How many times was Kenneth Walsh, the first Corsair ace, shot down?

Kenneth A. Walsh claimed his first three Japanese aircraft on 1 April 1943 and two more in his next combat action, on 13 May 1943, becoming the first ace with the Corsair. He belonged to VMF-124, the unit that produced that first ace, and ended the war with 21 kills. He was the fourth-ranking Marine Corps fighter ace of World War II, with a record of 21 enemy aircraft destroyed.

By late August 1943 his score stood at 20 victories, including two combat actions over the Solomon Islands that earned him the Medal of Honor. On 30 August, after suffering engine trouble on an escort mission considered vital, he landed the damaged aircraft at Munda, quickly swapped it for another, and rejoined his formation. Separated from his escort group, he encountered about 50 Japanese Zeros and attacked without hesitation, alone against a vastly superior force. He destroyed four enemy fighters before cannon fire forced him into a dead-stick landing off Vella Lavella, where he was picked up later.

On another occasion he repeatedly attacked an enemy formation that outnumbered his own division six to one. There he shot down two Japanese dive bombers and a fighter.