 He enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology and joined Beta Theta Pi fraternity, but left after his third year to enter the U.S. Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program on July 12, 1941.McGuire would become one of the top scoring combat pilots in U.S. Air Force history.Had it not been for periodic illnesses and the heavy administrative duties as Commander, 431st Fighter Squadron (from May to December 1944), he might have become the United States' leading ace.