This, I'm told, is a photo of George Dougherty, a genuine war hero if my pal John Ficarra is to be believed. And if you can't believe the former editor of MAD magazine, who can you believe? According to an article in today's Washington Post by John…
Quiet, unassuming George Dougherty was a P-47 fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps, 5th Air Force, 72nd fighter wing. He flew more than 206 combat missions and 510 combat hours over New Guinea and the Admiralty Islands, for which he was awarded multiple medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.
He was also — and I am in no way suggesting this is as important as winning World War II — a hero in the history of the comic book business, especially in the fifties when the industry was under fire for the alleged promotion of juvenile delinquency. Publishers — especially the smaller ones — had a lot of trouble with distribution, printing, financing (etc.) and they needed a hero. Dougherty was one to many of them, helping on the business side and advising not only Bill Gaines at EC Comics and MAD as Ficarra notes, but also other small houses including the short-lived company run by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. He's a figure from that era I'd like to know more about.
Here's a link to John's article. I warn you that the paywall at the Washington Post is sometimes difficult to surmount and it was for me even when I was a paid subscriber, which I no longer am. That's because the Washington Post is no longer the Washington Post. Journalism these days could use more heroes too.