Legion of Merit[5] Jesús Antonio Villamor (November 7, 1914 – October 28, 1971) was a Filipino-American pilot, spy, and Medal of Valor awardee who fought the Japanese in World War II.

[3] He studied commerce at De La Salle College (now DLSU-Manila) in Manila, hoping to pursue a business career.

[3] During summer, he and his family went to Baguio and stayed in one of the government houses on Hogan's Alley, which are now assigned to Justice of Court of Appeals, just below Cabinet Hill along Leonard Wood Road.

As his father and uncles were lawyers, his parents were not too keen over Villamor's desire to take up flying and encouraged him to follow the family tradition of the legal practice.

Nevertheless, Villamor learned how to fly with a Cox-Klemin Aircraft at the Philippine Air Taxi Corp. in Grace Park that was located next to La Loma Cemetery.

William "Jitter Bill" Bradford, who was later to become the head of the "Bamboo Fleet" which served as the lifeline of the USAFFE during the Battle of Corregidor.

[8] Villamor also learned under Instructor Pilots and World War I aviator veterans Bert Hall, Charlie Heston, and Don Kneedler.

[9] After completing 20 hours of solo flying, Villamor proceeded to the Bureau of Aeronautics to apply for his pilot license, but flunked the test.

He was joined with six other students, Lt. Antonio Alandy, Francisco Reyes, Ramon M.Zosa, Andres O. Cruz, Jacob Ouiranle, and Azarias M. Padilla.

[9] Prior to returning to the Philippines, Villamor was sent to Selfridge Field in Detroit, to join the 94th Pursuit Squadron, under World War I top ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, flying Boeing P-26, along with World War II ace pilots John R. Allison and Philip Cochran.

[9] Returning to Manila in 1938, Villamor was assigned as Stage Commander of the PAAC in Zablan Field in Camp Murphy, and by 1939 was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and Director of Flight Training.

He swung his aircraft on a vertical left bank, putting it on a stall but training his guns towards a face-to-face engagement with the enemy.

Villamor and the PAAC flight attacked the lead aircraft of the Japanese Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bomber, scoring his second kill for the war.

[9] The 6th Pursuit Squadron returned to Nichols Airfield on December 13 with 4 remaining P-26s, and on the following day, Lt. Gozar in turn for the last time in the war was able scramble by himself to meet the Japanese raiders.

[29][30] While greatly outclassed and outnumbered, the accomplishment of the 6th Pursuit Squadron has become of a legend and a source of encouragement among the ground forces and the civilians who witnessed their defense over the skies of Luzon.

Colin Kelly, and Lt. Gozar were personally awarded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur the Distinguished Service Cross for their valorous defense of the airspace above Manila.

[31][32] Upon activation of War Plan Orange, the 6th Pursuit Squadron and the rest of the PAAC were ordered to destroy their aircraft inventory.

Gen. Harold Huston George, head of the Far East Air Force was tasked by MacArthur to conduct an aerial photography mission over Ternate, Cavite and search out the artillery placement of Maj. Toshinori Kondo.

Villamor's mission proved to be a success, as the films were delivered, the information was collated with the ground observers, and counterbattery fire was put into effect.

[35][36][9] At the end of February 1942, orders were relayed that half of the PAAC and FEAF officers were to be evacuated from Bataan and Corregidor, and report to Del Monte Airfield in Bukidnon.

Villamor was evacuated to Australia on a B-25 Mitchell Bomber along with Nat Floyd of the New York Times and Col. Chi Wang, the Chinese military attaché to the Philippines.

Villamor received instructions to report to the 35th Fighter Group in Williamstown near Melbourne, where he would be assigned as Director of Ground Training and Senior Flight Instructor on Curtiss P-40 Warhawks.

Here he would reconnect with an old friend and aviation maverick Paul "Pappy" Gunn, who was known to have made supply runs to Corregidor from Del Monte Airfield.

Villamor approached another old friend in MacArthur's staff in Brisbane, Maj. Joseph Ralph McMicking, a Filipino-Scottish-American reserve officer with the PAAC.

[39][9] On December 27, 1942, Villamor and his team, now called Planet Party boarded the submarine USS Gudgeon at the Brisbane River docks, and sailed towards the Philippines, and arriving in Hinoba-an on the southwestern shores of Negros Island on January 27, 1943.

[43] Villamor would leave Hinoba-an for Sipalay to identify a safe location for their radio station, hiking through the hills to avoid Japanese spies.

Abcede provided Villamor a thorough briefing of the guerrilla forces in the Visayas, and their current situation, disclosing to him also his contention with Maj. Placido Ausejo, who recognized the authority of Lt. Col. Wendell Fertig.

[9] After a month of conducting initial surveys and contacts with guerillas in the Visayas, Villamor's Planet Party was able to establish a chain of direct communication from the Philippines with General Douglas MacArthur.

Col. Villamor died on October 28, 1971, in Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., United States, and was buried with military honors at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, which is located about two kilometers from the Philippine Air Force Headquarters which bears his name.

By his conspicuous example of courage and leadership at great personal hazard beyond the call of duty his flight was enabled to rout the attacking planes, thereby preventing appreciable damage at his station.