"Cunningham rose to the highest levels of public adoration first as a decorated aviator sometimes credited with inspiring the Tom Cruise character Maverick in the hit 1980s movie Top Gun, later as an elected representative after winning his first campaign in 1990. But like others before and since, Cunningham succumbed to the trappings of elective office. He pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in 2005 and spent eight and a half years in prison for his crimes."
"Duke was a wonderful guy, and he was a wonderful friend, said former Rep. Duncan Hunter Sr., who served alongside Cunningham in Congress over many years. He visited his former colleague just last week and said his health was less than stellar. His legacy is as one of the great fighter pilots of his era, but Duke's more special than that, said Hunter, who retired from the House of Representatives in 2008."
Randall Harold Duke Cunningham was born in Los Angeles one day after Japanese fighters attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. He became a decorated Navy aviator and Vietnam War fighter pilot sometimes credited with inspiring the Top Gun character Maverick. He won his first congressional campaign in 1990 and served seven terms. He pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in 2005 and served eight and a half years in prison. He shared a nickname with John Wayne and spent his final days near Little Rock, Arkansas. He died in a Little Rock hospital at age 83 from an undisclosed illness.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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