About
America's Original Bong Merch.
The story of the man, the plane, the park, and the merch that was always going to happen.
The Man
Richard Ira Bong was born on September 24, 1920 in Superior, Wisconsin. He was the eldest of nine children, the son of Swedish immigrants who farmed the land and raised their family with straightforward Wisconsin values. Nobody suspected he would become the most lethal fighter pilot in American history.
He fell in love with flying young. By the time he entered the Army Air Corps in 1941, he was already exceptional behind the controls of an aircraft. His instructors knew it. His fellow cadets knew it. The Japanese pilots who faced him in the Pacific would learn it the hard way.
He flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning — a distinctive twin-boom, twin-engine interceptor that looked like nothing else in the sky. The P-38 was a complicated, high-performance machine that many pilots found difficult. Bong flew it like it was an extension of himself.
He painted the name "Marge" on the nose of his plane — after Marjorie Vattendahl, the Superior girl he intended to marry when he came home. He kept a photo of her in the cockpit.
The Record
By late 1944, Major Richard Bong had accumulated 40 confirmed aerial victories — more than any American pilot who ever flew. He was pulled from combat duty by General MacArthur himself, who reportedly said he was too valuable to lose in the air.
On December 12, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur pinned the Medal of Honor on Bong's chest in a ceremony in the Philippines. He was 24 years old.
His full record:
- Medal of Honor
- Distinguished Service Cross (2)
- Silver Star (7)
- Distinguished Flying Cross (8)
- Air Medal (15)
No American pilot has matched his 40 confirmed victories. Not in Korea. Not in Vietnam. Not anywhere. The record stands.
The Homecoming
Bong came home to Wisconsin a hero. He married Marge on February 10, 1945. The papers covered it. The state celebrated. Wisconsin had its legend.
He returned to California to test new jet aircraft for the Army Air Forces. On August 6, 1945 — the same day the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima — Major Richard Bong was killed when his P-80 Shooting Star experienced an engine fuel pump failure on takeoff from Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank. He was 24 years old.
Wisconsin named a bridge after him. Then a state recreation area.
The Park
Richard Bong State Recreation Area was established in 1974 in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. 4,500 acres of restored tallgrass prairie, wetland, and upland habitat on land that was originally cleared for a military airport that was never built.
It is a genuinely beautiful park. It has 17 miles of multi-use trails, three lakes, camping, hang-gliding, horseback riding, and a nature center. Thousands of people visit every year.
The park sign says "BONG STATE RECREATION AREA." People have been photographing themselves in front of it for decades. You know why.
We just made the shirt.
Buy Marge Back
When Bong flew his last combat mission in 1944, "Marge" — his P-38 — stayed behind. The plane was eventually lost to the jungles of New Guinea, where it sat for 80 years.
In 2024, a recovery team located the wreck of Bong's original P-38. The aircraft is remarkably intact. Bringing her home would require a significant recovery and restoration effort — and it would result in the most significant WWII aviation artifact in Wisconsin history.
We think Major Bong deserves to have his plane back. So does Marge. So does Wisconsin.
5% of every BongMerch.com net sale goes directly to the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin. The museum is dedicated to preserving his legacy and honoring all veterans. As BongMerch grows, we intend to dedicate resources to the Marge recovery effort directly.
Buy a shirt. It's a small thing. But it's something.
BongMerch.com is an independent brand inspired by Richard Bong State Recreation Area. We are not affiliated with Wisconsin DNR or the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, but we do support their mission.