From ace fighter pilot to Vietnam War hero to member of Congress and finally federal prisoner, Randy \u201cDuke\u201d Cunningham lived an American dream before it crashed in scandal two decades ago.<\/p>\n
Cunningham rose to the highest levels of public adoration \u2014 first as a decorated aviator sometimes credited with inspiring\u00a0the Tom Cruise character Maverick in the hit 1980s movie \u201cTop Gun,\u201d later as an elected representative after winning his first campaign in 1990.<\/p>\n
But like others before and since, Cunningham succumbed to the trappings of elective office. He pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in 2005 and spent eight and half years in prison for his crimes.<\/p>\n
The seven-term congressman, who shared a nickname with the Hollywood icon John Wayne and served his final days outside his adopted hometown of Little Rock, Ark., died on Wednesday in a Little Rock hospital from an undisclosed illness. He was 83.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuke was a wonderful guy, and he was a wonderful friend,\u201d said former Rep. Duncan Hunter Sr., who served alongside Cunningham in Congress over many years. He visited his former\u00a0colleague just last week and said his health was less than stellar.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis legacy is as one of the great fighter pilots of his era, but Duke\u2019s more special than that,\u201d said Hunter, who retired from the House of Representatives in 2008. \u201cHe was flying off the Constellation on a daily basis even when the politicians had given up on the Vietnam War.\u201d<\/p>\n
Randall Harold \u201cDuke\u201d Cunningham was born in Los Angeles one day after Japanese fighters attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.<\/p>\n
The son of a truck driver, Cunningham moved in the mid-1940s to Fresno, where his father opened a gas station. The family\u00a0migrated to Missouri, where Cunningham later enrolled in the University of Missouri and earned degrees in both education and physical education.<\/p>\n
Cunningham joined the Navy in 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, and began a flying career that landed him the coveted Navy Cross and a pair of Silver Stars for extraordinary bravery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith complete disregard for his own personal safety, he continued his attack through a hail of cannon fire to rescue his wingman,\u201d the citation for one of his Silver Stars read.<\/p>\n
Willy Driscoll, the only other naval aviator to earn the ace designation during the Vietnam era, said Cunningham was an outstanding flyer dedicated to his craft.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe flew 170 combat missions together and we were in some pretty harrowing situations,\u201d he said. \u201cRandy was the consummate professional as an aviator, constantly working to improve his knowledge of fighter tactics and committed to excellence in the air at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Driscoll said Cunningham had high standards as a Navy fighter pilot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to meet his expectations,\u201d he said. \u201cWe became very good friends, brothers in arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ace flyer rose to the rank of Navy commander before retiring in 1987. He settled in the north San Diego area and quickly built on his heroic reputation. According to Hunter, he had a natural gift in public speaking and regaled audiences with stories of his aerobatics.<\/p>\n
After his military service, Cunningham appeared regularly on national television as a political commentator and was quickly approached by local Republicans about running for public office.<\/p>\n
In 1990, the rock-ribbed Republican in the era of Ronald Reagan and George Bush decided to challenge incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim Bates, then mired in a sexual harassment scandal.<\/p>\n
Cunningham campaigned across the left-leaning 44th District by promising to be \u201ca congressman we can be proud of\u201d and won office by a single percentage point.<\/p>\n