Fredric Arnold was a P-38 Fighter Pilot in World War II. He served with the 71st Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, United States Army Air Force (USAAF), based at Chateau dun du Rommel, Algeria, March through June 1943 and Mateur, Tunisia, June through July 1943. Fredric Arnold completed fifty combat missions in North Africa, destroyed seven enemy aircraft, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf clusters. On his return from combat, Arnold test flew America's first jet, designed and developed power steering for aircraft, and was promoted to the rank of Major at the age of twenty-three. In 1981, Arnold published the autobiographical novel "Doorknob Five Two" based on his wartime experiences.