Fighter Pilots: A Warrior Clan

TAKE A HARD LOOK at the two young men in these photos. Do they look as if they were bent on killing one another? On the left we have a young, unknown enlisted Japanese pilot standing in front of a Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate," one of Japan's earliest monoplanes that led to the much vaunted Zero.

- BUDD DAVISSON

On the right we have Capt. Kenneth Taylor standing in front of the 15,000th Curtiss fighter delivered. The year is 1944, and both had established a long history as warriors.

Taylor, of course, will be forever known as one of the two pilots who, alongside George Welch, were immortalized in Pearl Harbor movies: Their headlong dash across the mountains in a convertible to climb into their P-40s and face the attackers on December 7 is the stuff of legend.

Like so many other young Japanese pilots, this one has been lost to history. Often confused with a known ace, detailed research has determined one fact: We don't know who he is-other than being a smiling young pilot who, like Taylor, found himself on the tip of the spear in a war he probably didn't totally understand. Which was irrelevant.

He was a warrior for the Empire, so understanding was neither expected nor even desired. The only requirement was dedication to duty. Is that so much different than Kenneth Taylor or any other warrior in any other war?