it out of commission; at the time his father inquired, ``Mel, what are you planning to do when you grow up?'' Paisley eventually settled down to a career in the aerospace industry; later he served as an assistant secretary of the Navy. His memoir--essentially the life story of a bumptious macho character with a strong gift for friendship--captures the enthusiasms, ribaldry and sensibility of an American male of a bygone era. Photos. (July)