A former Missourian who became the first ace of the Vietnam War, and then an eight-term Congressman from California, has resigned his House seat after admitting taking almost $2.5-Million in bribes from a defense contractor. Congressman Randy Cunningham will be sentenced in February for helping steer defense contracts to the contractor that bribed him. Cunningham grew up in Shelbina, got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri in 1964 and 1965. He joined the Navy in 1966 and in 1972 shot down his fifth enemy airplane to become an ace. Many of his exploits at the Navy Fightere Weapons School were part of the plot for the popular Tom Cruise movie, “Top Gun.”
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