Capt. Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner was the the first American World War II ace when he shot down his fifth Japanese aircraft while operating out of Clark Field on December 8, 1941.

While Flying a reconnaissance mission out of Clark, Capt. Wagner was jumped by two Zeroes over Northern Luzon. As a trained aeronautical engineer, Capt. Wagner knew a great deal about the performance of the P-40.

With the Zeroes in pursuit, Capt. Wagner suddenly throttled back, letting the surprised enemy fly over his head. Then he poured machine gun bullets into their tales. Turning back, Capt. Wagner strafed a Japanese air field on the same run. The Japanese had 12 planes on the line and Capt. Wagner left five of them burning. "My gas was running low," he wrote in a report, "so I returned home."

Clark AB Wagner High School is named for Capt. Wagner. In honor of Capt. Wagner and the 21st Anniversary of the commissioning of Wagner High school, Fledgling '84 recognizes this World War II ace with the dedication of our yearbook in his name

- Fledgling '84