Ernest Kish was the son of Hungarian immigrants and during World War II, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps and pilot of a P-47 Thunderbolt with the 8th Air Force, 56th Fighter Group, 61st Fighter Squadron, at Boxted Air Base in Colchester, England. He flew 95 missions over Normandy, Northern France, and the Rhineland, and was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. (Citation)

For service as set forth in the following CITATION: Action Date: 23-Sep-44
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Ernest Kish (ASN: 0-814701), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as a member of the 56th Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, over enemy occupied Continental Europe during World War II. The skillful and zealous manner in which this officer has sought out the enemy and engaged him, his devotion to duty and courage under all conditions, serve as an inspiration to his fellow flyers. His actions on all these occasions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

A native speaker of Hungarian, he was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1952 and served for 26 years in Washington, DC, Athens, Greece, and Frankfurt, Germany. He retired in 1978 as a Branch Chief of the National Photographic Interpretation Center in Washington, DC.