 On 10 May 1972 , Lieutenant Randy " Duke " Cunningham and Lieutenant ( junior grade ) William P. Driscoll flying an F @-@ 4J , call sign " Showtime 100 " , shot down three MiG @-@ 17s to become the first American flying aces of the war . Their fifth victory was believed at the time to be over a mysterious North Vietnamese ace , Colonel Nguyen Toon , now considered mythical . On the return flight , the Phantom was damaged by an enemy surface @-@ to @-@ air missile . To avoid being captured , Cunningham and Driscoll flew their burning aircraft using only the rudder and afterburner ( the damage to the aircraft rendered conventional control nearly impossible ) , until they could eject over water . 
