 Complete the following phrase:  Vraciu was born in East Chicago, Indiana, of Romanian immigrant parents. He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and began his military career in 1941, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During his military service in World War II, Vraciu flew Grumman F6F Hellcats in the Pacific, spending five months as a wingman to his mentor, Edward Butch OHare, the navys first ace of the war. Vracius greatest success took place on June 19, 1944, during what became known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, when he engaged a Japanese fighter squadron in air-to-air combat, downing six Japanese aircraft in eight minutes using only 360 rounds of ammunition. In December 1944 Vraciu parachuted from his downed plane during a mission over the Philippines and spent five weeks with 